Politics, as one of the most controversial "inventions" of man, has always been and will be an integral part of the life of society, in any country of the world. It directly concerns many life processes, including socio-economic, educational, cultural, historical and many others. In addition, it should be noted that in everyday life the concept of "politics" for many people is a "negative" phenomenon. Moreover, many consider professions related to politics to be dirty and unjustified, immoral work.
Features of the profession political scientist
Who are these mysterious people? What kind of experts, professionals, analysts are they? What is the subject of their profession and what tasks are assigned to them? If a politician is a person who makes a policy, then a political scientist is a person who can evaluate the political deeds of a politician. As a matter of fact, in the ranks of politicians there are very few real specialists, professional political scientists, but, of course, they exist. The intensity of their work largely depends on the current political situation in the country. In addition to political subjects, the media often resort to the help of political scientists. The political scientist is a kind of link between the media and the sphere of politics
The activity of a political scientist has a clear focus. He evaluates aspects of the development of the political process in a historical context, takes into account traditions, modern trends and political culture. Based on this, a political scientist can give an effective assessment of the phenomenon that is being studied, as well as make a forecast for the development of political processes.
Separately, it is worth dwelling on the political neutrality of a political scientist. Only objectivity and impartiality from various kinds of political orders and projects can speak of his high qualifications and professionalism. True, in most cases it is precisely at the expense of the latter that the political scientist basically survives.
Demand for the profession of political scientist
Political science specialization is quite common in universities that have a humanitarian bias. But the demand in this profession is not so great. Many political scientists do not work directly in their profession. But it is strongly connected with jurisprudence, political economy, philosophy, journalism. It is in the latter, according to statistics, that a lot of people with the qualification of a political scientist work. The demand for qualified political scientists is growing very strongly on the eve of the election campaign. They can take part in political marketing, management, consulting, develop various kinds of political technologies, conduct research and much more.
Pros of being a political scientist
Political scientists of the highest echelon work in the central government bodies. It is they who occupy numerous positions of advisers and assistants to deputies, give them advice, and sometimes write speeches for the first persons of the state.
These people not only study social trends, but to some extent they themselves make politics. But the circle of specialists of such a high level is very narrow. This is a closed profession and such positions are not recruited by advertisements in newspapers.
An aspiring political scientist who has just graduated from the institute can work as a journalist and write articles about politics, or in an organization engaged in social surveys. Political scientists can also work in the central offices of political parties or their regional offices.
For people of this profession, there is a niche in the economic industry: they can work in consulting agencies as business consultants. And based on their research and forecasts, give advice to entrepreneurs on where to invest assets or not.
You can build a successful career as a political scientist by working in research institutes, starting from junior positions and gradually climbing the career ladder. A vivid confirmation of this can be the rating of political experts compiled by Russian journalists. The first places were:
- Yevgeny Minchenko, who runs the center of political expertise
- Mikhail Vinogradov, head of the Petersburg Politics Foundation
- Dmitry Oreshkin, who works in the office of the President and
- Stanislav Belkovsky Deputy Director at the Center for Political Technologies
Disadvantages of being a political scientist
The main drawback of the profession of a political scientist is that it is far from always possible to openly convey one's opinion to the public. All newspaper publications and television broadcasts are checked for political correctness by editors, and sometimes by government agencies.
Working in any political party, a political scientist is forced to obey its regulations. One way or another, there are always some limits that significantly limit the freedom of action.
Another disadvantage of such work is the inability to quickly climb the career ladder. After all, the main criterion for a good political scientist is his wisdom and professional experience, which is why famous political scientists are almost always people with gray hair in their hair.
Political scientists do not always work on the side of the current government. Sometimes advisers to the country's top leadership are bribed, or they initially come to these positions with not entirely pure thoughts.
Another area of activity of political scientists is the organization of mass rallies, both pro-government and opposition.
Polit experts, like no one else, are able to come up with slogans and draw up programs in such a way that as many people as possible respond to it. The result of such activities can be riots or even a change of power, because this is exactly the case when the one who owns the information owns the world.
At the faculties of political science, at least in leading universities, they teach a wide range of social and humanitarian disciplines, which allows you to have a fairly large choice of future jobs. After graduating from the political faculty, you can become: 1) A teacher. Not necessarily just political science, you can often get jobs in related disciplines such as history or political philosophy. 2) A generalist journalist. At the political faculty, you will have to create large-scale texts, which will help you cope with high-quality not only political, but also any other journalism. 3) PR man. Directly related to political science is PR during election campaigns or work in the PR departments of the offices of current politicians, especially on a federal scale. These departments function annually, and not only during the electoral cycle. After gaining experience in this area, you can be hired by almost any PR department. 4) GR. Relations with authorities are the most promising area in our country, especially given the large role of the state in the economy. 5) Diplomat or employee of an international organization. To engage in diplomacy, it is desirable to take a master's degree or at least a minor (an additional specialty obtained during undergraduate studies) in the field of international relations. Knowledge of foreign languages is also required. 6) An employee of the election headquarters. It is advisable to start already in the 3-4th year of study in order to gain at least minimal experience. The ceiling of this area is the position of the chief manager of the campaign headquarters. 7) Politician. A politician must have not only charisma, but also experience, for this it is desirable to volunteer or join the youth movement, the parties of interest to you already during your studies. 8) An official. To do this, it is desirable to take a master's degree in state and municipal administration, although a political science education may be quite enough. 9) Even if you are not satisfied with the above options, you can go to a master's program in any social and humanitarian specialty, such as law or economics. Political science will be an excellent addition to it.
I am still only a bachelor's student, but I plan to go to GR, for this I need to take a master's program in law or public administration.
Literature can be found on the website of your university. Typically, institutes post training programs online, which include used or recommended literature.
Difficulties depend on the university. Somewhere there is a huge emphasis on core subjects, somewhere you need to try very hard to pass even non-core ones, going through retakes and spent nerves, and somewhere the political faculty is more of a side faculty where you can do nothing special and get a diploma, even with honors.
Answer
Comment
One of the most important spheres of activity of "homo sapiens" today is politics. One way or another, each of us at least indirectly came into contact with this, in particular in the elections. You don't need to look far, you can turn on the news, and every day you will undoubtedly see reports on political topics in them. This is so because politics governs countries, and politicians are to some extent political scientists, especially political PR scientists, but more on that later.
The profession of "political scientist" originates in Hellas. Then it was popular among the educated and wealthy to go out to the Agora and hold discussions, including on political issues. One of the then first political scientists was Aristotle, a great thinker, logician and philosopher, because for a political scientist one of the most important qualities is the ability to speak and convince.
If in the times of Antiquity and subsequent centuries up to our time, political scientists were often philosophers, humanists, in short, very educated people, but now they are graduates. Modernity has created universities where citizens can get a specialization in Political Science and International Relations. And there are also such specializations: "Political Technologies", "Political Management and Public Relations", "World Politics", "Forecasting and Political Analysis", "Geopolitics", "Comparative Political Science", "Law and Politics", "Political conflictology". So today a political scientist is not just a literate person, he is a certified specialist, whose opinion and experience are listened to by the broad masses of people: from government officials to citizens of the country.
Responsibilities of a political scientist
Let's see what exactly is included in the range of professional activities of a political scientist, because he is a practitioner and a theorist at the same time. One of the main duties is to analyze the current political processes in the state and society. In this case, the specialist uses his rich experience and scientific knowledge. Analyzing, the political scientist draws conclusions about the patterns, trends in the political life of the country and the world. As a result, he can predict future political processes.
It is important to note that political science is not only the study of politics, but often also psychology, since the behavior of individuals and political groups is analyzed, and conflictology is also studied. Considering all of the above, it can be assumed that a political scientist can be a highly erudite person, with deep theoretical knowledge, who knows in practice which method to use to study a particular process, who speaks several foreign languages at a high level. Among the personal qualities of a political scientist, the following are of particular importance: oratory, communication skills, the ability to analyze and synthesize political processes, a creative approach to solving problems, perseverance and self-control.
What is a political scientist?
One of the most popular areas of work for political scientists today is PR. The task of political PR is to establish mutually beneficial relations between government agencies (or political) and the public. PR is aimed at creating a positive image of politicians. A PR specialist receives huge fees for the work done in creating a “beautiful picture” on television, writing speeches for election candidates. But this work is not easy, because often candidates do not know how to speak correctly, respond calmly to the statements of others, and pose in front of the camera. In general, they do not know how to behave as it should be in politics.
Another common specialization of a political scientist is a political technologist. This is a practitioner in the field of application of specific technologies. They are often referred to as "manipulators of the masses" as they achieve the ultimate goal of making a certain candidate believe in and vote for him. Such specialists often work in political parties and large companies. Their job is to constantly analyze the mood in society and the media, and, having collected the necessary information, to influence the media and the electorate. Note: the most popular and yet effective is the technology of "bread and circuses", known since the time of the Roman Empire. For all the time that mankind exists, it remains the most effective.
But who are the specialists who graduated from universities and received a diploma in the specialization "Political Science and International Relations"? Often they work in the media: on television, in newspapers, news agencies. Job Title: Journalist, Editor, Reporter. Many specialists choose the path of science - they complete postgraduate studies and then doctoral studies. In any case, as long as society exists, there is also a demand for the work of political scientists, especially for highly qualified specialists.
A political scientist is a scientific specialist who studies and analyzes political events, as well as their consequences and impact on society.
Wage
RUB 30,000–60,000 (worka.yandex.ru)
Place of work
The work of a political scientist is in demand in government agencies, public and political organizations, companies involved in electoral technologies and political consulting.
Responsibilities
The main task of a political scientist is to predict the consequences of future political events on the basis of existing knowledge, political ideas and traditions of past years, their own experience and the experience of other states.
To study certain events, political scientists develop original methods. As a rule, they are based on the principles of logic. Of course, this is not a 100% way to predict future events, but turning to statistics is important in any field of activity.
Political scientists improve the literacy of persons holding important positions in public administration, helping them to more clearly assess current events. In fact, this is an expert in the field of policy, without which no strategic planning can do.
Important qualities
The profession of a political scientist requires an analytical mind, the ability to make forecasts and analyze, an excellent memory for events, dates, and personalities. Communication skills, the ability to correctly express thoughts, charisma, composure, high moral qualities will help in the work.
Reviews about the profession
“I would say that politicians are those who make politically significant decisions, implement them and bear responsibility for them (or happily avoid responsibility). And political scientists are those who develop such decisions and calculate the country's development strategy. Political science is, first of all, brains, politics is will, intuition and good acting skills.
Andrew Okara,
political scientist, political strategist, candidate of legal sciences, director of the Center for Eastern European Studies.
stereotypes, humor
Exceptional individuals come to the profession, ready to study hard, work hard, and have persuasive abilities. Therefore, there are not so many specialists on the market. Hence the high salary of political scientists.
Education
It is necessary to study as a political scientist in higher educational institutions, specializing in Political Science (Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Administration under the President of the Russian Federation - North-Western Institute of Management). However, in the profession there are representatives of other specialties - humanitarian and economic.
Humanitarian universities in Moscow: Moscow State Pedagogical University, Institute of Humanitarian Education and Information Technologies, Lomonosov Moscow State University.
The word "political scientist" makes it clear that this specialist works in the field of politics. In more detail, such experts may specialize in political culture, power relations, political systems and parties. In addition, a political scientist can work in state authorities, municipal governments, as well as in large and medium-sized businesses.
The main areas of work of political scientists
People educated in the specialty "Political Science" often try their hand as political analysts and consultants. More experienced specialists become political technologists.
Political scientists can successfully apply their knowledge when working with deputies - for example, become their assistants or head the deputy apparatus. You can also work in the press service of a political organization or be a speechwriter, i.e. the person who prepares texts for public speeches of an official.
Very often, political scientists find their niche in journalism. At the same time, their position may be different: a journalist, a political observer, an assistant editor, etc. The task of such employees is to cover and analyze political events in the country and the world.
Political scientists have every opportunity to work in public relations services. In other words, such a person can engage in PR.
GR-management (abbreviated from Government Relations, which means “interaction with the authorities” in translation) is gaining more and more demand. Speaking about this area, it is worth clarifying that most organizations need to coordinate their actions with various government agencies. Such approvals can take a long time if they are not handled by a fully competent person.
GR-managers will help to cope with the task. "Gearers", as they are called in a professional environment, protect the interests of their company in government, organize meetings with representatives of government organizations, etc.
Professional qualities of a political scientist
A political scientist solves quite complex problems and is often forced to work in a busy schedule. In this regard, he must have an analytical mindset, erudition and high efficiency. In addition, it will be difficult for a political scientist to find his place without diplomacy, stress resistance and self-organization skills. If a specialist speaks in public, he will definitely need public speaking skills.
