What to Do with a Political Science BA when Unemployment Doubles for Older Women

The Labor Department says that long-term unemployment has doubled in the past year for older women 45 to 64. Well, at least I have a good excuse for not doing much these days with my college degree. Still, my college education helped me in other ways.

I got a B.A. in Political Science in 1980. Soon after, I moved from New York to Washington DC where I spent most of my working life in administrative and development positions with nonprofits. After being laid off in February 2009, I did free-lance and temporary work until taking a position where I earn less than I did twenty years ago with a monthly salary less than my previous weekly salary.

Naturally, this is all a bit depressing to mention, but with more than 900,000 older women out of work for more than 6 months, I know I'm not alone. Given what I've learned about politicians who are just making this crisis worse, I wish it wasn't too late to change my major, but I am grateful for some aspects of my college education.

My first encounter with Buddhism was a priceless gift from a professor who taught a world religion course, and I eventually put his gift to good use by starting formal Buddhist studies several years ago. I would not have had the courage to abandon material possessions voluntarily, but I'm now trying to appreciate these circumstances as a learning opportunity.

While I'm training my mind to take delight in Dharma and realize emptiness, I sometimes need the interim consolation that I find in literature. With that in mind, I want to thank the English professors whose insights and passion encouraged me to read more. I don't remember much about the political science exams I once crammed for with the exception of some excellent political thought courses. The discipline of having to try to understand philosophy texts that were not as entertaining as novels was valuable training. It helps me see the wisdom in the Buddhist program I now follow which alternates theoretical and anecdotal teachings. Ironically, a political science professor who taught those courses I can't remember is always being quoted in the national media, but I've never seen any reference to those teachers I found beneficial.

Even if I had majored in something more sensible than political science, I could still be part of the unemployment crisis among older women today. My college education helped me to benefit from Shantideva and Shakespeare, which is more important than any college degree.

Sources:

Gloria Hillard, Unemployment Rate Doubles for Older Women, NPR