I doubt that’s the problem; if people think academia doesn’t prepare them for industry jobs, SciPol is even more of a mystery. Consider also looking at CCST; not only is it smaller, but its in Sac, so you could meet fellows in-person and learn about how they got there and about events nearby

I applied to CCST in grad school! That is one of the options in my pocket for when my tenure at UC Davis is up.