THe HIgHesT-paId posITIons
In Texas sTaTe governmenT In 2007 were professIonal
and managerIal posITIons paYIng $203,935 a Year.
creAte a career
get involved in Real government to Government & Public Administration.
Portfolio
One of the most important things a student Actively volunteering is even better, says Reyes.
can do is actually “get involved in the “Contact a city council member and ask
One valuable tool that can help you get
governmental process,” says Giesler. This can about ways to become involved.” For example,
ready for college and beyond is a career
Experience
be done in a number of ways, including job students can work on a neighborhood
portfolio—a collection of items that
shadowing, internships, and volunteer work. improvement project, he says.
document your achievements both in
In job shadowing, students follow a Students might also volunteer in a
and out of school, assembled in one
professional in the workplace for a day to see political campaign, says Sally Burt, outreach
convenient package.
firsthand what the job is like. Attending events representative for U.S. Congresswoman Kay
A career portfolio is not simply
such as campaign rallies or school board Granger. “It will give students the flavor of the
a resume, although it can certainly
meetings is another way to gain exposure political side of public service.”
include one. So what should go in a
career portfolio? A variety of things,
depending on your own personal
S P o T L I G H T
experiences. It could include transcripts
and grades; writing samples; letters
of recommendation from teachers,
mentors, or employers; awards you’ve
CoMMuNICAtIoN CoMPEtItIoN
received; and items that document
other activities, such as internships and
the texas Forensic Association teaches Debate Skills
job shadowing experiences.
“You need to be specific—dates, how
P
eople in government & public administration their debate or speech classes or through student
many years, any awards, what they
careers need to communicate intelligently about debate clubs.
meant, and who you received them
issues such as our nations’ military policies, the next events include: cross examination debate, in
from,” says Grace Brauchle, who helps
presidential race, or the united nation’s report on which teams of two face off; lincoln–douglas debate,
students put their portfolios together
global warming. one of the best ways to learn how in which individuals debate one another on a value
as the career center coordinator for
to do this is to participate in high school debate and topic; student congress, in which participants debate
Lehman High School in Kyle.
speech competitions, says aaron Timmons, president legislation; and extemporaneous speaking, in which
Brauchle says portfolios come in
of the Texas forensic association and debate coach at speakers have only 30 minutes to prepare for a topic.
handy when students apply for jobs or
greenhill High school in addison. debate and speech competitions help students
admission to college. “First impressions
“debaters are more knowledgeable than the develop skills important for many of the careers in
are a very big thing,” she says, “and
average high school student and, many would argue, government & public administration, says Timmons.
you want to be the one whose papers
more than most college students about the topics they These skills include research, articulation, negotiation,
get passed around the office. You want
debate,” he says. “The level of research time management, teamwork, and organization of
to be the one where the admissions
and preparation of the students is thoughts. “I can’t think of another activity that prepares
counselors say, ‘Wow, look at this one!’”
incredible.” students as well for these particular careers,” he says.
And a portfolio doesn’t have to be
The Texas forensic association debate is also fun, adds Timmons. students
simply a collection of papers. Artists
(Tfa) sanctions more than 100 research and prepare for competitions as a group.
and photographers use their portfolios
high school speech and debate many teams also get to travel extensively to various
to provide visual examples of their
tournaments across the state tournaments. “students make friends from across the
work, and so can you. Do you have
each year, including the largest state and across the country,” he says.
photos of someone giving you an
state tournament participation in debate and speech can also help
award? Put them in. How about a video
in the nation. with college admissions and scholarships. similar to
of a performance? Include it on a DVD.
students prepare athletes, debaters can earn partial or full scholarships
Do you have experience in Web design?
for competitions for agreeing to join the debate team at a college
Make an online portfolio to showcase
either as part of or university.
what you can do.
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