Supervisor Interview

For this assignment, I interviewed my supervisor, who is the Director of Constituent Services at the district office. Below is a summary of what I learned in our conversation.

She directs and oversees the constituent services staff, as well as managing the office in general, including the interns. When I asked her how she had chosen her career, she laughed at first and said "I didn't!" On a more serious note, she told me that when it came to her current position, she was approached by the Congressman and asked if she would accept the position. She wasn't immediately sure whether she wanted to take it, but after long and thoughtful consideration, she decided to take the position.

Before that time, she had long been active in local political organizations, and involved in government, to the point where she knew Congressman Salmon personally. As to the question of how someone would prepare for a career in politics, in terms of education or otherwise, her input was that it was mainly a question of keeping informed about current affairs and government. It's more than a job that ends when you leave the office. In many ways, it's a way of life, and it's necessary to carry an interest in such things in your normal life, if you're going to find a career in politics to be rewarding.

There have been noticeable changes in politics in recent years. She sees that people are more involved and paying more attention than at any time in the recent past. Some of this is due to the fact that the political arena has become dramatically more polarized, but she sees the new involvement as a positive development.