1) Not hopping on another campaign after the 2008 Iowa Caucus This is the reason I thought to write this post. I was physically and emotionally destroyed by the time John Edwards dropped out of the 2008 primary, shortly before super Tuesday.(Seriously, I had a TERRIBLE flu. Get your flu shot!) I drank the Kool-Aid hard on that campaign, (and subsequently vomited it up when it was revealed that he had indeed father a child with one of his staffers and lied about it). I thought I couldn't or wouldn't care for another candidate, but by being too proud I missed the opportunity to join either the Clinton or Obama campaign. Both were actively hiring and either would have introduced me to a whole new network of people that would have expanded my options moving into that general election and subsequent elections to come. Every election ends one way or another. Take time to decompress and grieve but not so much that you cut yourself off from possibilities in your career just so you can wallow.
2) Not managing a Congressional sooner The best career advice I ever received, which I will now pass on to you, is that it only gets harder to go out on the road. Every campaign you work on makes you more qualified for your next job and, especially if you are searching for a place at a consulting firm or PAC or committee job in DC, managing a marquee race is more or less a pre-requisite. I really resisted going out to manage after/before graduate school because I felt like it wasn't the lifestyle I wanted for myself in my late twenties. I wanted to date, and be in one place, and have a sense of security. Fast forward to my early to mid-thirties and I found (and find) myself out on the road with my then fiance, now husband, trying to navigate two campaign careers instead of one, because I wasn't qualified for the jobs I wanted in DC. Let's face it, working on a campaign can be exhilarating and rewarding but it's also physically, emotionally, and financially draining. While I'm so grateful for the opportunities I've had over these past few cycles, I can tell you it doesn't get easier. I wish I had bitten the bullet and managed a big race earlier to put myself in a position to have more options now.
3) Waiting on my life because of campaigns Here's the corollary to what I just told you: you gotta live your life. When we got married we decided to put off our honeymoon because my husband and I had both recently started on Congressional campaigns. After the election, I was unemployed and not in the position to finance a trip to Europe. Then we got great jobs for the 2020 cycle and long story short, by the time we go on our long-awaited trip we will have been married for three years. This isn't just for fun stuff like vacations. I've put off things like going to the doctor, losing weight, and learning new skills. There will always be another election around the corner and it's easy to confuse a necessary sense of urgency with a sense that we are indispensable. If there is something you really want to do, make the plan and work around it. What's great is that we are moving into a new era of campaign culture that places more value on self-care. I guarantee work will still be there if you take a moment for yourself and you will be even more productive because of it.
4) Not applying to jobs as they came up Applying to jobs is draining and the last thing you want to do when you finally get one is to keep looking. Granted it doesn't always make sense to be searching for other opportunities, (don't worry Minnesota, you're stuck with me through November) but there have definitely been times when I was miserable on a campaign or just stuck at at a job without a definite end date. In 2016 I was in both those positions but felt like I couldn't look a) because I was exhausted and b) because I had made a commitment. Turns out the organization I was at ran out of funding for the program I was running and I found myself unemployed with very little warning anyway. If you see an opportunity you want, go for it and then you can make a decision about the next right move for you. It never hurts to apply to to stuff even if the end result is just making more connections or being in a better position to negotiate with your current employer.
5) Not diversifying my experience My first job out of college was as a field organizer and I fell in love with it so hard that it quickly became part of my identity. It never occurred to me that I should try finance or comms or God-forbid become one of the Hill people. Once you get to a certain point in your career it's more difficult to find ways to diversify your skill set without taking a pay cut. There are jobs I'm interested in now that I'd be qualified for if I had done just one year as a Congressional legislative assistant or a deputy press secretary. Who knows? I might have discovered something else I also love doing. Even if it didn't change anything about my career trajectory, now that I manage other departments having those experiences would undoubtably make me a better manager.
Don't get me wrong, I have had such amazing experiences and a #blessed career, but if this blog's purpose is anything it is to be the resource I wish I'd had and so there it is! Coming next...more mistakes from yours truly!
Campaign Love and Mine,
Nancy
