Lobbyist (Fox Studios)
WHAT YOU DO: Represent your company (or other interest group) in front of professionals and politicians. Build relationships with these powerful people through campaign contributions, public support, and other favors and influence them to make decisions that will help your clients. These decisions may come in the form of votes for or against particular pieces of legislation, proposing or supporting certain policies, allocating funds for your group’s activities, or other favors.
The job also calls for becoming involved in your group’s community, identifying some of its needs, and dedicating time and money to give back to the community. This helps foster a good relationship between your group and the people around it.
EDUCATION: At least a Bachelor’s degree is necessary to become a respected lobbyist. Many study law, political science, or public relations, but others choose to get a degree related to the type of group they are working for (entertainment, agriculture, etc.) to become more knowledgeable about the subject.
SKILLS: People skills are the most important part of this job. You need to be able to quickly develop good relationships with many different people and learn how to help each other out.
HOW TO GET IN: Start out with volunteering for a political campaign or interest group. This will help you see how the game is played, but it will also start some vital networking.
CAREER PATH: After volunteering, try to get an internship related to public relations for a company. Here, you will likely focus on a small aspect of how the company presents itself and reaches out. After experience and lots more networking, you may be able to use your connections to help the company and give back to the community.
PAYBACK: Annual salary can reach around $100,000 or more, especially for a large or powerful interest group/company.
DOWNSIDES: High pressure, requires a lot of patience and people skills. One slip-up can ruin your credibility in an instant.
FUTURE OF JOB: The number of jobs is expected to grow faster than average.