Hello pls help me :0

[u/ProfessionalBet805]

Hello everyone,

it’s my first post here! i wanted to ask, i just graduated from UC Davis with a Political Science Degree with a minor in sociology and i’m struggling to find a job i can get into. I’m trying to get into the field of law whether that’s working for the district attorney or at a law firm, however i’ve had no luck. they all require so much experience in the law field which i don’t have. How do i even get that experience if nobody is willing to hire me?

I would appreciate any tips as to what to look for and what i should do? What job titles are recommended i should look at? i js feel like im applying at the wrong places and wasting their and my time 😭😭 please help meh

thanks you all :p

[u/turb25]

Hi fellow polisci Aggie!

I have also struggled with this, I recently completed a paralegal certification course through the UCD Continuing and Professional Ed program, I'm hoping that expands the prospects. Maybe look into that? I wish I could testify to whether or not it's helped but it is a way into the law field without going to law school first

[u/ProfessionalBet805 → u/turb25]

Hellooo aggie :3

Ouu i’ll definitely look into that program! Could i still do it if i’ve graduated tho? or is it something i needed to do while enrolled in UCD? tysm for replying and best of luck to you in your endeavors!

[u/turb25 → u/ProfessionalBet805]

No current undergrad enrollment required, you can do it anytime. They do a few cycles a year, 6 month program, all on your own time and fairly easy.

[u/jjinxeddd]

Hi! I did Poli Sci and English Lit. Nonprofit sphere has lots of jobs! I left my litigation assistant role to do compliance for a housing nonprofit in SF. Get paid a lot better and the people are super cool!

[u/Able_Enthusiasm2729]

A Ton of Jobs Require or Prefer a Bachelor's Degree or Higher, The Job Market Across Sectors is Terrible, and a Political Science Education Can Fulfil The Need for Higher Education:

Most Administrative Assistant jobs (at least in the United States) require a bachelor's degree and 2 years of experience, an associate's degree with 4 years of experience, or a high school diploma and 5 to 8 years of directly related experience doing the same job you're applying for or some other similar job. Several companies categorize all of their entry-level recent college grad employees as Administrative Assistants, Secretaries, Administrative Clerks, and Management Assistants, and require them to hold a bachelor's degree in a field related to the industry the company works in or the specific practice area of the project that the mid-level/senior-level employee they're assisting is working on. Most Executive Assistant (EA) positions I’ve seen require about 5-8 years of work experience mostly as an Administrative Assistant (AA) or in a non-AA role related to the work of the company, or 5-10 years of work experience if you don’t have a bachelor’s degree. 

About 96% of Paralegals, Legal Assistants, File Clerks, Administrative Assistants, Conflicts Analysts, Legal Secretaries, and other Professional Support Staff (a.k.a. Non-Lawyers) in law firm settings (and some other similar office settings at consulting, accounting, advocacy, trade association, professional association, commercial-residential property management companies, and government relations firms, etc.) practically all have at least a bachelor’s degree (though on paper the job description might let you use a high school diploma + paralegal certificate/paralegal vocational training but these are few, far between, and hard to find or at minimum an associate’s degree for Mail Clerk positions); 1% are older people (Boomers, Gen X, maybe some Older Millennials) who were grandfathered in with only a high school diploma +/- secretarial school due to their years of experience from back when entry requirements were far more lax; 2% are younger people (Millennials & Gen Z) from out-of-town who laterally transitioned into a role here with only a high school diploma and/or a paralegal certificate because that’s what jobs in their hometown metropolitan areas where they started their careers only required; as well as 1% that got in with a high school diploma or less because of personal connections with friends, family, or acquaintances (many times outside of professional connection/formal networking/formal hiring settings).

Depending on the location and the job market, receptionist jobs are looking for people with at least a bachelor’s degree (maybe an associate’s degree) and at least 2-3 years of experience or a high school diploma and 5 years of experience if you don’t have a degree.

For one company I’ve seen, 5 out of 5 Administrative Assistants had a bachelor’s degree and at least 2 years of prior work experience before starting the role, and 4 out of 5 also had a master’s degree. For another job I saw, every Receptionist had a bachelor’s degree and at least two of them had about 3-4 years of experience made up of internships and prior receptionist experience. I’ve literally seen a Front Desk Receptionist job require a bachelor’s degree w/5 yrs exp., a master’s with 2 yrs exp., a PhD with 0 yrs exp., or a high school diploma/GED w/10 yrs exp.;NOT KIDDING.

Also, I’m seeing tons of people laid off from late entry-level (4-5 years of experience) and early mid-career (5-8 years of experience) jobs with experience in more complex non-administrative support roles taking on entry-level administrative assistant (or at times even receptionist/front desk assistant) roles  (that historically only required 0.5-3 years of experience, a high school diploma, and employer provided on-the-job training or onboarding). In addition to residual effects from the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, DOGE’s layoffs of U.S. federal government civil service employees and  its cancellation of government contracts with private sector companies/organizations and local/state governments, is completely flooding the job market. Senior level and c-suite employees are going after mid-career jobs, mid-career employees are taking on entry-level jobs, and entry-level employees are taking on internships, receptionist, data entry clerk, and freelance jobs and everyone’s fighting over temp jobs to get their foot in the door (it’s like entry-level jobs are starting to barely exist). Things are looking like they’re going to get worse, definitely worse than 2008 (if course correction doesn’t happen). 

Article Title and Citation:

"Careers with a Political Science Education: Not Everybody Gets a Job Offer Their Junior Year of College or Three Months After Graduation and Not Everyone Gets Their Dream Job, But an Education in Political Science Still Produces Job Applicable Skills" at r/PoliticalScience - https://www.reddit.com/r/PoliticalScience/comments/1x5xvrt/careers_with_a_political_science_education_not/ .

[u/Philosophax]

Hello do you have a bachelor or a Master degree? Did you considere doing research with a phd ? You seems to have a natural fit with your minor. But ofc academia isn't the safest choice.

[u/I_Heart_Kant → u/Philosophax]

I dont really see how having a minor in sociology makes you a natural fit for a PhD? We know nothing of his past research experience/ exposure 

[u/ProfessionalBet805 → u/Philosophax]

Hello!

I have a Bachelors no masters yet. i’m trying to take the lsat to go into law school but trying to find a job in the mean time while studying.

As for exposure i do have 4-5 months of experience interning for a Congressman at capitol hill, i did have a short internship with a lawyer but nothing close to the experience some fields ask for in regards to legal experience.

Thank you for responding ! ^_^