Less debt, more experience

Forget about spending extra time in school and growing debt. Hill staffers say experience working on the Hill and personal relations skills are more important to the job than having a master’s degree.

“I know tons of people that have master’s degrees, but it doesn’t necessarily give you an edge,” said Cleve Mesidor, a spokeswoman for Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.). “What’s important is your knowledge of your state and your district.”

“I’ve seen someone with a Ph.D. be at the lowest-ranking position in an office,” said Brian Robinson, press secretary for Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-Ga.). He says that more than higher education, experience communicating with politicians and constituents is crucial for the job.

“Having good personal skills trumps a lot. …I’m dubious about whether an advanced degree makes a difference,” he said. Though master’s degrees are helpful for finding work off Capitol Hill, they don’t necessarily give a leg up to prospective Hill workers, he said. Only one staffer in Westmoreland’s office has a master’s and a law degree, he added.

George Washington University professor Forest Maltzman, however, does see a reason for gaining an advanced degree.

“In general, having an advanced degree, whether it’s in economics or history, does give a person an edge,” the political science teacher said.

Higher education develops critical thinking skills, which are beneficial to positions heavy in research, such as with think tanks and committees, he said. He agrees, though, that experience is irreplaceable.

“[Capitol Hill] experience is something that I can’t teach,” he said.

According to the Census Bureau, 9.9 percent of Americans had advanced degrees in 2006. Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia rank first, second, and sixth, respectively, among states with the highest percentages of advanced degrees: 25.4 percent of D.C. residents, 15.7 percent of Marylanders and 6 percent of Virginians have graduate degrees.

On the Hill, the bag is mixed when it comes to advanced degrees.

“There are a lot of people with bachelor’s degrees from Ivy League and non-Ivy League schools, and there are a number of people with master’s degrees,” said Jim Berard, communications director for the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

He suspects that committee offices, which are specialized and research-oriented, may see more advanced degrees among staffers than other offices. Without a master’s degree, Berard says he’s in the minority among professional staffers in his office. However, decades of previous experience are paying off for him, he says.

“In my defense, I have a 15-year degree in media experience, and 21 years of experience on the Hill,” he said.

For anyone seeking a position on Capitol Hill, Berard recommends a broad undergraduate education.

“So many people have to be generalists. They have to wear a lot of different hats. One day, they are dealing with military affairs, and another day, pollution. It’s important to be flexible,” he said.