How Do I Become a Politician?

In most cases, no formal education is necessary to become a politician, but your chances of being elected to an office or otherwise influencing policy decisions are improved if you have at least a high school education, although a college education is even better. The best way you can take steps to become a politician is to get involved with a political party in your area.

Many politicians start out as volunteers within a specific political party. The job responsibilities may vary; you may end up canvassing neighborhoods during an election to drum up support for your party, or you may end up being a manager at a campaign office. Getting involved at the local level is perhaps the best way to become a politician for several reasons: first, it helps you develop your name and reputation at the local level, where you will receive the most support; second, it will give you the experience necessary to learn how to deal with a variety of personalities, situations, and events; third, it will help you learn the inner workings of the political process so you can try your hand at policy-making.

In many regions throughout the world, you will need to be elected into an office in order to become a politician. This means you will need to mount a campaign and run against other candidates who want to fill the same position as you. This can be done at the local level for a variety of positions, including city council member, school board member, or even mayor. Senators at the state level and governors will also need to run for office, as will candidates running for national positions such as senator, congressman, or president. The particular positions can vary by country, so you will need to do research into the possibilities in your area.

Once elected, you will become a politician who is responsible for working with other politicians to influence or otherwise create policies. You will need to develop your negotiating skills, and you will need to learn new skills such as speaking in public, learning about policy and translating that knowledge into useful skills for influencing others, managing a staff that will help you run your office, and making effective presentations to others to convince them your position is the right one.