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Testing your fit for policy careers | Emerging Technology Policy Careers

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When we advise people exploring policy and public service careers, some of the most common questions we get are about “fit” for policy work: Would I be happy in this line of work? Would I be likely to succeed and thrive professionally? Which roles am I best suited for? And how can I learn more about my fit? If you’re potentially interested in policy work, testing your “fit” to learn how well-suited you are for it is important. If you hate your job, you’ll be both less happy generally and less effective at the job. Success in policy and government often relies heavily on taking initiative, thinking creatively, gracefully navigating uncertainty, and building coalitions—things that are hard to do if you’re miserable. Also, your mental health is important! You shouldn’t invest in a policy career if you expect you won’t like being there and risk burning out.1 At the same time, people often self-select out of policy careers too early, mistakenly thinking they’re a bad fit based on a single b

Testing your fit for policy | Emerging Technology Policy Careers Skip to main content Skip to footer Home / Essentials / Testing your fit for policy Contents ▾ Essentials Updated 2nd Jun 2026 30 min read Share Testing your fit for policy When we advise people exploring policy and public service careers, some of the most common questions we get are about “fit” for policy work: Would I be happy in this line of work? Would I be likely to succeed and thrive professionally? Which roles am I best suited for? And how can I learn more about my fit? If you’re potentially interested in policy work, test

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