I am looking for some career/college advice. I have always been interested in politics/economics and in the last year I was introduced to Austrian Economics. I am currently a sophomore in computer science but I am considering transferring to a more liberty minded institution (Hillsdale College specifically) and majoring in political science (or political economy). My parents (and I) feel as though my skills and my passion for politics/economics would be better directed in the politics area.
I’m concerned about careers in this area however – there doesn’t seem to be many anti-state careers for political science majors. According to what I’ve read there seem to be these options:
Pro-liberty Think Tanks. This seems like the optimum path, requiring me to read, write, and debate against the government.
Professor of some sort. I’m not interested in becoming a professor and working in academia, so this isn’t a path for me.
Non-profit/for-profit corporations. I’m not sure what this involves, but it sounds like these organizations need people who can help them engage in rent-seeking.
Government. Unless I’m an aide to Ron Paul, this is pretty much a job where I would work for the worst institution in society.
Finally, I could just stay with computer science and pursue Austrian Economics and politics as more of a hobby. Any advice/thoughts would be appreciated.
I am also about to start my sophomore year, so I’m not one to give career advice from experience. Before becoming very pro-liberty I enrolled at a typical small liberal arts school (very statist). Then I went on a medical leave of absence, during which I discovered Hillsdale online and was also very tempted to transfer. It looks like a paradise! Anyway, working for the Mises Institute seems like a dream job, and you could probably find some way to contribute whether it be official or freelance. And I wouldn’t abandon a career in politics - we need someone to be the next Ron Paul!
What good or service is ultimately produced by the work of poli-sci people? For what it’s worth, my recommendation is to stay away from any sort of public service. Note that Ron Paul is an obstetrician and made his living this way… I believe he even donates his Congressional salary to charity.
If you want others to furnish bread on your table, what are you doing in exchange? I think very few poli-sci graduates have a good answer to that question.
Just so you know, Clayton, I am planning to go to medical school…and then maybe go into politics like Ron Paul . I read somewhere that he originally got elected because he had helped deliver the babies of the majority of the women in his district. Hard to compete with that. Here’s the quote - it’s from Wikipedia:
Paul was the first Republican representative from the area; he also led the Texas Reagan delegation at the national Republican convention. His successful campaign against Gammage surprised local Democrats, who had expected to retain the seat easily in the wake of the Watergate scandal. Gammage underestimated Paul’s support among local mothers: “I had real difficulty down in Brazoria County, where he practiced, because he’d delivered half the babies in the county. There were only two obstetricians in the county, and the other one was his partner.”
Your last two sentences make the most sense, IMHO. The liberty movement needs people who know how to do things other than AE. If we all just did strictly AE, we couldn’t get anything done.
I agree if you mean public service as working for the government. However, I think serving the public ( non government) is the best way to open people’s eyes to the fact that they can rely on someone other than the government. Basically, A good career in anti-statism is working in a competing company. Like opening a private park. Or work in your neighborhood fixing streets. Start a tutoring company… etc…