When I came to D.C., I never thought I would want to live here. Back in Arizona, I only commuted 15 minutes to work with rush hour, I went home after 8 hours of work, and I lived a life of much free time. Here is different. I commute an hour each way and I am one of thousands of workers who do so, we work 10 hour days, and I arrive home around 8 and maintain a 10pm curfew in order to get up on time. Still, there are jobs that are intriguing here in D.C.
First off, there are lobbyists and consultants all over the district. Many of these people enjoy the comforts of their home away from D.C. and fly in a couple days a month to lobby. This is the same for consultants who leave their profession with success and come back on occasion for advice giving. This is arguably one of the harder jobs to get because of the many perks. I personally would love this job because I enjoy the D.C. atmosphere and the work load, but I never wish to live this life style day-in and day-out.
Second, you can work for a Representative in the district office which allows you the chance to stay in politics, yet live in the district and not in D.C. This is a great profession for individuals who truly love local government and service to others. The district office specializes in case work and represents the Representatives when he or she is attending to other duties. I am not no hip on this job as I find casework boring but it is something to think about.
I now wish to introduce Lorissa Bounds, Deputy Chief of Staff. Lorissa has been in this field for several years and her knowledge is most valuable in the office. Lorissa takes on Foreign Affairs which is key to Representative Salmon and his work as chair of the Western Hemisphere committee. I believe that Lorissa is a great supporting role to the Congressman and she is qualified to work in various capacities in D.C.
I have definitely seriously considered relocating to DC. My parents are from there, and their public service work is partly what inspired me to pursue an MPP. It's a great city and such an exciting place to be for those of us who want to pursue government work. However, you are right about the commute and long working hours in DC- my parents used to sometimes sit in traffic for 3 hours in rush hour there. It was interested to read your perspective on life working in DC compared to Phoenix.
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