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The newly created Center on Politics recently sponsored a presentation featuring Legislator-In-Residence and former Assembly Member Dion Aroner. Joining her were recent Cal alums Sara Rogers and Darrel Ng and political consultants Dan Schnur and Darry Sragow. Here's what they had to say.

Paying your dues: Nonpaid internships

The most common point of entry to paid work in politics is long hours in a nonpaid internship.

Volunteer interns are often the first to show up and last to leave. Duties can range from preparing daily press clips to answering phones and opening mail to cleaning the office and running errands. During a campaign, volunteers may walk precincts, send out mailers, and staff campaign events.

There is an upside to volunteering large amounts of your time. When people know they can count on you, more substantive assignments will follow. Eventually there is the opportunity to draft constituent correspondence, attend a hearing or briefing, or handle a lower-level issue. There is a high turnover in volunteer staffing and persistence pays off. Cal grad Sara Rogers worked full-time for free for 5 months for California Senator Shiela Kuehl and is now paid to be her Legislative Aide, directly involved in health insurance reform that will affect all Californians.

The institutional memory in the world of politics is a long one. Once you have proven that you are willing to work in a team and pitch in to get things done, your reputation will open many doors.

Finding the right internship

These volunteer positions are competitive. Here are some strategies for finding the right place for yourself.

• Do research on elected officials. Go to their homepages
  to find information on their legislation, campaigns and policy issues.

• Know why you want to work for that person. What interests do you have in the policy issues they care about or the district they represent?

• Understand what to expect from the internship. They will want to weed out the student who has unrealistic expectations.

• Demonstrate the qualities they are looking for. Are you a problem-solver?  Are you a hard worker?  Can you show initiative?  Are you organized and able to get things done?

• Be persistent. Elected officials' offices are busy and often understaffed. Keep trying to get in touch with the staff of the people you'd like to work for.
  

Elected officials often have both policy staff and personal staff located in their districts and in Sacramento or Washington, DC. Duties can vary accordingly. Here are some sample entry-level job titles.

Legislative Aides can be assigned a number of specific issues and are responsible for "covering" these issues. "Covering" an issue means meeting with constituents, lobbyists and other interested parties; tracking legislation and drafting statements; and writing responses to constituent letters and memos.

Field Representatives are the elected officials' personal staff housed in the district offices. They act as grassroots representatives, organizing events and monitoring district meetings, and acting as liaison to city, county and district officials and other persons or groups.

Legislative Correspondents work for the Communications Director or Press Secretary who provides media/public relations support and counsel to the elected official. Communications include news releases, feature stories, op eds, executive speeches, press pitch letters, brochures, newsletters, and scripts. Legislative Correspondents work closely with national, regional, and local media outlets.

Campaign Staffers are involved in the day-to-day management of campaigns.  They write speeches, coach candidates for debates, conduct research, and implement media strategies. They are also responsible for supervising the team of volunteers. Many major candidates hire political consulting firms to manage their campaigns and these firms may hire Political Assistants to help.

There are many opportunities to be involved in the field beyond working for elected officials or political candidates. Both the Democratic and the Republican parties have national committees as well as state and local offices where job seekers interested in working for a political party may find opportunities.

Public Policy is also a part of the picture and there are many ways to do policy work. Advocacy organizations, labor unions and lobbyists work to influence and change policy. Think tanks conduct research and analysis on policy issues.

There is no clear cut path into a career in politics. To sustain your interest during the long hours of work (often un- or ill-paid), it's crucial to have the right motivation. If you end up in elected office, that's great. But starting out, it's important to think about how you would improve the community around you, what issues are important to you, and how you might influence change in that direction.

Additional Resources

PoliSci/Rhetoric + Coro Fellowship = Political Operative

PolitixGroup.com

Post-BA Senate or Assembly Fellowships