A Reddit thread about ‘secrets of jobs’ delved into some interesting details about political staff.
The fact that staffers run everything is NOT a secret. It’s well known and often discussed, but never mentioned in mainstream media or advertising. Successful politicians start as staffers, then move up to the “elected” role as manager of staff. Visible legislators are NOT tribunes representing the people, they are bosses of miniature empires.
The life of a staffer is less familiar, so an inside look is new information:
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Being wealthy doesn’t hurt anything either. A ton of staffers can afford to pursue their passion careers because Mom and Dad subsidize them. This is also why so many lobbyists kids enter political staffing. The lobbyists have connections, and the kids can subsidize the low pay.
One of the reasons I dropped out is that my parents were political non-entities. I had to work for every advancement I got, frequently got rejected in favor of better connected people, and really had no financial support for the years of low pay I endured when I was in that field.
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Sounds like modern journalism as described by Batya. Only wealthy people can survive the long years of low-paid internship, and only aristocrats can be admitted to the club.
Before the modern setup, both career paths had a starting point for poor people. Journalists started young as a printer’s devil on a SMALL TOWN WEEKLY, where they were still living at home with parents. Politicians started with part-time city council positions in SMALL TOWNS, then moved up to full-time paid mayor, then to state offices.
What’s missing now in both cases is SMALL TOWNS.
Academic tenure is slightly different. It requires a long period of low-paid risk and requires total orthodoxy to get past the risk into the secure position. But it doesn’t have quite as much initial favoritism. A degree from a low-status university or a foreign university is OK as long as you conform to the Advisor during the apprenticeship.
Polistra's Mill 