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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]My sweet and smart (and naive / inexperienced) 22 yr old niece graduated (last May) from a small liberal arts college as a political science major. She’s not interested in law school (I’m a lawyer and support that decision!) and has a first job in consulting for one of the non-McKinsey level firms, in the federal/gov’t unit (I forget exactly what my sister called it). She has no idea what she wants to do other than that she loves politics but she doesn’t think she wants to work on a campaign.

###She managed to graduate from college without any idea of jobs she might like? Did she ever work before?####$

Her job start date keeps getting postponed. My sister is worried that it may be “permanently postponed,” and my niece is actively looking for an apartment in DC area with some college friends, and then she’ll be locked into DC and rent but without an income.

###This is insane. She should not sign a lease unless she has a job or parents prepay all living expenses. Think of the roommates!####

YES my sister and I both know this is my niece’s situation to figure out. But my sister and I are close, and I’m close with my niece, and while I don’t work in a related field at all, I’m probably (by virtue of being a lawyer and living in DC) closer to what my niece’s career goals may be than my sister is. So I’m helping brainstorm ideas for what my niece can look into if her job offer is revoked.

All of this is background to ask dcum-ers who are in government affairs, is this the type of job that one seeks immediately out of undergrad, or is it better to get experience working on the Hill (for a politician, or a congressional committee, or the like) before moving into a government affairs job in the private sector. I know I sound clueless- and I am, please school me.

####Unless she wants a casual job passing drinks and apps at receptions, or being the equivalent of an arm candy door opener she needs some experience on the Hill or with an agency.  Does she even know what government affairs is?####

If you do think some kind of congressional experience is helpful, where does a new grad look for these jobs? Are there areas you recommend vs not?

###They volunteer for a campaign or somehow get an in with a member or Senator. Even as a volunteer.  This is a longer process than nailing a job before signing that lease see my comment above. And campaigns are in the home district/state. ####

I’d appreciate any other brainstorms for fields my niece could start looking into as a recent poli science grad. She says her college’s career office was not very helpful other than for quantifiable jobs like consulting, finance, engineering, or for grad school.

####Nonprofits, advocacy groups, etc. ###

Thanks for any advice. 
[/quote][/quote]

It’s not atypical to graduate without knowing what one wants to do, especially as a political science type major without parents/family members in a related field. My niece went to a liberal arts college, not a college with schools/majors like public policy, communications, education, business school, etc.

Also, she has not had any jobs in the field which I also would expect is not atypical - she worked summer jobs as a lifeguard her first two college summers, then last summer she had an internship at the county courthouse where she lives (not in DC area). That didn’t give her any sense of what she wants to do, and from my own memories as a former poli sci major, college classes don’t give you any sense of that either.

I’m surprised at your reaction - I mean this without snark, did you go to a co-op university, or were you a major like accounting or engineering where one’s career path immediately out of college is fairly prescribed/quantifiable? This isn’t how it works for all of the students who majored in English, anthropology, sociology, etc. They have to figure out what to do with the skills they learned via their degrees, and often that is pretty hard for a first job. Which is why my niece (and so many others) fall into consulting as a first job.

Weeding through your comments, I think you are saying that yes one needs Hill experience before working in government affairs in the private sector. Appreciate that advice. [/quote]

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