Chapter 41 Exercises: Careers in Political Analytics

Exercise 41.1 — Sector Comparison Matrix (Individual, 45 minutes)

Complete the following comparison matrix for all seven sectors discussed in Chapter 41. For each sector, research current job postings (LinkedIn, Idealist, campaign job boards, academic job listings, journalism job boards) to supplement what the chapter covers.

After completing the matrix, write a 400-word reflection: Which sector is the best fit for your current skills and career goals? Which sector would require the most professional development to enter? What is the single most important thing you would need to do in the next 12 months to make yourself competitive in your preferred sector?

Exercise 41.2 — Portfolio Project Development (Individual, ongoing)

Design and begin executing a portfolio project that demonstrates your analytical capabilities to potential employers in political analytics.

Step 1 — Data source selection. Choose one of the following publicly available datasets: - Federal Election Commission campaign finance data (FEC.gov) - Congressional voting records (congress.gov or VoteView.com) - A publicly released national poll dataset (Pew Research Center data archive, ANES, or similar) - Census and American Community Survey political geography data - State-level election results (MIT Election Data + Science Lab)

Step 2 — Research question. Formulate one analytically interesting and answerable research question. The question should be genuinely interesting (something you would read a short article about), answerable with the data you have, and capable of being addressed with methods covered in this textbook.

Step 3 — Analysis. Conduct your analysis. Write clean, documented code (Python or R). Produce at least two visualizations that clearly communicate your findings.

Step 4 — Write-up. Write a 600-800 word write-up of your findings in a style appropriate for a nonspecialist audience — imagine it as a FiveThirtyEight-style explainer, not a methods section.

Step 5 — GitHub publication. Post your code, data (or data-access documentation), and write-up to a public GitHub repository.

Share your GitHub link with the class. Each student should review and comment on two classmates' projects, specifically evaluating: (a) methodological appropriateness; (b) clarity of the write-up; (c) visualization quality; (d) one specific suggestion for improvement.

Exercise 41.3 — Informational Interview Assignment (Individual, ongoing)

Conduct an informational interview with a practitioner currently working in political analytics. Your interviewee should work in a sector different from your primary career interest — this forces you to develop a fuller picture of the field.

Preparation: Research the person's background before the interview. Prepare at least eight substantive questions. Some suggested questions:

1. What does a typical week look like in your role?
2. What skills do you wish you had developed earlier in your career?
3. What is the most ethically challenging situation you have navigated in this work?
4. How did you build the network that led to your current position?
5. What do you know now about this sector that you wish you had known when you were starting?
6. What are the most common mistakes you see in candidates at the entry level?
7. How has AI changed your work in the past two years?
8. What role does diversity — in the workforce and in the data — play in the quality of political analytics products?

Write-up: Produce a 600-word write-up of your interview, structured as: (a) brief background on your interviewee and their organization; (b) three key insights from the conversation; (c) how the conversation changed or reinforced your career thinking; (d) one specific follow-up action you will take based on what you learned.

Exercise 41.4 — Career Path Mapping for Carlos (Individual, 30 minutes)

Chapter 41 describes Carlos Mendez's decision to join the Senate campaign. Let's map what comes after.

Part A: Design a five-year career trajectory for Carlos, starting from the end of the Senate campaign. Assume the campaign lost narrowly (as in Case Study 38.2). For each year, specify: (a) what role Carlos is in; (b) what sector; (c) what skills he is developing; (d) what he is earning (approximate); (e) what professional relationships he is building.

Part B: Design an alternative five-year trajectory for Carlos that would have resulted from accepting the civic technology offer instead. Apply the same structure.

Part C: At year five, compare the two Carlos paths: What does each version of Carlos know that the other doesn't? Who has the stronger professional network? Who is more financially secure? Who is more aligned with democratic purpose as described in Chapter 39?

Part D: Write a 200-word reflection: Does your mapping suggest that one path is obviously better, or are these genuinely different but comparably valuable trajectories?

Exercise 41.5 — The Diversity Audit (Group, 60 minutes)

In groups of three, select one employer in political analytics — a consulting firm, a polling organization, a civic tech organization, or a major campaign committee — and conduct a diversity audit.

Sources to examine: - The organization's leadership team (who is featured on their website's About page?) - Job postings (what qualifications are required? what signals does the language send?) - Press coverage (what types of people are quoted representing this organization?) - Any published diversity, equity, and inclusion statements - LinkedIn profiles of current and former employees (if publicly available)

Assessment questions: 1. Does the leadership team reflect the diversity of the communities this organization serves or analyzes? 2. Do the job requirements (educational credentials, unpaid internship prerequisites, geographic requirements) create barriers for candidates from underrepresented backgrounds? 3. Does the organization publish explicit DEI commitments? If so, are they substantive or aspirational? 4. What is your overall assessment of this organization's diversity posture?

Present your findings in a 10-minute class presentation. Be specific and evidence-based; resist broad characterizations.

Discussion: What, if any, practical interventions would most improve diversity in the organizations you studied?

Exercise 41.6 — Job Application Preparation (Individual, 90 minutes)

Identify one real, currently open position in political analytics that is at or slightly above your current level (search LinkedIn, Idealist, Campaign & Elections magazine, APSA career center, and data journalism job boards).

For this position:

Part A: Identify the five most important skills or experiences the job description requires. For each, assess honestly: Do you have this skill? If not, what would it take to develop it?

Part B: Write a cover letter for this position (400-500 words). Your letter should: (a) demonstrate knowledge of the organization's work; (b) connect your specific experience or skills to the role's requirements; (c) address directly any qualification gap you identified in Part A; (d) communicate genuine interest in the substantive mission.

Part C: Write a 200-word self-evaluation: What are the two or three things about your application that are strongest? What is the most significant weakness? What specific action could you take in the next six months to address that weakness?

Share your cover letters in small peer review groups. Provide feedback on: (a) Does it demonstrate knowledge of the organization? (b) Does it make a compelling case for this specific candidate? (c) Is it written in a professional but authentic voice? (d) What one thing would you change?