Assignment:
We all are in a position to improve the world-whether or not we pursue a career directly related to public affairs. It's a good exercise to think strategically about how we might do that in the long term. Doing so might help you plan out your life/career, and it should increase the likelihood that you make a substantial impact on societal welfare. The purpose of this paper assignment is to encourage you to engage in such planning.
For the purposes of this paper, assume (or pretend) that you will pursue a career directly related to public affairs. More specifically, assume that you will pursue a public affairs career for the purpose of addressing the public problem or issue you identified in your problem statement. (You can select a different problem, but make sure that you define it clearly.) Your essay should include the following:
1) An introductory paragraph explaining to the reader the purpose of this memo.
2) An explanation of how it is you ultimately want to make a contribution to solving the problem. For example, do you intend to become a policy analyst on the issue? Or, do you want to work as a service provider in some area related to the problem you have identified? Or, is there another way you plan to make an impact?
3) A description of the public problem of concern to you (about one paragraph of 4-5 sentences).
4) A description of the kind of public affairs career you would like to pursue to help address that problem, including the ultimate professional position you would like to attain.
5) A plan for how to reach that goal, including the degree(s), general coursework, professional positions, and other experiences you might pursue as stepping stones to your ultimate goal. Be sure to justify this plan by explaining how these experiences will prepare you. Also, be specific. Name specific organizations and positions in which you might work to the extent possible.
6) Empirical support for your plan. For example, I recommend you document some individuals who have successfully pursued such a plan.
You could also provide general statistics if they are available, especially on projections for growth or current/anticipated trends for the specific position, sector, or line of work.
7) Discussion of the feasibility of the plan (i.e., the likelihood of success and potential pitfalls).
Finally, please make sure that your paper is very well written and comes across as objective and well thought out. Here is an example of a well written paper from a past student of PA 2110: Sample 1. Download Sample 1.
Your final paper must be 3 double-spaced pages using 1 inch margins and 12 point font (i.e., about 750 words). Please note that references do NOT count against your page limit.