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The career services center at UCSD is pretty much a pile of shit, so I figured what better place to ask for advice than TL! On Monday I take the LSAT... and after that I begin the vaunted process of job hunting. I'm planning on taking next year off before entering grad school for two reasons:
1) want to make my resume for grad schools look nicer, since by then I'll (hopefully... if I can find a job) have two years of work experience (I've spent most of this year working for a think tank).
2) hopefully be able to get a salary that pays well enough to give me some money to save to help pay for grad school and stuff.
So, what am I looking for? This is what I need some advice about... For those of you who have jobs or are currently looking for work; how did you go about finding it? I know how to search for think tanks in DC and apply for jobs, but aside from that what else should I be looking for?
I guess I should mention the following:
- my degree is in Political Science
- I plan on doing the following for grad school: law school (emphasis on international law), and/or a MA/PhD in International Relations (or some related field).
I'm looking for a job SOMEWHERE in those fields, or that will give me some sort of valuable/informative experience that I can put on a grad school app. I really can't think of ANYTHING outside of a think tank though... but there has to be more than that, right?
Should I consider working for a law firm? Is that a viable option? I heard that's really bitch work and not productive at all though. Anyways, any help or ideas would be awesome, because my dad is on my ass about needing to start looking for a job but outside of think tanks I have no clue where to start.
 
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I think you should become the president of ESPORTS
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5003 Posts
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cia internship
research work with professors
do your own paper and try to get it published
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Vietnam719 Posts
Hmm, Political Science, but your dad is right with starting your career outside the think tanks. Working for a research institute/ university can make your records look nicer before you go to grad school. However, I am not sure you will get paid very well
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If you're serious about law, you should contemplate interning at a law office as a filing clerk. It sounds like you're not really sure what working for a law firm is like, so I really really recommend interning at a law firm for a little bit. Lawyers have the lowest job satisfaction rates and even after you get your JD, it's not guaranteed you'll find work if you didn't come from a top school. Even if you intern just as a filing clerk or receptionist, the time you spend there shadowing lawyers will give you a good idea of whether or not the job's for you.
But you also mention that you'd like a salary, which will be tough since most law firms can get free labor from actual law students.
Personally, I found all my job/work through my school's job site. I'm really surprised the UCSD career center is as bad as you make it sound to be.
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Why not stick to what you do now? You are obviously doing a great job with the tournaments! Pursue your passion 
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United States3824 Posts
CIA if you are 25 yet
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United States3824 Posts
Doesn't working for a think tank look good?
God haven't heard that term since I used to read spy novels
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I don't really agree with the advice of people above, except for soudo above.
I have a few observations:
1) You're starting to look for a job really late. Almost all firms that have a formal recruitment process have already filled their spots.
2) Unless you have some prior experience or something that makes you stand out in an *outstanding* way, it's not realistic to send in a cold application to the CIA.
3) The #1 way people find jobs is networking. That means, you start talking to everybody you know saying that you're looking for a job. Your friends, particularly the ones that are already working. Your parents and your parents' friends. Your professors or other professionals that you have a good relationship with. That's how I found my first job.
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On June 06 2010 12:55 cgrinker wrote:Doesn't working for a think tank look good? God haven't heard that term since I used to read spy novels
I've worked for a think tank before. Their recruitment seasons are long over.
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Duran I have some job advice for you...work in DC. kthx c u soon.
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On June 06 2010 13:27 LuckyFool wrote:
Duran I have some job advice for you...work in DC. kthx c u soon.
yes
and manage esports
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On June 06 2010 12:50 HDstarcraft wrote:Why not stick to what you do now? You are obviously doing a great job with the tournaments! Pursue your passion
As fun as Starcraft is, it really isn't something I want to do with my life. There are way bigger things I want to be doing, can't be sitting around playing games forever.  !
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On June 06 2010 12:25 soudo wrote:
Personally, I found all my job/work through my school's job site. I'm really surprised the UCSD career center is as bad as you make it sound to be.
Every time I've gone there, they just tell me to go look at websites. Last year, I asked them about working for a think tank, and the lady I talked to had to ask me what a think tank was. Luckily, I found a job at a think tank without their help >_>!
But, it was just a temporary thing, and I applied for a fellowship there, got in the top 3 out of 300 applicants, but they eventually gave the job to a guy who was a rhodes scholar and had a phd from oxford so fuck my life... I would have been set.
So ya, I know I can try for another think tank job, but was considering something else, something I hadn't thought of before. The CIA would be awesome, I don't think I can do it though T_T !
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EPT
