A political scientist is a type of social scientist who focuses their studies on the operations of politicians and governments, evaluating the way politics work in general in the current world. The job of a political scientist involves evaluation on various levels, such as the public’s opinion, voting procedures and results, as well as the level of public administration in general. A political scientist would also often be concerned with the way politics have evolved over time, drawing comparisons to previous periods and the policies that have been utilized in another time.
To become a political scientist, a high degree of education is required in any case. A Bachelor’s degree related to politics or social science can help candidates find some of the more basic jobs related to political science, though if one wants to develop their potential fully, they’ll need a Master’s degree to get hired at the better spots and truly work in the field. And of course, in order to get involved in the most advanced studies and research, a Doctorate would be required – which would also allow one to teach the subject at universities.
A political scientist can earn quite well for the amount of work involved in the job – with the most common salary being between $34,000 – $71,000, the job is seen as a good choice for many social scientists and is quite popular in some areas of the world. On the other hand, it can be a lot less rewarding than one would expect in some cases, leading to degraded morale among those who practice it.