Basics of a career in politics

A career in politics comes with the opportunity to create an impact and build a network at the highest level.

Political education is an upcoming domain in India. | Photo Credit: Freepik

In this era of information and communication, the political skills and behavioural knowledge required for a career in politics remai within a closed group of people. This leads to an uneven playing field for those who hail from a non-political background. One of the major reasons for this is the lack of a structured mechanism for political education and training at various levels.

Common citizens: To make informed decisions at the polling booth, citizens must possess a comprehensive understanding of the political decisions made at the local, state, and national levels as it impacts the lives of millions.

Professionals in politics: In the era of new age media, data and technology professionals — from campaign strategists and policy advisors to communication experts and data analysts — act as the support system.

Party workers: The training of political workers plays a pivotal role in shaping the course of a nation’s democratic journey. Proper training ensures that political workers can maximise their outreach and influence.

Politicians: People coming from non-political backgrounds face steep challenges in their journey. Political training and education gives them the framework and direction to take key decisions and helps them build their skills to excel as politicians.

Political education is an upcoming domain in India. The following courses and programmes focus on political training and strategy.

Postgraduate courses

Leadership, Politics and Governance: A nine-month residential course, it focuses on Leadership and Management, Politics and Democracy, Governance and Public Policy.

Political Leadership and Government: A two-year programme that covers election internship, constituency internship, issue-based internship and political internship

Certification courses

Political Campaigns and Electoral Strategy: A 100-hour course, it contains ten subjects on political campaigns and electoral strategy.

The Art of Political Success: A two-month courses with 12 modules that focuses on the skills needed to be successful politicians.

The Good Politician: A nine-month experiential programme that invites 30 emerging grassroots leaders to embark on a political journey.

Election Campaign Management: ​A six-month UGC-approved programme under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, it is divided into eight modules delivered through a series of physical lectures, workshops and projects.

She Represents: A seven-day leadership programme for elected women representatives selected from across India. ​

Qualities

A career in politics involves passion and hunger to succeed. A few skills needed to be successful are:

Patience and perseverance: Politics has no shortcuts. Waiting for the right time and timing one’s leap is the biggest factor.

Personal connections: Nothing supersedes personal connections when it comes to politics. A strong and well-maintained bond leads to greater growth.

Understanding society: Politics requires an in-depth understanding of society and the electorate.

Self-branding: Making oneself visible to the society and community by using media, social media and new age media makes one stand out in the crowd.

Career opportunities

Apart from a position as a politician, one can aspire to become executive assistants to leaders, political consultants and analysts, subject matter experts like psephologist, media managers, digital political communication experts and starting a political service agency. All these gives one the opportunity to create an impact and network at the highest level.

The writer is the Co-Founder of School Of Politics.