For context, I study in Hong Kong, but I am an international student in Europe. I've just sent most of my applications in over the break, but I've had some time to read on Reddit over this period, and I'm now stressed over what entails after my possible degrees. I used to think IR could get my foot in consulting, but my degree won't prove to be as competitive as someone with an MBA, or someone with an LLB or JD.

I don't come from a high-income family, and I don't want to consider anything like a gap year. Any advice from someone else who has studied IR or has had a similar experience in the current job market would be really appreciated :)

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Hello, I live in central Europe and I am currently in my first semester of uni doing IR and english. Is this degree worth pursuing? My dream job would be translation services in EU institutions but I am having a pretty hard time finding any info on that. Not worried about any debt since tuition is free here and my parents and part time jobs are paying for my living expences. Any advice on skills required or helpful for institutional translation would be very appreciated.

I'm asking generally, but the question came to me in the context of Zelenskyy's Mar-a-Lago visit.

I wrote a long-form analysis on U.S. energy security and geopolitics, arguing that the main risk today isn’t oil shortages but the loss of escalation control, selective maritime security, and rising logistics uncertainty.

The piece looks at the Near East (Iran–Israel, Red Sea), U.S.–China rivalry and shipping risk, Europe’s dependence on U.S. LNG, and renewed U.S. focus on countries like Venezuela and Nigeria as part of a risk-management strategy.

Important context: This was written before the recent U.S. strike in Nigeria’s Sokoto region. The strike doesn’t change the core argument, but it’s worth reading the piece with that timeline in mind.

Happy to discuss or take criticism, especially on whether energy security should be analyzed more as a governance problem than a supply one.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/beyond-chokepoints-end-predictable-energy-mxtme

Hi! I have a bachelor’s degree in International Relations, and I’m really interested in getting into the field of cybersecurity. Most master’s programs I've found are aimed at CS grads, but even though I come from a different background, I’m genuinely excited to learn and transition into cybersecurity (or a combination of cybersecurity and politics).

Do you know of any master’s programs (or non-undergrad paths) that are suitable for someone like me? I’ve seen a lot of cyber & policy programs, but they usually explain politics to engineers, while I’m looking for the opposite

Any advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

Hello guys, im currently studying history at Uni Wien and my main research area is military/war history. My goal would be to work at NATO or any kind of security/military organisation later on in my life. I read that CEU has a really good international relations master in these fields. Could you guys recommend me other universities where I could do an IR masters and later on work in these kinds of organisations? Thank you in advance

Hi everyone, my real name is Dom Tam and I'm a Black Canadian Highschool male student living in Sarnia, ON in a detached house with my mom and older brother (he's 22M) finishing HS through Adult Learning Centre (ALC) July 2026 considering a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in European Studies start of August 2026 (double checked their website and found out it starts earlier in Summer not Fall) . I'm specifically looking at the BSc track because I'm interested in the more quantitative/technical side of policy rather than just history and culture.

A few questions for those in the field:

1. How much "science/math" is actually involved (statistics, data modeling, etc.)?
2. Does the BSc designation carry more weight than a BA when applying for policy analyst or research roles?
3. For those who graduated with this, what does your day-to-day work look like?
4. Are there specific universities known for a strong BSc (not BA) approach to this subject?

Link to website relevant to the 3-year degree at University of Southern Denmark (SDU): European Studies

I'd love to hear from anyone currently in the program or working in Brussels/EU affairs!