Pivoting to political science after investment banking?

[barca24]

I have a fairly unusual situation, so I thought I'd ask for y'all's input on potential steps moving forward. I graduated with a bachelor's in business three years ago and shortly afterward started working for an investment bank doing regulatory due diligence. A few months ago, I was laid off from that job. The difficult job market for my work, combined with me considering where I'd like my career to progress in the future, has led me to do a fair amount of soul-searching. In my former role, I found that I was much more interested in research than the financial or regulatory part of my job, particularly when it came to researching foreign countries and their policies. After a lot of reading, I've found that my interests largely align with political risk consulting. I'm strongly considering going back to school in order to get the educational basis which I'd need to pursue that. 

How would I go about doing this? I don't think I have enough undergrad polisci coursework to go into a graduate program. I was thinking of doing a 2nd bachelor's degree in polisci and then doing something like MAPSS at UChicago. I live near a well-known state university which would allow me to do the second degree in 1.5-2 years due to already having a bachelor's degree, so it wouldn't be as time intensive as the first degree. 

If there was a way for me to get there without doing a 2nd bachelor's, of course I'd go that route, but I just don't think I have the foundational background from my 1st degree or my job to be able to get into an advanced degree program or get a job in risk consulting.  

Would I be competitive for MAPSS if I did this? Can y'all suggest some other ways to get into political risk consulting? I know the whole thing sounds a bit crazy, but I'm much more interested in political science than I am in finance, and work-hour-wise, I don't think finance is even sustainable for me long-term, so a pivot feels like it makes sense.

[Frank Knight]

MAPSS isn't worth it. Most MA programs are bad returns on investment unless they address a specific deficiency in your background. Undergrad and grad level polisci are very different, so I don't think it'd hurt you to apply to PhD programs directly. If you want to do risk consulting, aim for a program in the DC area. They're more likely to have the connections needed for that sort of job.