The great American political scientist Harold Lasswell said that politics is who gets what, when, and how.
There has never been a better description of the field. Despite all the noise, emotion, and confusion that surround politics, it always comes down to the distribution of various sorts of resources—civic, legal, and economic.
The reason why it is so intense is that there is a great deal at stake.
Indeed, the proliferation of new media over the last half-century has led to an increase in the political industry.
A wide range of political jobs is open to people who are hungry for new challenges.
Many of these jobs are well-paid, and they are open to nearly anyone with the education, talent, and drive to succeed, regardless of their political beliefs.
1. Public Relations Manager
Why Become a Public Relations Manager?
Public office holders, which can include both elected and appointed officials, are constantly in the spotlight.
As a public relations manager, your job will be to ensure that your client maintains a positive and constructive rapport with the general public.
This will often require you to help your client prepare public briefings, select certain media outlets for them to speak through, and cultivate good relationships with print, broadcast, and online media yourself.
You must also be the point person when negative stories about your client circulate in the press.
It is your job to counter falsehoods and substitute facts for conjecture.
To stay ahead of such a story, you must hone certain language skills and know when and how to leverage the relationships you have developed with journalists and bloggers to help your client rebuild trust with the community.
The average salary for a public relations manager is $132,630.
You must usually have a 4-year degree to get started in the industry.
| Public Relations Manager Key Stats | |
|---|---|
| Avg. Salary / year | $132,800 |
| Avg. Pay / hour | $63.85 |
| Education | 4+ Years |
| Outlook | 13% |
Read the full career guide: How to Become a Public Relations Manager
2. Economist
Why Become An Economist?
Trained economists are in high demand at the federal, state, and local levels.
The modern economy is an incredibly sophisticated engine that drives the production of goods and services and the jobs that create them.
In order to make sound policy, elected officials and civil servants must understand the condition of the economy and the prospects for its future.
As an economist, you will bring a range of mathematical and social science tools to bear to analyze leading indicators of economic growth or contraction.
You will also describe and explain the impact of certain laws and policies on jobs, income, and spending to policy-makers.
The average salary for an economist is $116,630.
You will need at least a 4-year degree to become an economist. Some positions require a doctorate.
| Economist Key Stats | |
|---|---|
| Avg. Salary / year | $120,830 |
| Avg. Pay / hour | $58.09 |
| Education | 3-4 Years |
| Outlook | 6.1% |
Read the full career guide: How to Become An Economist
3. Politician
Why Become a Politician?
How much tax is collected, who is it collected from, and what it is spent on is determined by legislators and the executive.
These are all people who must be elected by the people in their constituency.
Whether you want to start as a member of the city council or you believe you have the chops to run for the United States Senate, becoming a politician is at once tough, thankless, and rewarding.
A successful political campaign will give you power over hundreds, hundreds of thousands, or millions of people’s lives.
It will put you in the room where decisions are made.
The average salary for an elected official is $120,260.
There really is no required experience for this job.
| Politician Key Stats | |
|---|---|
| Avg. Salary / year | $120,430 |
| Avg. Pay / hour | $57.90 |
| Education | 3-4 Years |
| Outlook | 6.1% |
Read the full career guide: How to Become a Politician
4. Social Worker
Why Become a Social Worker?
Social work is quite an important government service.
It involves helping vulnerable people in a variety of family and social circumstances; it also involves helping people who have fallen on hard times through no fault of their own.
Being a good social worker requires more than empathy and a strong desire to do good.
In the end, your job is to protect people from the worst elements in society and to help others get back on their feet.
To do the job competently, you will need to go through a training program that will make you master the governmental and community resources available to help individuals in need.
The average salary of a social worker is $61,750. It takes 3-4 years of training.
| Social Worker Key Stats | |
|---|---|
| Avg. Salary / year | $63,010 |
| Avg. Pay / hour | $30.29 |
| Education | 3-4 Years |
| Outlook | 8.3% |
Read the full career guide: How to Become a Social Worker
5. Forensic Accountant
Why Become a Forensic Accountant?
This form of accounting involves determining whether firms have engaged in financial misconduct.
Private companies must operate according to rules and regulations.
The latter are put in place to protect the public against unscrupulous moneyed interests.
If a claim of wrongdoing has been submitted to a regulatory agency, then an investigation may be launched.
The job of a forensic accountant is to use a range of accounting and analytical tools to determine the way that money and other assets are acquired, designated, managed, and moved in an organization.
To succeed in this job, you will need to develop sound financial and investigative skills.
The average salary for a forensic accountant is $79,520. It takes 4+ years of education and training to do the job.
| Forensic Accountant Key Stats | |
|---|---|
| Avg. Salary / year | $83,980 |
| Avg. Pay / hour | $40.37 |
| Education | 4+ Years |
| Outlook | 22% |
Read the full career guide: How to Become a Forensic Accountant
6. Publicist
Why Become a Publicist?
As a publicist, your job will be to shape the public image of your principal.
In the field of politics, you will be heavily engaged in countering the waves of attacks on your client that will inevitably come from rival candidates and their media allies.
The best defense is a strong and aggressive offense.
You will need to hone certain communicative skills to win rhetorical battles on behalf of your client.
You must also cultivate a good relationship with print, broadcast, and online media.
The average salary for this job is $79,520. It requires 4+ years of training.
| Publicist Key Stats | |
|---|---|
| Avg. Salary / year | $83,980 |
| Avg. Pay / hour | $40.37 |
| Education | 4+ Years |
| Outlook | 6% |
Read the full career guide: How to Become a Publicist
7. Market Research Analyst
Why Become a Market Research Analyst?
Politics in America has become part of the larger consumer industry.
Politicians and political parties strive to establish themselves as brands and to sell themselves as so many products to the public.
That is why market research analysis has become so important to the field.
In times past, a market research analyst would have sought jobs in the consumer industry.
These days such professionals are in high demand in the political consultancy industry.
As a market research analyst, you will employ a range of research tools to determine what voters care most about, what they want to see and hear from a political candidate, how attuned they are to political news and events, and other such data.
You will then need to break down the information so that your client can act on it.
The average salary for this job is $71,570. You will need at least a 4-year degree.
| Market Research Analyst Key Stats | |
|---|---|
| Avg. Salary / year | $76,080 |
| Avg. Pay / hour | $36.58 |
| Education | 3-4 Years |
| Outlook | 23.2% |
Read the full career guide: How to Become a Market Research Analyst
8. Journalist
Why Become a Journalist?
Not everyone who is interested in politics becomes a politician.
Some become political journalists.
The late Gore Vidal once said that the job of the writer is, to tell the truth as they see it, while the job of the politician is to not give the game away.
If you are more inclined toward the former, then journalism may be right for you.
As a political journalist, you will cultivate reliable sources of information, analyze shifting power dynamics among political factions, breaking news, and write articles of public interest.
The average salary for this job is $62,400. Most journalism jobs require a 4-year degree.
| Journalist Key Stats | |
|---|---|
| Avg. Salary / year | $63,230 |
| Avg. Pay / hour | $30.40 |
| Education | 4+ Years |
| Outlook | -10.1% |
Read the full career guide: How to Become a Journalist
9. Stock Broker
Why Become a Stock Broker?
Working in the stock market is one of the most intense and financially lucrative jobs in the country.
A company’s stock represents its value on the market.
These changes from day-to-day in accordance with the financial health of the company, minor and major changes in the industry, government regulatory action, and significant events in the world.
As a stockbroker, your job is to keep track of the latest news and analyses of all such phenomena and to advise your clients on when to sell, when to hold, and when to make new investments; and to carry out all such transactions on their behalf.
The average salary for a stockbroker is $94,160. It requires 4+ years of education and training.
| Stock Broker Key Stats | |
|---|---|
| Avg. Salary / year | $63,230 |
| Avg. Pay / hour | $30.40 |
| Education | 4+ Years |
| Outlook | 10% |
Read the full career guide: How to Become a Stock Broker
