What a Gen-Y needs to know before working in politics

Published by Joe Stanley on September 26th, 2007 in Career Development, Employment, Work | 10 Comments

Government, and all the industries (read: lobbying, policy analysis, more lobbying) that come with that, have begun to encompass an ever-greater presence in the day-to-day affairs of Americans. You can't help but see what political drama is going on when you turn on the 24 hour news networks. Especially in today's day and age, the policy that is set forth by our state and federal lawmakers has a great amount of potential to affect just about any facet of you or my life. Another thing that is especially true about today's political climate is the level of cynicism that accompanies the public at large. You don't see Republicans and Democrats: You see crooks and cowards (not that one party monopolizes either trait). And honestly, I can't blame you.

But yet, you still want to get involved. Maybe you had some great government teacher in high school or college, or maybe you have heard a politician that you can finally get behind. Or it could simply be that you have become passionate about one particular issue, and want to work to see some change. Well before I go any further, good for you. After all, Plato once wrote, "One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors."

However, no matter what party or idea you commit to, you will run into some aspects of this line of work that will discourage you. Some of you may even decide government and politics is not for you. This is especially true of our generation, because while the market can change in a heartbeat, the gears of bureaucracy grind ever so slowly. But now that I've nearly scared you away, there are some advantages too, aspects that will either let you get ahead, or enjoy it even more than working at the donut shop*. Let me go into more detail below.

Problem: If you have little experience, you will be considered a grunt

I understand that you have spent the past four years doing nothing but writing reports on the economic and sociopolitical predicaments of the lower class urban voter, but most likely, you will still be shuffling papers or helping work call nights for the beginning. On top of this, you will probably be given more of these tasks to complete than physically possible. No matter what, don't give up. Most of the time, campaign organizers or policy directors give the new guy/girl crap in efforts to send you packing. The reality is that the workload changes dramatically over the span of a year. For example, if you are involved with a campaign, the week before the election you will be lucky to get a few hours of sleep a night. If, on the other hand, you are a policy analyst, you may be working with your group at all hours during the general assembly, who has just decided to hear your pet bill two days from now. They need to know they can rely on you in these clutch moments, and the best way to do so is to separate the wheat from the chaff at the start.

Advantage: Most campaigns and policy groups are perpetually behind the times

While this sounds like a problem, this is actually a prime opportunity for you to grow in reputation with whatever group you are with. Unless you are working on a technological policy, chances are whatever models and systems they have in place are outdated. What I mean by this is that I've seen some lobbying groups (none that I worked for) that still maintained sprawling word folders for their work on bills and opinions thereof and so forth. They explained to me that they needed a method for any member of the team to easily access the documents, and alter them without having to comprise all of the different sections into one file. When I showed them the potential that a Wiki brought to their problem, it was like showing a caveman fire. Another example would be the recent propagation of candidate pages on all of the social networking websites. They only started doing that after large facebook groups were made, or someone new to their campaign showed them the power of a free way to appeal to younger voters. There is so much we take for granted, having grown up with it, that the older generations aren't aware of. Harness that.

Problem: Your little ship of idealism will be battered against the icy crags of reality

You will have worked on a campaign for a real everyman, who was going to bring the power back to the people. Or you will have worked for 8 months, crafting a bill the appeals to a majority of the legislators, while still helping solve the problem you actually had. In this moment, your sense of dedication to the cause and pride in your own efforts is pretty much at its apex. That is precisely when a grumpy old guy that disagrees with you for whatever reason (maybe he is just having a bad day) throws a rider onto your bill that causes everyone to vote against it. Or going back to the first example, your opponent comes out with an extremely negative (and technically untrue) ad that completely sways public opinion against you. In short, you lose. While this type of thing happens in many lines of work, it is especially common, and especially downing, in government. The important thing to take from this is that you need to come back next year with greater support. Whatever you do, don't let it poison your drive or love for the system. You will run into many a 40-year old nonprofit advocate who is jaded about his job. These people suck happiness out of a room faster than how quickly OJ's recent robbery plan went to pieces. You need to stay strong, because that bill, or that type of candidate, still needs your help. A politician or opposing lobbyist can kill a bill. They can ruin a candidate. Those are simple things to do, honestly. What they can never touch is the IDEA those bills and candidates represent. No matter the opposition, it is your job to bring them into positions where they can do the most good. Even if it means submitting a bill six years in a row. Your idea will outlast any person, and that is its greatest strength.

On that note I leave you, dear reader, until a few days from now when I wrap this up. If you've enjoyed the read, or have any questions, please email me at the link at the top of the right column. And especially if you have any requests for subject matter, let me know, and I'll either answer it myself or interview someone who can.

*If it is a really good donut shop, I can't guarantee this fact to be true. I mean, if you're allowed to eat a blueberry fritter that is just out of the oven, blueberries picked only yesterday, the kind of thing that melts in your mouth… Why aren't you working there right this second?