Most experts agree that getting a bachelor’s degree or a doctorate in a subject directly related to politics is the best way to become a political analyst. Political science is a popular choice, but it isn’t the only degree that can help you prepare for a career in this field. Some people, for example, have a history background, while others are experts on international topics, both of which can be beneficial in certain analyst careers. After you’ve completed your education, you’ll need to apply for a job, and the options for a political analyst are quite diverse, ranging from jobs in the news media to jobs in government and jobs working directly with political campaigns. Determining what type of career you want to pursue in the future can help you tailor your education so that you specialize in the right areas.
Many of the jobs available to political analysts are focused on politics in other countries. For example, the US Central Intelligence Agency employs a sizable number of political experts to conduct in-depth analyses of foreign political events before providing advice or writing reports. Working with campaigns to help them analyze various factors in order to form effective political strategies is a slightly more well-known job for a political analyst. Political analysts who work for news media organizations, such as television analysts, are probably the most well-known, and many of them have prior experience working on the ground in political campaigns, sometimes in a major capacity.
Customizing your experience and education to the specific type of political analyst job you want could be extremely beneficial. So, if you want to work as a political analyst for a government agency that studies political issues in other countries, learning multiple foreign languages and taking complementary courses in foreign relations-related subjects might be beneficial. If you want to work in the news media as a political analyst, you should take some journalism-related courses, and you should get some real-world experience in a few political campaigns to boost your credentials.
The actual nature of a political analyst’s work varies greatly depending on the specific type of position held. The majority of jobs will entail researching specific political situations in order to draw conclusions about the likely outcomes of political events and public opinion shifts. This can entail a lot of statistical analysis, psychological knowledge, and a lot of time spent studying history to better understand how public opinion shifts in different situations. For these reasons, some experts suggest that if you want to be a political analyst, math and psychology courses might be beneficial on your resume, and history is often a central focus for people interested in this career path.