As far as campaign work goes, I rubbed shoulders on regular basis with the compensated element of Obama’s team running up to Super Tuesday, and they were some of the most overqualified individuals I had ever met (i.e. Ivy League, honor student types).

All they did was fiddle with excel charts and make basic phone calls to media outlets and volunteer groups. Such is the nature of the job though.

Unless you are dead certain you want to work for 25 K out of college doing secretarial level paper shuffling, I would say avoid politics altogether. At least with public policy stints or federal government you can pull down 30-45 K and even have some tangible impact on a day to day basis through your work. This is coming from someone who regrettably gave 9 months of his life to a household name, kingpin Congress member.

Embassy / consulate work is decent though and will teach you a lot. Most recruit very late into the summer since their home students don’t have holidays that match our own. I know people who got big hitter places like the European Commission here in the US as late as the end of May.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=805965&forum_id=1#9711001)