Poll: What Work Experience Do You Have?

[Cornell07]

2 years Research Assistant at the Brookings Institution

That's awesome. I've been a big fan of Brookings ever since I did high school debate. I would love to have an RA job there.

[policy_applicant]

2 years Research Assistant at the Brookings Institution

That's pretty cool. How did you like it? Positive experience?

[therunaround]

Yeah Brookings is a truly great place and I would highly recommend it. It is a highly academic environment that places an emphasis on attending lectures, events, and seminars. I tried to take full advantage of this and attended as many events as possible while I was there. I'd suggest that all MPPers in DC regularly check out the Brookings event page and not hesitate to register and attend interesting events. It is a great learning opportunity.

I also found Brookings to be a very collegial and relaxed place to work. Somehow it manages to maintain a good perspective on "the daily grind" without sacrificing quality of product.

[shastika]

it sounds like we have a few things in common pepper!

[shastika]

I selected research. I've been doing research for 2.5 yrs at a University since I graduated.

However, also spent 3 months volunteering on organic farms in Ireland. Shastika, were you in the WWOOF program too??

Very cool! I'd thought about WWOOFing a lot, but no, I found an internship on a small farm in Maryland when I needed a 180 from the corporate world.

[pepper84]

sounds like it...i wonder how many of us recovering paralegals decided to skip the law route and go into policy instead?

goodluck with the applications...i know i've really started to fret.

[Cornell07]

sounds like it...i wonder how many of us recovering paralegals decided to skip the law route and go into policy instead?

goodluck with the applications...i know i've really started to fret.

Righty-oh. I'm in that boat. I was doing financial paralegal work for 1 year plus a couple seasonal internships until the field started crashing and I joined a political campaign.

[Cornell07]

In other news, I just landed an interview for a political activism internship!

[policy_applicant]

In other news, I just landed an interview for a political activism internship!

Nice. Would that be for the summer before school starts?

[Cornell07]

Nice. Would that be for the summer before school starts?

Actually, it would start ASAP (probably in about 2 weeks) and last for 10 weeks. Since working on a campaign last year, I've been doing temp legal work in NYC while trying to land a new political job or internship. *fingers crossed* I have a telephone interview in a few hours.

[Cornell07]

Good news, everyone!

I just got word from one of my recs that she has been contacted by my internship's national office. Therefore, I must have passed the final interview round and my interview just needs to make sure I am the genuine article. (Waiting to hear back from internships & grad schools at the same time is excruciating).

[policy_applicant]

Good news, everyone!

I just got word from one of my recs that she has been contacted by my internship's national office. Therefore, I must have passed the final interview round and my interview just needs to make sure I am the genuine article. (Waiting to hear back from internships & grad schools at the same time is excruciating).

Congrats! That sounds pretty stressful with all the anticipation, though.

[choco80]

I was a lawyer for 4 years at a big law firm, now I do non-profit work.

[Dreams]

I was a lawyer for 4 years at a big law firm, now I do non-profit work.

Why did you switch over to nonprofits?

[Rhymenoceros]

Head of the Dean for America campaign at my university

Interned at CFR

Worked for a consulting firm for 3.5 years - we managed internal polling, research and strategy for tons of Democrats during their campaigns (The Prez, Senators, Governors, etc.). We also did lots of research for private sector clients. I'd say my job experience straddles the fine line between government and business

[nab190]

I do youth counseling for a non-profit organization. I want to move away from human services and advocacy though, get into research and policy and legislative affairs.

[mpp_hopeful]

sounds like it...i wonder how many of us recovering paralegals decided to skip the law route and go into policy instead?

goodluck with the applications...i know i've really started to fret.

While I wasn't a paralegal, I spent a considerable amount working for government regulators of the financial industry and law enforcement (SEC and U.S. Attorney) thinking I'd go into a legal career. But I got picked up by the White House (George W. Bush) to do some work for them and really enjoyed policy work more than anything else. Hence my decision to study public policy rather than law.

Somehow I ended up as a management consultant trying to rescue very large financial institutions. It eats away at my soul everyday.

[policy_applicant]

I spent a considerable amount working for government regulators of the financial industry and law enforcement (SEC and U.S. Attorney) thinking I'd go into a legal career.

Somehow I ended up as a management consultant trying to rescue very large financial institutions. It eats away at my soul everyday.

Financial regulation, probably the surest bet for a growth industry over the next few years. At least you'll have something to fall back on if the job market still looks grim in 2011.

[Cornell07]

Ooh! It seems that I got that voter rights/protection internship along with a scholarship to cover my room and board for 10 weeks. As a democratic campaign staff member, I am amused to have been awarded a scholarship named after Barry Goldwater. Given that this internship would have probably been a stopgap should I have not gotten into grad school as it is primarily just a public service internship without any connection to my field of interest (IR), I am unsure if I will take it. Either way, I am flattered, of course!

[USAF_applicant]

heh -- what, no military option?

[CheBruno]

1 year as a international trade paralegal (6 months in Buenos Aires, 6 months in DC)

1.5 years at the World Bank working in SDN-Water

6 months - present -- Gates foundation - Vaccines; My team is moving to Geneva in a few months so if i dont get into SFS or SAIS i be living in europe....

[riz1]

selected "business." 2 years cumulative in undergrad doing co-ops for BofA, then a year and a half so far with IT consulting firm, including a six-month stint right out of undergrad in India with said company. great experience there that, while completely unrelated to public policy, is what ultimately ignited my passion in this field. of course highlighted that in my applications. so all in all, no sustained direct govt/nonprofit/research W/E leading me to my choice of study, but something to be said for transferable skills and life-changing experiences.

[Jeppe]

1 year as RA at a Security Studies/Military research institute.

1 year as Assistant Attach

[impatiens]

I picked law and direct from undergrad. I've worked for almost four years at a boutique intellectual property law firm as a legal assistant on and off since the summer after my freshman year of undergrad. I've been there full time for almost a year now (my gap year after undergrad, which I finished in May 2008).

[impatiens]

sounds like it...i wonder how many of us recovering paralegals decided to skip the law route and go into policy instead?

goodluck with the applications...i know i've really started to fret.

I totally voted and posted my reply before skimming replies first... count me in the "recovering paralegals" demographic!