<p>I never said I could get any job I want, I said I had the qualifications to get an entry-level job in my field. And for your information, I have had three internships, plus additional volunteering, and most of my fellow interns were college students, not teens. But whatever.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Actually, it does. I worked closely with 6 FOs. When you see someone almost every day for months and work with them in such an intense environment as a political campaign, you get to know them very well. These people are my friends and I know them well, and I know that at this point in my life, I am more qualified than most of them were when they were hired.</p>
<p>Would you like me to run through all of their qualifications?</p>
<p>The one who was more qualified than I am has worked as a finance and political director for a Congressional campaign and probably could have gotten a way better job, but he wanted to get some field experience.</p>
<p>Of the remaining five, one was a college student who actually in my original intern class, then was hired in the summer of 2012. Two others were also college students who did the same internship I did for even less time and were then hired after they graduated. One had done a brief internship at the campaign headquarters, which had been his first political position. One was a web designer who decided to change careers and did the same internship I did but started a few months earlier. By now, I have more experience than she did when she was hired. By the way, all the people who looked for jobs in politics after the campaign ended (a few went to graduate school, traveled, etc.) found them within two or three months. I have also been told by RFDs, who actually hire field organizers, that I was qualified and would probably get a job as a FO in the next election.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I have no interest whatsoever in patent law, so I fail to see how that would be wise. Is everyone on this site obsessed with money?</p>
<p>yeah, I’m not obsessed with money, at all, maybe because I have more than enough. As the saying goes, “Money is no problem unless money is a problem.”</p>
<p>The facts are clear: you want to go into an unstable and low paying career. If you want to do that, and eat, for example, you need to minimize your debt.</p>
<p>I don’t care if you do something else. It means nothing to me if you go into debt and have to take a job in sales to pay for it. Why would I care?</p>
<p>We are just telling you: this is how debt works. This is how this career unfolds.</p>
<p>It would be much wiser to attend a cheap college fro a BA, take a semester or two off to intern for a campaign, then go to a top tier graduate level program that has stipends for those wanting to further their education in this area. At least you won’t have all of that debt snowballing over that time, and you can then get that GW degree paid for. You won’t be making a lot of money, but you also won’t be owing it You will be obsessed with money when you a lot of it. And you won’t get very far in the political world if you are a deadbeat on your student loans. You have to have a clean credit report and be squeaky clean as you move up the ranks. </p>
<p>You are cutting off a lot of your own options if you take on that kind of debt, plus putting a lot of stress on a mom who is having a tough go of it. There is good reason why she thinks student loans are evil. She has probably personally experienced the effects of interest that rises relentlessly whether one can pay on the loans or not. </p>
<p>You can do what you want and more freely if you don’t take on that debt. Seriously, I don’t give the same pat advice to everyone. In your case, the best way to get to do what you want to do the most is to get your bachelor’s degree without any debt or very little. You;ll have no problem getting no pay or low pay campaign jobs–heck my son was PAID as an Obama campaign worker and given a place to live, and he had NO experience. But you don’t want loans over your head cranking up the interest as you live that way. You’ll have a lot more flexibility without that monkey, no–gorilla, on your back. </p>
<p>Many of us had to give up what we wanted to do because we needed the money or the things that money could get us at given points in our life. Just make sure something like student loans you foolishly took starting at age 18 isn’t what puts you in the spot of being obsessed with money. Sallie Mae gets obsessed with money when you don’t pay back those loans on time.</p>
<p>A logistical question… how is this schedule going to work out?</p>
<p>2013 you are a freshman
2014 sophomore mid term elections
2015 junior and start of primaries
2016 POTUS and Congress election year</p>
<p>Are you taking off 2016 to work on a campaign? If so you would no longer be able to defer repayment on the student loans. </p>
<p>If you stay in school for 2015/2016 and only do some light volunteer rabble rousing, then when is the first time you can get professional gig? I’d imagine in 2017 no one will be hiring, so would you have to wait until the 2018 mid-terms for employment in the field?</p>
<p>And what happens if your candidate doesnt make it out of the 2015 primaries?</p>
<p>My idea is to take the summer and fall of 2016 off to work as a field organizer, returning to school in the spring of 2017 to graduate. I know plenty of people with student loans who have done this. If I can get enough courses out of the way from dual enrollment credit, I might just graduate in 2016, but I’m not sure if I really want to do that. By that point, there would almost certainly already be a nominee, so the primary issue wouldn’t be a problem.</p>
<p>Virginia and New Jersey have gubernatorial elections in 2017, so I could get a job in one of those races. By the time that wrapped up, the midterms would be starting to really get going.</p>
<p>I also want to apologize for saying that everyone on this site is obsessed with money. That was hyperbole. I didn’t mean to say that about all you guys who are kind enough to help me with this problem.</p>
<p>Wouldnt NJ have to have a special election when Christie is sworn in?</p>
<p>Anyway… my impression is that if you are out of school for 6 months you’d have to start repayment. Maybe with your schedule you’d only get hit with a couple of repayments before you jumped back into college. That assumes that you arent needed full time at the start of 2016 when all the primary/super delegate panic is going on. </p>
<p>I am not clear if the GWU degree is necessary for this job. Or if your course of study is advisable. But there certainly are professions that people go into expecting a life of poverty, so maybe you could treat it the same way. Maybe you’ll be the 1:10000 painter who makes serious money, but if not you are ok with your work.</p>
<p>You’ll have a lot more flexibility to swing with the elections and campaigns if you are not worried about loans coming due. May you always have the luxury of not obsessing about money. It can become an obsession when you have the big bad wolf knocking at your door. He might be in the form of payments for shelter, food,necessities, but he can also be not so sweet Sallie Mae that has big sharp teeth looking for them loan repayments. And she’s a sweetheart compared to the private loan companies that are one step above coming with a club for your knees. They just hit you where it hurts in terms of getting jobs, apartments, loans and live you with the knees intact, going after your credit record instead.</p>
<p>Having a $700 a month student loan you have to pay back after graduation is too much. The $8000 grandparent money will most likely pay for your books. Did you factor the fact that the college will raise tuition and fees each year? Did you factor that many private scholarships are only for the first year? There are few paid internships in your chosen field. You sound smart and driven…a less expensive undergraduate degree woulld serve you just as well!</p>
<p>mmmgirl, many are not questioning your career path. I am not. You seem to have thought it through well. We are questioning the debt along with that career plan. IMO, GWU is not worth the money, even if you are not entering a field in which you will be scavenging for low paying jobs for quite some time. Even if someone were paying your full tuition there, I’d advise you to go some place less expensive and ask for the difference in cash.</p>
<p>Meh. You say “you know plenty of people who have student loans.” Ok, fine. But, you don’t know how much those loans are or how much money their parents are giving them to supplement their income.</p>
<p>If you want those loans, suit yourself. We’ve all given you advice from our years of experience. You’re 17/18 and have had a few teen internships. You haven’t yet had a real job, a degree, or tried to pay back large student loans. </p>
<p>Good luck. With large debt on the campaign field, you’ll need it.</p>
<p>No one is questioning your career field. But, you are overestimating the money you’ll make and the ease of job finding. And, you’re underestimating just how many people and how qualified (much more) those people will be that will be competing with you for those same PAYING jobs. It’s competitive. In high school, I suppose you can’t see that yet. It’s DC. Tons of people will always have just as much, if not much more, experience in your field. They’re competing for the same jobs. That’s the reality of job searching here.</p>
<p>And, you’re a 17/18 year old high school kid, so you don’t know that money really matters… especially when you simply can’t afford to pay back those student loans with the starting salary you’ll have. Let alone, pay rent or eat. You’ll have to work jobs you don’t want to pay them back. You can’t defer loans forever, or even for long. If you take a gap year in college, you’ll have to start paying back student loans during that time.</p>
<p>And, it’s great that a high school kid like you is so into politics at 17. Some kids haven’t yet thought about career paths or if they want to attend college anywhere. </p>
<p>I’m not questioning her career path at all. I applaud it and encourage it. I’d love to see her succeed in it. I think it’s great she’s found a passion in this. But she won’t be able to do this with a huge loan payment for undergraduate college around her neck. </p>
<p>I have a son who has been pursing his passion. It’s a field that anyone and everyone knows up front that making a living in it, especially since he wants to perform, not be in the back ground, is virtually impossible, certainly not a high income living unless one is very lucky. And to get lucky, one has to audtion and go through the paces. Can’t do that when there’s a loan payment to be made. Hard enough to do when you gotta feed yourself and meet the minimum living expenses, but an extra bill on top of that for really…nothing. You already got the education. It’s a done deal and you gotta pay for it for the next 10-25 years??? Crazy. You can barely make ends meet and you have to pay for your college after the fact? Insane. You want to go to graduate school? You’d better be current in those loans if you are going to get MORE to go there. Get an opportunity for a great job that falls in your lap on a campaign like taking care of some of the funds–better have a clean credit report and not owe student loans. I’m not exaggerating.</p>
<p>The OP has stated she can get these type of jobs already at age 18 with NO college. So what difference does it make for what she wants as to which college she attends. The one that gives her the most flexibility to join campaigns and take opportunities as they come is what she should attend. One where she has financial flexibility too. Then she can go to grad school, likely on their dime as political science, public policy type masters often offer stipends. She’s met those who are already doing that so she knows the ropes. IF she takes out major loans for UG, she won’t have those choices or the flexibility she wants for a field that she so enjoys.</p>
<p>So, no, I absolutely think it’s great that she has this interest and fervently believe she should pursue it. All the more the reason to keep her loan burden as light as possible. Will make her much lighter on her feet and spirit which she will need to do this. Money has to be an obsession when you owe it and they are after you about it which they will be if you take student loans and don’t pay them.</p>
<p>I am questioning her career path and I think that she will be investing sleezy politicos with more trust and admiration that they deserve. And I’d bet that it is an emotional rollercoaster. </p>
<p>However it it her decision to do what she wants to with her life. She is probably in as good as position as anyone on this thread to know whats involved in this life. And she knows quite a few people who have the type of job she wants who she could ask for an hour of their time to consult with her on this decision. </p>
<p>As we discussed back on the Wyden/Kirk “Know Before You Go Act” thread I am in favor of students getting factual data about what they can expect for the money they will spend. In this case mmm can see what her loan repayments would be, and she can get data about what the job prospects are for her in the field. Those two things put together in all likelihood mean that debt will hold down her lifestyle until her mid-30’s. But if she is willing to accept that tradeoff for the value she see in the job, then its a valid decision.</p>
<p>It’s a charged issue… money and college money. Most of us are just trying to help you figure out how you can afford the career you want after you graduate. Plus, I would imagine politics implies grad school somewhere down the line.</p>
<p>Isn’t FSU in the state capital?</p>
<p>I think you could just get some real life, hands on work AND save money…if you followed through the open doors.</p>
<p>At any rate, I really mean it when I say good luck.</p>
<p>Mmmgirl, though it may seem like we are ragging on you, it’s because some of us have seen and felt firsthand what a burden these loans can be if you don’t have support and help from family to handle them and you know you are not going into a field that is likely to have jobs at decent wages.</p>
<p>Your mother is absolutely right. Students loans are debt monsters that are waiting to consume you and ruin your life. It seems that she has done a good job raising you…now is not the time to start ignoring her wisdom.</p>
<p>We were vey much in similar circumstances. Son was accepted to some very good schools for his field and also the instate (and less prestigious) flagship. He chose the instate because of the much lower debt load. You and your efforts are what will make you a success and not the name-brand university on your diploma. Someone in another thread posted a great piece of advice… “Bloom where you are planted.”</p>
<p>^^It’s NOT stable. It doesn’t produce great income for many years. It’s a ton of fun. You meet incredibly sharp intelligent people plus you learn “politics” which is without a doubt a great skill to have in life. AND most importantly it really doesn’t matter where you do your undergraduate if you are smart, enthusiastic, articulate and aggressive. Just look up almost anyone in the game’s bios and see where their undergraduate is from. </p>
<p>I went this route. Had a ball. Went into undergraduate college thinking I’d love to manage a political campaign and maybe go to law school. Wrote my capstone project on political communications. Interned on the east coast (college in the midwest) and finally I did all kinds of early career stuff at all levels from local to national supplementing down periods with work at ad agencies, etc. and finally I did communications for a Senate campaign (a loss) and gave it up for more stability shortly before I married. Follow your dreams, absolutely, but do it with as little debt as you can possibly muster because it’s a rat race for a bunch of years.</p>