I remember my dad calling me in the 2010s when I was a student marching with thousands of others in the Baltimore riots over the death of Freddie Gray, protesting the Keystone XL pipeline. He asked me, “Will you still be able to get a job when there are so many photos online from rallies and protests?” I told him that fighting unjust policies would be my career.
The response I gave my father many years ago was, in retrospect, both correct and incomplete. I had spent the first decade of my professional career with the Roosevelt Network, developing a field of progressive policy leaders and helping to build a more just economy. But at the time, I knew there were basically two or three jobs in the progressive movement, and I was applying for organizer positions on 350.org and various training positions at direct service organizations.
It wasn’t until I got a call from a mentor who helped me with organizing on campus that things started to look up: “There’s an operations position open at the Roosevelt Network and I think you should talk to me about applying.” Operations? What’s that? (Spoiler alert: I called and ended up getting the job.)
I grew up in a small rural town (unlike one of the VP candidates, I’m actually from Appalachia), and it wasn’t until I went to college in Washington, DC that I began to understand the depth and breadth of the progressive ecosystem. I first got involved in electoral politics, and then I found a community of people interested in climate organizing and policy development. My own journey to understanding this ecosystem is one of the reasons I’m so committed to the field-building work I do today.
Today, the range of career paths in what I call the progressive ecosystem – which includes think tanks, campaigning organisations, advocacy groups, trade unions, charities, electoral organisations and so on – is still too unclear for young people.
Organizations in the progressive ecosystem are committed to changing the material conditions of people in the country for the better, challenging existing hierarchies of race, class, and gender in the process. And this ecosystem is made up of organizations that offer a wide range of career opportunities, including nonprofits (501c3), social service organizations (501c4), and labor unions. Of course, you can be an organizer, trainer/facilitator, or communications professional, but you can also work as a fundraiser, operations, finance, events, and the list goes on and on.
Many industries provide very clear guidance to young people on how to get hired and what success in the field looks like. Consulting firms have well-documented hiring timelines and have built networks to help young people who want to apply. Columbia University’s Career Center has a page dedicated just to the “Big 4”. Finance also offers a relatively clear career path with universities actively supporting students. People understand law careers, thanks in part to the efforts of the Federalist Society. Hiring timelines are well-documented and promotion through the profession is clear. The medical industry also offers this clarity: after med school you go into residency, followed by a clear path of promotion and seniority. (There’s a reason parents pressure you into these industries!)