Why study Political Science? 12 reasons to do it
The Political Sciences study the different power relationships between different types of authority and individuals (citizens, more specifically). Any licensed professional in this career can perform multiple tasks: studies and research teachers, advice to groups, organizations and socio-political structures.
Year after year, the Political Science career generates interest among many high school graduates who are thinking about making the leap to the university world. Now, is it a good idea to study this career?
As a graduate in Political Science and Public Management, I will try to expose the advantages and benefits of studying this career. This post will be treated from a personal point of view, where I will explain my experiences and thoughts, along with a purely professional approach and taking into account the career opportunities offered by the career. I hope it helps you decide.
- Maybe you're interested in reading: "Why study Psychology? 10 reasons that can convince you"
What is learned in the career of Political Science?
Many people wonder ... What is the object of study of Politology? These are studies that allow to acquire broad knowledge in various branches related to politics, such as Public Administration, Political Economy, Political Philosophy, International Relations, as well as Research and Analysis of the many and varied social phenomena and politicians that occur in our environment.
Although some think or affirm that studying Political Science "is useless", they are very wrong. Few, not to mention none, university careers will give you such a broad and varied baggage of knowledge, as well as being a subject that directly affects our lives as citizens.
Why study Political Science? 12 keys
We are political beings and as such we should have analysis tools. In the end, everything that happens in politics changes our living conditions, both in the workplace, legal, educational, health ...
Next I am going to propose you 12 essential points that will allow you to reflect and know if Politology can be a field of study related to your interests and expectations.
1. Because you are passionate about politics
As with art, music, theater or sports, politics is pure passion, heart and values . At present, there is a tendency to believe that the most popular profession, that of the politician, is that of wanting to benefit from an appetizing position with an abusive salary for one's own benefit. In some cases it can happen, unfortunately, but in the majority it is not like that.
The interest is born from the restlessness to know how the world works and the relations of power, linked to some ideas of which we sympathize and defend. It is not strange, then, that many students of Politics are in turn militants of political parties and vehemently defend their positions.
2. You are interested in discourse analysis
How many times have you heard a speech and analyzed it twenty times? It is another feature linked to passion, which manifests itself from a very early age. Well, although at a precocious age we still have a vague idea of what politics is in general, we do have a well-defined base of our scale of values.
When we listen to a speech, we try to find that subliminal message that few know how to appreciate. If you are one of those people who like to detect contradictions or fallacies in the verbal maneuvers of public representatives, you are a serious candidate to study Political Science.
3. You care about social needs
If you live constantly analyzing and researching the needs of the society in which you find yourself, detecting the latent problems as well as those that are for you priority and from a subjective point of view (this is where values and ideas come in), The Politics career can offer you even better tools and criteria .
In addition, to study these studies will allow you to identify which are the political measures that could correct them.
4. You are organized (... or you would like to be)
The Political Sciences are a framework of very complex studies. The policy is, after all, about organizing and managing the daily life of a community, planning and being persistent at work.
This profession is evaluated on a day-to-day basis, with each problem and with different political entities for decision-making. Depending on the decision chosen, the final result will be applauded or booed. If you are an organized person or you want to enhance this capacity, nothing better than this career .
5. You want to drive change
It is not necessary to be a mass leader or an epic speaker, but if you have certain ideals you should be part of that force that wants to drive change. Both for one side, "the left", and for "the right" for us to understand each other.
No matter what side you choose, the important thing is to have a collective conscience and fight for the common good . If you think that your ideas could generate a more just, innovative and supportive society, you could be a good political scientist (and also a good politician if you like action more than analysis).
6. You prefer the word as a method of solution
The policy is based on the power of speech and oratory to convince others, our public . The more communicative capacity one has, the better the ideas and values that we want to apply to the political system are transmitted.
The good politician confronts the conflict by giving the floor to solve any type of discrepancy. Thus, the communion between clarity of ideas and oratory resources are two of the essential competences of a politician who aspires to lead an organization or even a nation.
7. You think everything is related to Political Science
From the price of the coffee we pay to the distribution of goods on the streets in a city, everything has to do with Political Science. The name of the streets, the laws that regulate the different taxes, the influence of certain religious minorities, the power of the big companies, the schedule that shops and businesses must comply with ... everything depends on what happens in political life .
Nothing is left to chance. All laws meet certain needs and solutions to live in harmony. And is that society, as I would say Thomas Hobbes in "El Leviatán", it is regulated by a social contract between citizens and the power that governs them. If you are aware of all this, you will have developed the necessary criteria to study this career.
8. You are creative (or you like to practice divergent thinking)
Contrary to what is usually thought, politics is not just a strict decision-making guideline . There is no infallible formula to apply to a conflict or a social problem.
In politics you have to be proactive and not reactive, and that's where creativity comes into play. Political science allows to combine creativity, critical thinking and collective work. This characteristic in particular generates high levels of satisfaction for the professionals who dedicate themselves to it.
9. You are very interested in knowing
On a personal level, I would like to influence this point. Just as a psychologist wants to know what happens in the mind of his patient, or the sociologist is interested in the behavior of society, the political scientist craves, in a certain way, to know how institutions work, the relations between states, the processes that happen in local governments or why a war.
If you've been interested in reading and being informed about these issues since you were young, You are probably a good political scientist in the near future .
10. You want to know yourself better
I remember the first day of class. A classroom of 50 people, in some cases divided into groups of "thoughts or ideas". There were those of the left, right, anarchists, statists, militarists, etc. It is amazing to breathe the atmosphere of such a collective, each person or group with their ideas defended by knife. There were often verbally tough, but interesting, confrontations.
In Political Science, the being learns to know himself better, to identify and polish his knowledge, something that no other career offers .
11. Great, but ... what professional opportunities can this career offer you?
The title of Political Science will open the doors to a wide range of work . Most of the options available are usually well paid, in addition to providing the satisfaction of being able to use your skills and critical sense.
Feeling a necessary person, and not a mere number: this is one of the main advantages of being a political scientist. NGOs, Public Administration or Political Advisor, are some of the most attractive professional opportunities in the sector.
12. Looking for a colorful and adventurous profession
Related to the previous point, the Political Sciences and their work, are an interesting project for the future for those who reject routine and order.
As a politician or political scientist you will be constantly searching for knowledge, you will explore different countries , you will work with people from all over the globe and no day will be the same as the previous one.
And if I do not dedicate myself to it, what do I do?
Do not worry or obsess about it. Many of us are passionate political scientists who do not have the profession.
It is something common and that I would like to add in the article so as not to hide anything from the current reality. Those of us who have studied Political Science never stop being interested in what happens around us.
And although given the circumstances where we are crushed to work as interns, the future is promising as we face new challenges following the evolution of modern society and unresolved conflicts, such as the refugee crisis and its integration into societies with radically opposed cultures.
