I Don't Think I'll Ever Make it in DC, Thinking of Giving Up

[Anonymous]

Does the school you attend or the topics you focus on make it abundently clear what your political leanings are? I.e. you attend Liberty and you have a background in gun rights? Or you attend an Ivy with a background in policy-making to help immigrants? If so, you are likely not getting offered interviews because some of those organizations see something on your resume that is a red flag for them.

[Anonymous]

I’m sorry, OP. I’ve felt similarly in the past. You didn’t mention your Representative’s or Senator’s personal office. That could be a place to start. You can make connections and work your way to a committee or jump to an agency eventually.

[Anonymous]

Go back to your industry and keep up with politics. Look for jobs on the private side f government relations.

You can apply for internships and fellowships every year.

[Anonymous]

Can you switch in to an MBA program? This would give you more options for postgraduate employment. Also, it doesn't hurt to start in an operational or customer service role in the government for a few years, and then move to DC for more policy-making work.

[Anonymous]

Name the policy area you spent a "few years" working in so we can actually help! Bizarre that you think you'll be ID'd. So it's really niche?

[Anonymous]

One word: Networking.
Get involved in political campaigns. Many people in policy started their careers on political campaigns. Campaign work offers valuable experience and networking opportunities with both political insiders and other professionals. This is how DC works.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One word: Networking.
Get involved in political campaigns. Many people in policy started their careers on political campaigns. Campaign work offers valuable experience and networking opportunities with both political insiders and other professionals. This is how DC works.

This is excellent advice. Also, it’s good that you have good grades but that doesn’t give you a leg up, especially with grade inflation. You have to pay your dues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can you switch in to an MBA program? This would give you more options for postgraduate employment. Also, it doesn't hurt to start in an operational or customer service role in the government for a few years, and then move to DC for more policy-making work.

The MBA program is awful advice. Don’t listen to this, OP.

[Anonymous]

Do something more practical.

[Anonymous]

I work at one of the places you probably applied to. Now that most/all internships are paid, we can offer fewer opportunities overall and the competition is much higher. It's one thing to take a chance with an unpaid intern, but when the funds come out of stretched NGO budgets, hiring managers tend to be especially selective.

And as all the PPs have said, this year is exponentially worse - every entry-level position is attracting candidates with 3-5 years experience; same for internships because it's seen as a foot in the door (and better than unemployment.)

I second the advice about volunteering on campaigns; my college student didn't have a FT internship last year so she volunteered on a Congressional campaign in a modest way (probably 10-15 phone banks overall.) Toward the end of the summer they offered her a paid job on the campaign. She was heading into her junior year and didn't take it... although now that she's once again unemployed this summer, I kind of wish she had!

Good luck OP. It's a struggle to find your place, especially with a graduate school degree that could take you in a million different directions. But you'll get there!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can you switch in to an MBA program? This would give you more options for postgraduate employment. Also, it doesn't hurt to start in an operational or customer service role in the government for a few years, and then move to DC for more policy-making work.

The MBA program is awful advice. Don’t listen to this, OP.

Yes. Ask YSM graduates still without jobs

https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/careers/the-m-b-a-s-who-cant-find-jobs-669cc1fa

[Anonymous]

My friend had a simliar experience 20 years ago. She had a career for 4-5 years after college as a graphic designer. She came to D.C. to get a master's in public policy. I met her as an intern at my job. She could never find a full-time job. She was in D.C. for four years. She gave up and moved and went back into graphic design.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a current MPP (Master of Public Policy) student in my first year, and I haven't been able to secure any internships for the summer. I've applied to non-profits, The World Bank, fellowships, think tanks (Brookings, Atlantic Council, etc), consulting groups, senate committees, federal government agencies, and have been rejected or ghosted by all of them. I even had references and personal connections at some of these places! I'm currently interning with a non-profit in the city my grad school is in, and that internship will come to a close at the end of the semester. I've been looking to break into DC.

Prior to starting my MPP, I worked for a few years in the sector related to the area of policy I want to pursue. For privacy reasons, I don't want to give any more details as to what that is, because I don't want to run the risk of being identified. I tried applying to jobs at these organizations a couple of years ago, and was never successful. People told me I needed to go to graduate school to increase my chances of success, so I did. Yet, I still find myself in the same exact position I was in a few years ago: crying alone, feeling like a failure, feeling worthless and unwanted, and getting rejected or ghosted from everything. Nothing has changed for me at all. Many of my classmates and peers are securing roles at these places, even those with no prior work experience.

It's so frustrating and demotivating. I've exhausted hours upon hours writing personalized cover letters, ensuring my resume matches job descriptions--on top of a very demanding full-time course load, and managing a current internship I have with a non-profit. I've had multiple people--including some from the career office at my school, look over my cover letters and resume and say they don't understand why I'm not even getting interview requests at most places and that I seem like the perfect candidate. I don't know what more I could have done to stand out. Every door has been shut in my face. I made it to the second interview at a place I have connections with and still didn't get the position. I had another interview with a non-profit (not in DC, but remote) this past week, and I'm waiting to hear back.

With the semester closing out in two weeks, I'm panicking. I'm worried that not securing a good internship this summer will hurt my chances in finding a good job in DC after graduation. I've worked so hard to get good grades in my competitive classes, acquire heavy quant skills in statistics/program evaluation/econ/R/Python to do data analysis/data science, and I have sacrificed so much sleep, time at the gym, and even meals and I feel like it has all been for absolutely nothing. I feel defeated and regret trying to pursue this field and like I'll just never make it in DC or in this field, and that I'll never be able to put food on the table, have a family, and have a life. I expected much better than this from the elite MPP program I'm attending. My mental health is the absolute worst it has ever been. At this point, I just feel like I got my sign that I'll never make it in this field and this city, and that it's time to give up.

I don't even know what I'm ranting about. Just looking for some reassurance from anyone who has gone through this before.

Your program should be helping you get an internship over the summer. The best policy programs require a summer internship and have connections for their students. The very best ones even pay the students if the internship is technically unpaid. Doesn't mean they will have an internship in DC- many top policy schools offer internships all over the world, but they should help you secure one. Look outside DC. You might have better luck.

Contact career services NOW along with alumni who work in those areas you want to have an internship. Ask career services to help you practice your interview skills. Talk to your cohort about practice too.


Many summer internships had applications awhile ago, but some internships I could find quickly

CSIS

United Nations Foundation-some remote

International Rescue Committee (IRC)

World Resource Institute

United States Climate Alliance https://usclimatealliance.org/about/careers/

Contact your representative and see about internships with them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does the school you attend or the topics you focus on make it abundently clear what your political leanings are? I.e. you attend Liberty and you have a background in gun rights? Or you attend an Ivy with a background in policy-making to help immigrants? If so, you are likely not getting offered interviews because some of those organizations see something on your resume that is a red flag for them.

OP here. I attend an ivy+, top-ranked school and have a full scholarship. My interest is in education policy.

[Anonymous]

OP here. I just wanted to say thank you all so much for the wonderful and kind responses. It really means a lot and makes me feel less alone. I will also take a lot of the advice shared in this thread.

I have a follow up question, if anyone knows. Someone told me that I should just apply for whatever full time job I can get, and that by applying to internships, I am underselling myself given my prior work experience, and that internships will reduce my salary potential. Is that true? I thought internships would help me get my foot in the door.