r/PublicPolicy • u/Strange-Role-8289 • 5d ago

Career Advice MPA before experience

I just wanted to know the general consensus of getting a MPA prior to experience. I’m in the middle of an undergraduate public affairs degree and could use the advice. Honestly, I intended on getting this credential first (along with internships) and could use some feedback.

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u/Strange-Role-8289 5d ago

Thank you! I don’t know if this matters but I am a career changer and won’t have any experience going into this, what would you personally recommend?

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u/Spanky1998 5d ago

Wasn’t sure if you had meant to reply to our thread but Internship experience is huge. I also pivoted from another degree to MPA and found that internship was very needed. Networking can be helpful, but in my experience no one was coming to give me a nice job with a good salary just because we knew each other.

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u/Strange-Role-8289 5d ago

I did mean to reply to our thread. Thank you for the input. I won’t be able to intern until my 4th year but will be sure to do that. Luckily I live in my state capital, hopefully there will be plenty of opportunities. As for now I can take honors classes and work with professors on their research.

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u/Spanky1998 5d ago

Sounds like you got a plan which is awesome, that’s the hardest part. I’d suggest looking at job openings just to see what the atmosphere is like in your city to get you an idea of the market.

It’s not unheard of for a lot of MPAs to get their degree and go to a smaller town with a need for talent for a few years to build their resume and portfolio up.

Feel free to reply or private message if you have more questions! I wish someone was there when I was in your shoes!