When I gave the commencement speech for political science graduates at San Francisco State University last year, I told the class:
“You are charged with analyzing and navigating some of the world’s most intractable issues. But if you want to practice your skills for the State Department or the United Nations, go to any neighborhood association meeting in San Francisco and ask the following questions: ‘Should the Great Highway be a highway for cars or a park for people? Where should we build housing? How high can the buildings be?’”