Working at the Nevada Policy Research Institute has been a great experience. As a political science major this has been a great experience seeing how a think tank operates. I personally do not think you need additional educational experience if you are a political science student. There is no pressures to ask for assistance when it comes to a task you are not familiar with. So you shouldn't be scared to ask questions. After working at a think tank I see it as a potential option for a career in the future. Gaining experience in Excel and other Microsoft office apps is necessary. Learning what programs the think tank uses and then learning them would greatly benefit you if you are looking into a career. Being at Nevada Policy Research Institute has made me more comfortable in professional spaces as I learned how these spaces operate in-person and get hands-on experience. Not being in a professional space before gave me anxiety as it felt very unpredictable to me. Now I know what to expect in the future and I think that is the most valuable part of this experience is demystify my expectations. I would recommend to any student interning here to be courteous and polite and do not be afraid to ask for help. During my internship we read a lot of literature and had occasional meetings to discuss books. This was the first time they did this for interns so perhaps this might not be a thing for the next batch of interns. I would still recommend students prepare for that. I personally really enjoyed that part of the internship as the discussions helped develop my skills in discussing political theory.
