What A Policy & Legislative Advocate At Health Access California Wishes They Had Known Before Entering The Nonprofit Industry
Christine wishes that someone would have told them about the nonprofit sector as a viable career path, especially coming from a background in political campaigns, because they were unaware of how applicable campaign skills are to nonprofits. The role offers a similar "fast-paced environment" to political campaigns, but with the added benefit of "stable healthcare" and the ability to establish a more permanent lifestyle.
Nonprofit Sector, Political Advocacy, Career Stability, Skill Transferability, Work-Life Balance
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. Nonprofit work offers a stable alternative to political campaigns while utilizing similar skills.
2. Skills from political campaigns are highly applicable to nonprofit roles.
3. The nonprofit sector provides a fast-paced environment with more stability compared to political campaigns (e.g., healthcare, stable housing).
Transcript
What have you learned about this role that you wish someone would have told you before you entered the industry?
I'll be honest, I did not know about the nonprofit industry when I was in college. I came from mostly working on political campaigns and wish I had known in college that nonprofit was a field I could go into. I had really only seen it from the political campaign side of things.
It would have been really helpful to know how applicable different skills used on political campaigns are to nonprofits. Political campaigns are often for people who don't mind temporary furniture and temporary locations.
I think nonprofits can be a good option for people who love that fast-paced environment but also want stable healthcare and a place to live. It's for those who want to sign a year lease, things like that, which I wasn't able to do in my previous field.
So I wish I'd known about it as an opportunity to use similar skills, but in a more stable environment.