Entry-level Positions for Aspiring Policy Advocates Health Access California
For aspiring policy and legislative advocates, Christine suggests internships, especially through programs like UC Sacramento, as a great way to gain experience, and also recommends entry-level jobs such as "policy advocate or policy associate" - while these positions may include "a little bit more admin pieces" initially, Health Access California has intentionally provided learning opportunities and growth, with one staff member moving from administrative tasks to staffing a bill and testifying in committee.
Entry-Level Positions, Internships, Policy Advocacy, Legislative Process, Career Opportunities
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Christine Smith
Policy & Legislative Advocate
Health Access California
UC Berkeley
University of San Francisco: Masters in Public Administration
Political Science, American Studies
Government & Public Sector, Nonprofit, Foundations & Grantmaking
Communication and Marketing
Worked 20+ Hours in School, LGBTQ
Video Highlights
1. Internships, especially with programs like UC Sacramento, offer valuable experience.
2. Policy Advocate or Policy Associate positions are good entry-level options directly after graduation.
3. Starting with administrative tasks can lead to opportunities for more substantive policy work, such as staffing a bill or testifying in committee.
Transcript
What entry-level positions are there in this field that an undergraduate or graduate student might consider to get into your position someday?
Sure. We have a lot of internships at my job. We actually work really closely with the UC Sacramento program to do internships for UC students, so I'd encourage anyone to check those out. It's a really good opportunity to get experience in Sacramento.
Also, policy advocate or policy associate is a really good entry-level job. One of our staff just started right after undergrad; it's her first job and it's a really good way to see if you like this work.
There does tend to be a little more admin work, but that's a good opportunity if you're learning. I think finding a position where you're really honest about what you want and seeing that you're super interested in it is key.
I would really love learning opportunities and different things like that. So, it's been really intentional how they've worked with her, going from primarily some more admin work to staffing her own bill, doing me-tos, and testifying in committee, things like that.
I do think there are a lot of opportunities, especially if you're willing to take on more of an admin role to start.