Do all Policy Analysis majors become policy analysts?

"So, what type of policies do you work on?" Like English majors are assumed to want to become teachers and Engineering majors, engineers, this is the question I get asked most of the time, followed by "So, does that mean you plan to work for the government?"

When we first got back from our winter break, after trying to explain to relatives and friends what my major was really about and what work I would be doing later, I asked about the career paths of PAM majors. I was shown a career sheet. As far as I could tell, it was a random list of job titles, which told me that the future was wide open, ready to be shaped. On one hand, it meant that it was up to me to make what I wanted out of my major. On the other hand, it meant that there was no existing set of guidelines, a blueprint of sort to tell me what to look forward to. I was both excited and intimidated at the prospect of being thrown in the big wide world, to fend for myself.

As I talked to my peers, I realized that many of them chose 1 of 2 paths as future goals: Consulting or Law School. After taking many PAM classes, I understood the Law School option: Since we already learn about the impact of government actions (in form of Acts, Bills and Laws) on individuals and corporations, it makes sense to further one's studies in those areas. I never understood why Consulting was a popular choice; I still don't. I wonder if this is still a popular career choice by PAM graduates, in this financial climate.