Is a Politics Degree limiting?

Hi,
My firm choice is to study Politics at University and my Insurance is Politics & IR. I am not currently sure what job I’d like to do when I am older but I am really interested in Politics. A lot of my friends and the people around me, including some of my teachers, keep saying to me that a politics degree limits my employability due to the lack of jobs in that area and that for the little jobs there are for it, I’d be competing against people much smarter than me so I wouldn’t get a job anyways. Additionally, people have also said it would also make it more difficult for me to get a job in other fields outside of politics because the degree is less broad etc etc, therefore they say my degree will be useless. I’m now unsure if I still want to do Politics at uni because I don’t want it to limit me but at the same time I can’t find anything else I enjoy just as much.

Reply 1

gjd800

It's not a vocational degree but mst degrees are not and the vast, vast majority of roles that want a degree do not care what degree it is, so these people are right in one sense that it does not lead to a guaranteed outcome like, eg medicine. But they are also wrong, because the majority of degrees do not lead to a guaranteed job.

Amazed that people who ought to know better—teachers—still peddle such demonstrable nonsense

(edited 8 months ago)

Reply 2

Admit-One

Universities Forum Helper

I agree with gjd800 as usual.

I met quite a few people with politics degrees working in finance. Lots of grad schemes or roles are subject agnostic. Much better to get a good result in a subject that you enjoy than struggle with something of less interest in the hope of it making you more employable.

Reply 3

ChiefBrody

If you love the subject, go for it - in terms of employability its not just the degree its what else you did at Uni, and placements etc and you as a person, that the employers are interested in

I work with lots of senior folks and they have all manner of interesting degrees

My daughter is doing Politics, imo its a great degree if you aren't sure what you want to do for your first career steps

(edited 8 months ago)

Reply 4

McGinger

Politics, like all social science degrees, teaches you 'higher thinking skills' and this is what employers value - not the subject itself.
A thousand different career pathways will be open to you - so have no worries about 'employability'.