My kid has a master's in public administration but is unemployed

[Anonymous]

Has he considered becoming a military officer?

[Anonymous]

https://sps.northwestern.edu/master/public-policy/index

Your son earned an online degree from the School of Professional Studies at Northwestern University ?

Typically, online part-time degrees like this are taken by working professionals who want to advance in their current job or industry. Your son needs some work experience. Holders of a degree in public policy usually work for a government agency or at a non-profit. Without any relevant work experience, your son may want to submit resumes to major law firms to work as a paralegal for two years. Base is usually in the 50s, but overtime--especially in litigation--can result in pay over $100,000.

Many universities offer degrees through professional studies divisions. These are primarily cash cow programs for the universities including schools such as Harvard & Columbia. The gist is that securing a job is almost entirely on the student.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Call a temp agency. Lots of reputable ones that source to great companies. We hire a lot of our college grads by trying them out first as temps.

Which temp agencies hire in this field?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Northwestern is a great school for networking with alumni.

I'm saying this kindly, but how does he have a masters with no relevant work experience or internships? What did he do during the summers throughout his 6 years of undergrad and grad school? Did he forge relationships with any professors or alumni that he can reach out to for mentorship or a research assistantship maybe to get something on his resume.

This! He needs to go to alumni networking events and talk to people. Also he needs to go to career services and get his resume looked over. He should have access to the career services job listings as well, which will be tailored for public policy jobs.

4 months is no reason to panic. 6 months should be about the norm. Of he has no job experience, then a year. It is about how conmected you are and previous work experience.

[Anonymous]

Apply for the PMF

[Anonymous]

MPA is an unemployable degree except for federal govt

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If he doesn’t have super relevant experience and little or no internships while in school, his first job out of school may be a little bit lower on the pay scale and will start to give him the experience he needs. 220 applications with nothing to show for it means something is not tracking. Some kids who are good at stats and coding can get entry level analyst jobs. But they have to be willing to put the time and hours into it. May not seem glamourous, or what they did a Masters for, but it’s the way to start building.

He's had one class each of stats and coding, so not enough to get a job. It's very concerning that he graduated magna cum laude from a top 25 college. What the heck?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hmm. Many of these careers start out as internships or fellows in local government. I assume he has pursued that?

He can't afford an internship, and he's 24, not a kid.

I am trying to help you. Another pp said the same thing about internships/fellowships. That is how many start out, at 24 or even older.

Thank you both.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hmm. Many of these careers start out as internships or fellows in local government. I assume he has pursued that?

He can't afford an internship, and he's 24, not a kid.

I am trying to help you. Another pp said the same thing about internships/fellowships. That is how many start out, at 24 or even older.

I was going to say the same. I have hired many masters/post masters interns in my field (public health) and can assure you that many of them are 24 or even slightly older.

Do they make enough to repay their grad school debt?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a masters in public administration and often hire recent grads from my school when they reach out. Has the school been helpful with a list of alums?

He hasn't asked. I forced him to ask his undergrad placement office for some alumni referrals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hmm. Many of these careers start out as internships or fellows in local government. I assume he has pursued that?

He can't afford an internship, and he's 24, not a kid.

So he can afford not working and sitting around on his butt?

I was hoping he'd get a paying job before he got locked into a 1 or 2 year internship, but I now understand these are paid internships.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I parlayed an internship during my MPA program—that I interviewed and got through my school—into a full time federal job. What actual experience does he have? Where did he get the degree?

No super relevant experience, a year of analytic work between college and grad school. MPPA from Northwestern.

He should do more analytics/consulting. They like the young ones with masters.

Guidehouse put him through the full interview cycle, then closed the position. Hasn't been able to get any other interviews with consulting firms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mom/dad, please let your grown child figure this out.

He doesn't seem able to. Seriously. Book smart but very little drive.

[Anonymous]

I was 36 when I did unpaid internships to switch careers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why are you panicking? He should be.
What he needs now is a job, any job.
Food service, bar man, ups delivery, Starbucks, car dealership

Once he has that, then he can continue his job search

His father thinks our son is too good for that. Our kid waited tables for 6 months after college til he got his first office job, so there's a history here.