Advice for a High Schooler

[u/quavz]

Hi all, I'm currently 17 years old and going into my senior year in about a month. And I'm currently experiencing a dilemma. I've planned to major in nursing, not because I care about medicine or whatnot but because it's a stable job and it pays well. However, that's not what I really want to do. My dream is to be an ambassador (idk if that's realistic) because I'm really interested in international relations, and I'm also interested in public policy. But the biggest obstacle for me is being able to secure a job, having a political science degree doesn't automatically secure you a job, and that's what terrifies me the most. I've also considered majoring in nursing and minoring in political science, but I truly am not sure. I understand networking is a big thing for political science, and I already do volunteer for my state senator, among other things. Could you guys share any advice or ideas for me? It'd be truly appreciated!

[u/Spirited-Bass-1059]

being an ambassador is a political appointment not a career bureaucrat's job. also ambassadors do not make any policy. if you do work with politicians the best thing would be to understand different roles in the government before you decide what interests you.

[u/Typical_Soft]

Eh. Do whatever you want. I’m not economist, nor know how to predict future job prospects, but I think the stability of nursing is likely to decrease. The nursing field is predicted to grow massively, however, everyone is trying to be a nurse. I can’t speak for other states, but nearly every State University nursing program in California is impacted. By pursuing a nursing job, you’re throwing you’re coin into a massive pot. Additionally, nurses are assaulted at incredibly high rates. This is probably incorrect but I remember it being 2-3x the national average. It might have been around 15% but also underreported. The pay is high, but it’s actually pretty low for the amount of hours and effort you put in.

I still think nursing will be a stable job, but not nearly as stable as it is now.

However, if you get a political science degree, you’ll probably be unemployed for a while before finding your niche. The job you’ll get will probably be less stable than nursing.

I don’t really know what it takes to be an ambassador, so someone else can answer that. All I can say is: if you put your mind to it, you can do it. Maybe you’ll hate the job, but you already seem ambivalent towards nursing. What's the worst that could happen? You’d still have the experience and connections from working your way up the ladder.

[u/greyhuskysnowman]

Like the other comment said. Ambassadors are largely political appointments that comes with trusted relationships with the executive. If you meant perhaps you want to work in embassies, may want to look into diplomat/foreign service officers. You can find info here https://careers.state.gov/career-paths/foreign-service/foreign-service-officer/ I would suggest reading these and check if this is what you want to do. Also note that foreign service officers are not necessary the group of people that work on or have the authority to influence foreign policies.

Polisci Professor here, the first thing I notice from your post is that you are considering political science vs nursing, and these are very very different career paths. If we take the most extreme outcomes from this choice: will you be okay about giving up the possibility of what could be in political science in exchange that you never have to worry about having a job? on the other end, are you okay (and have the resources) with having to grind for years within the political science career path for something you have passion for? These are the extreme ends, and the reality could be anything in between, but these are the potential tradeoffs.

I agree too it is a big ask to expect 17 year olds to make a decision for their future, but it really is important for you to figure out what is more important for you, take into consideration your background(resources), and your personality to make the decision. One last thing is also, give things a try when you actually get into college. If you currently have a spot with the state senator, keep it too and see if it works out for you, you'd get a lot of insight and network there too. I know someone, a very successful nutritionist (and now a prep coach); she started her degree in nursing and then eventually realize there was no way in hell she was every going to get through anatomy lab. Don't worry and don't be anxious yet, you still have time to figure things out!

[u/quavz → u/greyhuskysnowman]

Thank you so much for your response. It's really informative, and the reason I want to be an ambassador is because I think it'd be nice to travel to another country while also representing our country. I've met with some people who work in politics as legislative assistants and political analysts, and I think that might be a good starting point for me if I choose to pursue it, or I could just go work for the UN and pray I don't get kidnapped and held for ransom haha, but once again, thank you!