Political science — the first step toward a career in law. Or is it?
What happens when your plans don’t go as you thought they would.
Back in November, I got the chance to speak with Trevor Duley. Trevor is a University of Alberta alumnus and currently works for the City of St. Albert as their Government Relations Manager.
But that wasn’t his original plan.
“My intent in taking political science was that I was going to write the LSAT and go straight into law school from my undergrad. That didn’t happen.”
‘Where do you want to be in five years?’ sounds like an innocuous enough question. It’s one that we hear often enough while we finish grade school, and then even more once we enter university. For me, it seems like the older people in my life are obsessed with asking me this question! The problem is, that’s just not the way it works. Finding a fulfilling career can — and often does — start with an unexpected event that changes your plans.
“I had applied to multiple law schools in my fourth year [of] my undergrad and I didn’t get in. So I was kind of left wondering, “um, okay, now what do I do?” Because I didn’t really have a plan B.”
Nowadays, moving from one job to another is pretty much the standard. In fact, according to a 2015 study by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, on average most people will have 12 different positions between the ages of 18 and 50. Though what constitutes a ”career change” is debated, there’s no doubt that the ideal career path of moving straight from university directly into your dream position is, well, unlikely.
That’s incredibly tough news for students to hear — trust me, I am one! But that doesn’t mean your goals — my goals — are unachievable. Here’s where the concept of “planned happenstance” comes in.
Planned happenstance is the idea that an opportunity doesn’t always show itself in the way that you’d expect it to. Even though the odds of transitioning directly from university to your dream career are low, it doesn’t mean that rewarding opportunities aren’t out there! You just need to be open to them, and to start looking in places you may have previously dismissed. For Trevor, all it took was determination and a little trip down memory lane.
“One of the things that kind of emerged for me was Dr. James Lightbody who taught, I think it was called, municipal politics.
“He would bring in Wendy Peters from the provincial government, I think every term, and she would talk about the Municipal Internship Program, which is a partnership between Alberta Municipal Affairs and different host municipalities across Alberta. Really, it provides recent graduates an opportunity to get their foot in the door in local government and be exposed to all elements of a municipality.”
Though opportunities like these are unexpected, especially if they’re something you may have never considered for yourself before, you still need to construct room for these opportunities to happen. You don’t get to just sit back and wait for them to come to you, because they won’t. That’s where the “planned” part of planned happenstance comes into play.
“I actually worked for Red Deer County in a public works capacity, spraying weeds and stuff like that. And so I had a general kind of understanding of [the] local government, but there had been something in my mind up until that point where I hadn’t really considered it as a career.”
“So the combination of not getting into law school and then thinking back to hearing about the Municipal Internship Program and then enjoying my time with Red Deer County made me think, ‘okay, well, maybe I’ll give this municipal internship thing a try.’”
Even though it wasn’t Trevor’s original goal to work as the Government Relations Manager for the City of St. Albert, the journey has been a fulfilling one. His enthusiasm for his position and the ways he gets to positively impact the lives of the people who live in St. Albert is evident in the way that he talks about his work.
“There’s something new every day, whether it’s talking about a regional transit or helping our planning department work on an annexation application or analyzing a bill within the provincial legislature that is going to have an impact on the municipality. There’s always something new to do. And I also get to be involved at a high level in all aspects of the municipal operations. There’s so much that a municipality does and is responsible for and impacts residents and business’ day to day lives, that I could see the ability to influence things on a real tangible level, which is what attracted me to local government in the first place.”
For students wanting to work for the government in big cities like Edmonton, Trevor has some advice for you.
“I would say don’t say no to anything, be open to opportunities, and look to get out of the city, because there’s lots of opportunities in rural Alberta to get your foot in the door and gain experience with smaller employers that will benefit you.”
Though Trevor didn’t start out looking for a government job, he still worked to ensure that he was ready for any and all opportunities that interested him. One way he did this (and continues to do this) is by taking part in networking. Trevor is now active in the University of Alberta’s alumni network, something that he wishes he’d known about while still completing his undergraduate degree.
“Folks that you’re maybe in classes with right now, you could be working with them five, ten years down the road. And so, having that strong relationship with your colleagues and with the university, I think is something to start trying to build and maintain while you’re still an undergraduate student. I wasn’t connected or aware of the alumni community or anything like that. I was just focused on trying to get good grades to get into law school, at that moment in time. I wasn’t thinking about, you know, life after undergrad, necessarily.”
Last semester, Trevor volunteered as a host for the Career Exploration Interviews (CEIs) with the University of Alberta Career Centre. This initiative matches students with one of the many professionals across a breadth of industries. Students have the opportunity to ask questions and learn about the hosts’ careers and career journeys. CEIs are also a great way to network, especially if you don’t really have a clue about how to get started!
Lucky for you, CEIs are running again for winter term 2021 (and Trevor has volunteered as a host again too!). If you want to learn more about a career you’re interested in from someone who actually does that career every day, register now!
- Career Exploration Interviews (CEIs) run March 8–19, 2021. All CEIs will take place virtually via phone or an online platform. Exact date/time is based on the host’s availability and preferences. Deadline to apply is February 1, 2021. Learn more and check out all the amazing hosts by clicking here.
- Learn more about pursuing an Arts degree with a Political Science Major (or any of our majors — there’s almost 40 of them!) by visiting the Faculty of Arts Undergraduate Programs page.
Author bio: Sydney Henderson is a BA English student currently working with AWE as the Communications and Program Support Intern.
