As a law student or a lawyer, you must have heard the terms such as ‘public policy, ‘policy making’, etc at least a few times. Have you ever wondered what exactly ‘public policy is, what avenues are open in this field, or what a career in this space would be like?
In our effort to share more about Public Policy with you, we interviewed Yash Agarwal, who works as a Public Policy Associate at a renowned social media platform. Yash also runs and leads ‘Public Policy India’, a knowledge platform dedicated to making Public Policy more engaging and accessible for citizens.
Please tell us a bit about yourself. How would you describe your experience at Symbiosis, Pune?
Symbiosis was a great experience. I pursued a BA in Mass Communications, and I majored in Journalism. I grew and learned so much during the three years of college, and I am very grateful for that. The course was fairly interdisciplinary and we were exposed to all kinds of viewpoints and perspectives, which was great. The professors were very chill, and the conversations on campus were rather enriching - there was always something to learn and to do! Moreover, the program that I majored in i.e. journalism was by its very nature open to a lot more inquiry, and worldviews and it fostered a broader knowledge base overall.
How did you begin your career post-undergrad mass communication degree?
I would say I laid the foundation for my career throughout three years of college itself in a sense. For example, I did five internships while in college, all of them in different cities and different sectors within the broader policy space, because I wanted a sense of exposure and learning for myself. Similarly, while I was in college, I started reaching out to people in the space and volunteering to add value and work with them in whatever capacity I could have alongside pursuing a full-time education program. But coming back to your question, technically I began my career after college when I started off with the LAMP fellowship, and this is something we’ll come to!
What does a ‘career in Public Policy’ mean? How did you come to specialise in ‘Public Policy’? How was your experience at The Takshashila Institution?
When we use the term “Public Policy” here, we refer to the broader umbrella of professions and practices which include policy consulting, policy communications, working in the development sector, working with the government, running a social enterprise, and so on. What a career in public policy essentially entails is working in any of these fields across a range of focus areas and different skill-set requirements.
How I came to discover policy and build a career here was a happenstance! I went to college thinking that I would pursue journalism, but slowly as I read up more, and especially given my habit of reading anything and everything under the sun – I realised I could probably use my knowledge base in other ways. I started off by entering Teach For India in Chennai and went on to do multiple internships while in college with all of them being in different sectors - education, health, gender, law-making et cetera. It slowly gave me a better perspective of the space and how it functions, what is it that I like, and more importantly what is it that I did not find to be up to my alley. Over time I discovered that tech policy is something I genuinely enjoyed the most, and this is something that the short-term program with Takshashila institution assisted me with, helping me gain a firmer academic footing here.
Could you please tell us a bit about your LAMP fellowship experience? How does it benefit a person interested in Public Policy?
Ah, it was the best! For context – Legislative Assistant to Member of Parliament (LAMP) is a year-long fellowship wherein you work with an MP for a year on a range of responsibilities and focus areas. One thing that people don’t discuss enough the entire LAMP experience, is that by virtue of being a fellowship-there are large elements of education embedded as well, alongside working of course. While working with a member of Parliament, getting to meet MPs across party lines, and having the company of some of the smartest people I’ve ever known was all great – a big takeaway for me from the fellowship was the phenomenal workshops that were organised for us almost every other week or so with some of the best minds from the space interacting with us and sharing their experiences and learnings. It was one year full of learning, discovery, varied experiences and an eye-opener through and through.
What was your experience like as a Government/Public Affairs Consultant?
This is the year immediately after LAMP, I was engaged as a policy consultant with a public policy consulting firm based out of New Delhi. My personal experience was that it was a great place to be at, and with a team that was always welcoming of different perspectives and more importantly allowed one to make mistakes and learn from them. The best part about my experience there was the sheer diversity of clients and mandates that I go to work on. It forced me to learn more but also meaningfully expanded my knowledge base!
What is ‘Public Policy India’? How, according to you, can others benefit from this platform?
PPI is a knowledge and career navigation platform dedicated to the cause of Public Policy in India. The vision for PPI is to create a one-stop hub for all things policy in India. Via our multiple products across different platforms - we focus on this burgeoning section of the Indian youth which is deeply excited by the prospects within Public Policy as a field and wants to build a career in the larger Public Policy space but has no background in the same..
The Public Policy Space in India is on the cusp of a boom - there’s no one dedicated platform which focuses solely on serving such a thriving community with a set of needs of its own - that’s where we wish to be at. When I say “Public Policy”, I mean to include the larger Policy space including - Government Affairs, Policy Consulting, Development Sector/NGOs, Policy Comms, etc.
What do we do?
PPI focuses on two specific outcomes - functioning as a knowledge platform with the aim of making the audience more aware of Policy issues in India and more importantly why they should care about them, via our PolicyGrams. We simplify complex yet highly socially relevant issues in a way the audience understands. These are easy-to-read, visually appealing products in a platform and format of our Target Audience’s choice.
The second prong of our focus is Career Guidance and Support - A range of services and products with the sole focus on making it easier for someone to make a career in the larger Public Policy space. Through our newsletter, ThePolicyPost, we've created an instrument that brings all policy updates, Internships, Courses, and Job opportunities at the touch of a button. Similarly, we’ve started conducting a number of webinars on different fellowships and other such opportunities with experts on our YouTube to allow people to make an informed choice as they approach some of these opportunities.
You can find our work here: Instagram, LinkedIn, Newsletter, Website
What is your advice for students/young professionals who want to pursue a career in Public Policy? What avenues are open in this field?
I’ll share a few principles which I believe could be super helpful for anyone looking to build a career in this space!
Skills - Skills come in two bundles - hard and soft. And the sphere of public policy is centered heavily around the softer, overlooked, intangible skills on your resume. Public policy is entirely a people’s business. That’s just the nature of the craft. How you communicate, manage stakeholders, listen to others, manage time, and exercise interpersonal skills makes or breaks your track record in the sector. All of it really boils down to working with human beings, solving complex challenges together while earning their trust. Now, hard skills - important of course, but much easier to learn and acquire than their counterparts. I did not start off by knowing how to code or design graphics. However, as part of building my startup, I’ve had to learn several hard skills, say, website maintenance for example, and it’s been a breeze. Should the need arise, these skills are something you can pick up. But soft skills? Indispensable and critical right from the word go.
Proof of work - The newcomers' greatest blessing and the worst curse. The policy space is unique, in that it cares more for the work you’ve done and the skills you have to show for it, than a degree. Don’t get me wrong - an educational background in public policy remains important and helpful. But in no way is it indispensable, with maybe exceptions like a career in Policy research or academia. So, invest your time in getting your hands dirty in this field. Part-time engagements like volunteering and interning count as well and can be crucial for students who cannot work full-time! The exposure, networks, and on-the-job learning you build just being out there remains unparalleled.
Sample it out - Policy is vast and all-encompassing. In thematic focus areas and also skill sets - it needs everyone and has space for all backgrounds, be it a chemist or a chartered accountant. But while that is welcome, it is in equal parts intimidating to figure out where it is true that your niche lies. The opportunity costs of switching between, say, education to tech policy after years of having built a career within the former can be quite steep. It is a good idea, hence, to sample your interests in your early years! Sit with a writing or typing tool and jot down your answer to the question. What is something you do out of passion? Something you would do maybe even if nobody paid you to? Being passionate about what you do, whatever that may be, that’s your deepest competitive advantage! Intern, volunteer, and spend time figuring out what you like and are good at. In due process, you will know what you dislike which in a field this all-encompassing is great awareness to have.
Shun the competition - The policy space in India is still in its early days. There isn’t much that is linear about building a career here. In the US, someone wanting to build a career in policy may have some semblance of paths between a Senator’s office, campaigning for a congresswoman up for elections, interning at the State Capitol, or an advocacy firm. In India, a lot of these are still evolving roles and verticals with limited awareness. But you can turn this perceived disadvantage into opportunities! The lack of preset routes allows you to chart a course of your own with minimal hindrance or cookie-cutter approaches to compare to. In India, simply reaching out to ask for a potential engagement while positioning yourself as someone who can add value yields a genuinely high chance of hearing back and might land you that one opportunity you’re looking for. While there are hundreds of job opportunities in this field that you could (and should!) apply for, don’t be afraid to send out a cold email or get in touch with someone to talk about how you think your skills fit into the puzzle. As cliche as it sounds, you do miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.
Add to your luck - Google says, “Luck Surface Area is the amount of action you take around your passion combined with the number of people you communicate your passion too. The equation is L = D x T, where L is luck, D is doing and T is telling.” Doing good work is important, but also being able to communicate the same is a big advantage! Some of our best professional opportunities came our way just because a set of people were aware of our work, passion, and more importantly what it was that we were looking to switch to next. Do good work. Don’t fret talking about it either. You never know what might come your way next!
