Politics students are typically up to speed with current affairs and interested in leadership and the ways in which ideas and principles are put into action – attitudes that can be useful in the workplace. They are typically enthusiastic about their subject, opinionated and hardworking, and used to arguing a case and presenting their views. Many politics graduates go on to further study, often in specialised areas of politics such as international relations and international human rights. Others pursue careers in areas such as business, HR and finance.
The kind of skills you will have developed include:
- gathering information, assessing and interpreting it
- leading and participating in discussions and groups
- organising workloads and working to deadlines
- developing opinions and ideas
- essay writing, presentation and analytical skills
- reading pages of text and picking out the essential points
- stating a case
- solving problems
- assimilating facts
- expressing yourself clearly (certainly in writing, and probably in person too)
Fresh out of university, there are plenty of options – public services, the Civil Service and local government, non-governmental organisation (NGO) work, and research.
Even with a minimum amount of training, many organisations are looking for enthusiastic graduates fresh from university. Potential career paths could include:
- banking
- business
- journalism
- chartered accountant
- technical writer
- industrial buyer retail buyer
- distribution or logistics manager
- marketing executive
- solicitor
There are plenty of people who have graduated with a politics degree without making it their life’s work. Consider the following celebrities:
- Elisabeth Shue
- Harry Enfield
- Mia Hamm
- Alec Baldwin
- Jerry Springer
- Anne Rice
Taken from Target Jobs.