This is a really fantastic post Hamish, thank you for writing it.
I certainly am applying for many APS graduate programs, but I do wonder if this round will be especially competitive due to economic circumstances. I’ve never applied for a program like this before, so I am not sure how prepared I am for their style of interviewing. It’s also the case that as a philosophy major, I have less empirical knowledge about politics than many of my peers, so if they ask me content based questions I may struggle (I am of course trying to read and catch up). If for some reason I do not get in, it may be worth starting an MPP or JD.
’I don’t think a law degree vs an MPP would make a big difference to your hiring chances, assuming similar grades’
This point is heartening, because if prior to starting a JD I think that there is a good chance I ought to be a lawyer, but years later it turns out I was wrong, I won’t have made such a devastatingly bad mistake.
‘a 3 year law degree is a big time commitment, so I would only recommend it if you are passionate about the law and want to work directly on legal issues.’
An MPP would be 2 years for me, but I can’t receive Centrelink for it (one can for a JD, which is really significant). So I don’t think a JD represents that much more of a commitment in my case. For some reason I am much more excited about the content that is taught in law degrees, so I think it’s quite possible that I would be passionate about law and want to work directly on legal issues. I just worry about whether I could do less good in law— 80K seem less enthusiastic about legal careers. That said, their advice may be directed at those who are better at maths than me, which leads me to your next point.
‘For what its worth, my impression is that the most sought-after skillset when hiring policy generalists in the public service is economics.’
This is certainly what I am worried about, because if so, my weakness at maths could really hold me back.
Douglas_M comments on Law school vs MPP in Australia for those who have strong verbal skills but are weak at maths