Post-Graduation Job Opportunities

[bizguy25]

So like many of us who are weighing acceptance decisions, I've been thinking a lot about which program would best set me up for success in the career fields I plan on pursuing after graduation. I thought it'd be worthwhile to start a thread in which we could discuss what our options are for graduate school and what we intend to do post-graduation, and hopefully get some good feedback from those who know these matters well. I'll start.

I've been admitted to and am deciding between SAIS, SIPA, and SFS. I'm torn, because in my mind all of these programs are extremely strong and each has its merits. I'm ultimately hoping to pursue a private sector career in geopolitical risk, international business, or international finance. I have no intention of working for defense contractors or the US government (with the exception of the State Department). I've heard that SAIS's emphasis on economics is helpful for those going after the private sector, especially finance jobs. But I've also heard that many people there end up in US gov't agencies or working for DoD contractors. Georgetown's program is the smallest of the three, and many of the students there get a much higher level of attention than any other school. They also have excellent access to some pretty big names in the IR field. But their program is more security-oriented and may not be the best fit for me considering my career goals. SIPA is in NYC (the city where I ultimately hope to end up) and thus has access to plenty of those sorts of private sector and finance jobs that I'm going after as well, but I've heard their administration doesn't bust their butt for their students like Georgetown and Hopkins' staff do. I've also heard that the sense of community is weaker there, and thus the networking opportunities are somewhat diluted.

Is there anyone out there that can confirm or deny any of my assumptions and provide me with some badly needed advice? It will be greatly appreciated!

[rudy2012]

I have a similar question, but more in general..What do the job prospects look like for those receiving their MPP/MPA these days? I am hoping it isn't another law school/glut of new attorneys situation. Are there a good amount of (decent to well-paying) job prospects, and are these degrees fairly portable? How competitive does the market seem? Maybe any new grads or current candidates could comment.

[dft309]

So like many of us who are weighing acceptance decisions, I've been thinking a lot about which program would best set me up for success in the career fields I plan on pursuing after graduation. I thought it'd be worthwhile to start a thread in which we could discuss what our options are for graduate school and what we intend to do post-graduation, and hopefully get some good feedback from those who know these matters well. I'll start.

I've been admitted to and am deciding between SAIS, SIPA, and SFS. I'm torn, because in my mind all of these programs are extremely strong and each has its merits. I'm ultimately hoping to pursue a private sector career in geopolitical risk, international business, or international finance. I have no intention of working for defense contractors or the US government (with the exception of the State Department). I've heard that SAIS's emphasis on economics is helpful for those going after the private sector, especially finance jobs. But I've also heard that many people there end up in US gov't agencies or working for DoD contractors. Georgetown's program is the smallest of the three, and many of the students there get a much higher level of attention than any other school. They also have excellent access to some pretty big names in the IR field. But their program is more security-oriented and may not be the best fit for me considering my career goals. SIPA is in NYC (the city where I ultimately hope to end up) and thus has access to plenty of those sorts of private sector and finance jobs that I'm going after as well, but I've heard their administration doesn't bust their butt for their students like Georgetown and Hopkins' staff do. I've also heard that the sense of community is weaker there, and thus the networking opportunities are somewhat diluted.

Is there anyone out there that can confirm or deny any of my assumptions and provide me with some badly needed advice? It will be greatly appreciated!

Could you clarify re: SFS-MSFS or SSP?

Speaking as a SAISer, we do send a quite a few people into political risk firms. Eurasia Group and Oxford Analytica, among others, recruit here and hire interns from here. Speaking as one who has an interest in working for the USG in a national security capacity, a lot of people work for government agencies and contractors because they want to, not because they are forced into in for a lack of options. If anything, the default SAIS immediate post-grad job is a short-term contract at the World Bank. I know at least one person who works in the WB's political risk unit (MIGA) on a short term contract, or at least was working there as of January.

In terms of the private sector, there are a number of firms in the DC area that kind of function as "farm teams" for SAISers. Places where recent grads can get some experience in international business and finance before moving on to larger firms. If you message me, I can give you some names. Those places and the World Bank seem to be the places where SAISers tend to end up if they want to get into international finance and business and haven't gotten a position at larger firms for some reason.

If you want to do political risk at SAIS, talk to Charles Doran. He's the head of the IR department at SAIS, along with Global Theory and History and Canadian Studies, and teaches a career course on political risk.

From my perspective, if you want to get into that, I'd take courses in finance and a region of focus in which you have or are gaining proficiency. I'd look into an Emerging Markets Specialization, so you could note that sort of coursework on your resume. One thing I've noticed, noting things on your transcript is next to useless, as people really look at those at the end of a hiring process to verify that you are what you say you are.

If you are really interested in international business and have the means, you could look into doing a dual degree with INSEAD-it's one of the top business schools in the world and it's just an additional semester.

[piquant777]

OP: With your interests, I would recommend SAIS. It does seem more finance-oriented and plugged into those networks than Gtown (as the current student posted, which was super useful!). And SIPA is just not a great school: large, bureaucratic, not much community which also means not as strong of a connection and network with alums.

[yo_yo86]

Some helpful links on employment info that I have found (some are much more helpful than others):

ESIA: http://elliott.gwu.edu/assets/docs/gscd/results10-11.pdf

Gtown/MSFS: http://msfs.georgetown.edu/documents/MSFSclassof2011employmentoutcomes_1.pdf

SAIS: http://www.sais-jhu.edu/career-services-content/pdf/2011_EmplymentOutcomes.pdf

Fletcher: http://fletcher.tufts.edu/Career-Services/Employment-Reports/Fulltime-Employment

UCSD: http://irps.ucsd.edu/current-students/career-services/employment-statistics.htm

SIPA: http://www.sipa.columbia.edu/resources_services/career_services/employment_statistics.html

LBJ: http://www.utexas.edu/lbj/careers/data

HKS: http://www.hks.harvard.edu/var/ezp_site/storage/fckeditor/file/pdfs/degree-programs/oca/class_employment_overview.pdf

SIS: http://www.american.edu/careercenter/Outcomes-and-Statistics.cfm

[IRToni]

What's up with Fletcher's Private Sector Income? More than 80k a year starting salary? Does that include MIB and MIB is considered a MBA for salary purposes or what's happening?

[madoublet98]

What's up with Fletcher's Private Sector Income? More than 80k a year starting salary? Does that include MIB and MIB is considered a MBA for salary purposes or what's happening?

I'm also wondering about HKS. They report median private sector salaries at 90k for MPP and 130k+ for MPA/ID. Doesn't that seem pretty high?

[vegeta]

Regarding Salaries:

HKS MPP- The 90k figure is for MPPs in the private sector, which sounds about right for a Harvard grad at a consulting firm. However, only a small % of MPPs actually go into private work. Further, a Harvard MBA at the same firm would prob be looking at 125k+.

HKS MPA- These students have way more experience than MPPs. Many are probably going back to gov't work as a GS14 or GS15 which puts them around the 98-120k range. Considering this pool of MPA/ID includes ppl in the private sector, who have anywhere from 5-10 years experience PLUS a Harvard degree means the massive salary they command raises the average.

SAIS- Great name, great students but it's still tough economy. The 60k salary they report seems low but since a large portion of these students were previously doing jobs that pay almost nothing (e.g. Peace Corp) they still are experiencing around a 60% salary boost which is pretty good.

[OregonGal]

I also think that you need to take post-degree employment figures (salary, etc) with a fairly large grain of salt. Usually these numbers are self-reported, and when published by the admissions/career services office as proof of their students' hireability they don't include the number of student's who don't return the surveys. People who get awesome jobs are more likely to report than people who don't find a job, so figures end up skewed.

[nouveau.ukiyo]

I spoke to someone at GT MSFS and she said only 5-6 (out of 100) from last year's class did not report back on their employment survey. Since the numbers were published, I she said they've heard back from almost everyone but they don't want to update the numbers on the website (?).

I think some of the people who did not report were trying to get into State; for last year's class, she said 4-6 joined the Foreign Service last year and 2-3 joined them since then.

[state_school'12]

After attending Sanford and Goldman's visit days, I can tell you that both programs reported about 50% employment at graduation, and essentially 100% employment within 6 months. Supposedly the people that didn't get jobs until month 6 were waiting for a particular "good" job, rather than finally taking something after graduation. I tend to believe them.

The nice thing about an MPP degree vs MBA or JD is that you can fill a wide variety of roles, from research to communication to management, etc. I don't doubt that I can get a good job out of either program, with the right diligence (applying to 10-15 jobs, for instance).

[Burnt Orange]

@State_School'12, have you decided on a school yet? I wonder if Duke in the long run would be cheaper, with your fellowship, than Berkeley? With CA hemmoraging money from state sponsored programs, to include the UC system, education is not cheap back home, relatively speaking, even for residents. Not sure if you're a Californian, but do you want to return to the west coast? If so, Berkeley is a hard brand to beat.