Political science majors learned how dynamic careers in the public sector can be at the November 3rd Career Café Public Sector luncheon. Alumni panelists included Kevin Limehouse (’05), Project Officer at Charleston County Government; Leah Schonfeld (C’04), Director of Human Resources at The Citadel; and Peter Wiggins (C’12), Revenue Collections Manager at Charleston County Government. Dr. Phil Jos, Professor of Political Science, also spoke about public administration graduate programs and provided information about the Master of Public Administration (MPA) Program at College of Charleston.
Panelists discussed how they navigated their careers after graduating from the College and how their political science degrees helped prepare them for the working world. Limehouse emphasized helping people through local government efforts and described the work he has done with organizations like Boeing, NASA Space Launch System, the Army Corps of Engineers, and currently the 2021 PGA Tournament scheduled to take place at Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course. Schonfeld credited her critical thinking skills and ability to work with people as a human resources administrator to her political science degree. She also encouraged students to study abroad and intern on Capitol Hill. Wiggins explained how political science helped him understand how South Carolina government operates and has helped when working with departments such as the Department of Natural Resources and the State Legislature. He added that his degree was especially beneficial in navigating the “other duties as assigned” in his own job description.
In response to student questions, the panelists noted that those interested in the public sector should be passionate, willing to learn, and a good cultural fit for the organization. When asked what the panelists would have done differently in their college careers, they recommended taking advantage of the resources on campus like the Career Center, gaining experience through internships, working to build relationships, taking part in extracurricular activities like Model United Nations, and studying abroad.