“What do you do with a B.S. in Political Science?”

So I’m about 3 months from returning to Portland State University to get a degree in Political Science to go with my degree in Arts & Letters. The plan after I graduate is to either get my teaching licensure in social sciences and/or language arts, depending on the economy at that stage in the game, or work for the government as a political analyst. I’ve always been interested in the “why?” behind a situation, not so much the resolution of the situation, but the “How did we get here and where is it going?” analysis.

I’m planning to actually go to college, that is, attend full-time and take “in person” classes, not “more or less” part-time and take as many online classes as I could find because I was working and it was easier on my schedule. I’m quitting one job and the other job has offered me the scheduling flexibility to make this a reality. This, combined with the new GI Bill, means I won’t see much of a change in my pay, just a change in my workload.

Of course, there are a large number of unemployed and underemployed teachers at the moment, judging from the number of licensed individuals I’ve interacted with that are working at diners or coffee stands. But, I don’t know if this will continue to be the case, as I’m still at least 2 years away from having my teaching license. I need 48 credits for the Political Science degree, and your average GTEP program is 4 or 5 terms. I might get my Master’s in Education while I’m headed that way, since it’s essentially a handful more credits and a paper to achieve.

Some folks have asked me why I don’t go do computer science. The harsh reality here is that I hate fixing computers. I was always a systems and networking guru, not a “Why doesn’t my printer work?” guru and I have zero interest in software development as a profession. I’m also wildly out of practice, as evidenced by my willingness to reject work because I would be in basically the same boat as the client, that is, using Google to figure out what’s wrong rather than just knowing.