The day after getting his political science degree in 2009, Ian Nicholson packed a bag and headed for Washington, D.C. with the hope of landing an internship or job. This was no impossible dream. Nicholson had already experienced a stint in D.C. as an intern for Senator Ron Wyden in 2008, a position he got simply by applying.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Hill is essentially the center of everything on the policy side,\u201d Nicholson says. \u201cI flew out the day after graduation after lining up informational interviews to land another internship, or hopefully my first job after school.\u201d<\/p>\n
He was successful.<\/p>\n
In 2009, Nicholson interned for Senator Max Baucus of Montana. He followed that with an internship at the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business, a position in the government affairs arm of Target Corporation, and a job with Third Way, a moderate Democratic think tank.<\/p>\n
Now, Nicholson is back on the Hill working for Wyden again\u2014this time on his Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. \u201cI help out with preparations for different hearings, and do a lot of coordination between the Committee\u2019s Staff Director and other Senate offices, interest groups, and the Senator Wyden\u2019s personal office,\u201d Nicholson says. \u201cThe networking aspect was crucial to me getting this position. It certainly pays to stay in touch. In order to advance here, you need to be connected.\u201d<\/p>\n
As a liberal arts student, Nicholson learned how to analyze and communicate multiple perspectives on a single issue. \u201cMy classes were always multidisciplinary; they combined politics, various economic theories, and social systems,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
These skills and broad perspective have been invaluable to him in his work at the Capitol, where he\u2019s frequently required to distill and synthesize complex data sets into brief but comprehensive summaries.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I studied energy, I could have looked at it in a very specific way, through the particular subject areas. But those classes are siloed; you\u2019re deeply focused, but you can\u2019t see the whole picture.\u201d he says. \u201cIn political science, you get to see everything that impacts decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nicholson is also grateful for his language education at Oregon State\u2014he was a Spanish minor and studied abroad. \u201cIf you\u2019re looking to get a job on the Hill working for a senator from California, Texas, or Florida, chances are they\u2019ll look at candidates able to speak Spanish,\u201d he says. \u201cThe ability to speak multiple languages is only becoming more relevant.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nicholson is still deciding about the future. \u201cIn 10 years I could definitely see myself \u00a0on the Hill as a legislative assistant, or possibly a legislative director one day. It depends on what issues get me going in the next year or two,\u201d he says. \u201cRight now I\u2019m getting a lot of great experience to draw from.\u201d<\/p>\n
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