Welcome to Jon’s Audio Resume, the Jon of All Trades solo exploration of all the weird ass jobs I’ve had in my life. This series runs in chronological order and here is my 11th job.

Job: Communications Specialist, Policy Communications, Inc.
Duration: October 2006 – April 2007
Pay: $35,000/yr.
Did I get along with my boss(es)? Well enough, but I was in no way mature enough not to resent the shit out of them, anyway.

Back at it, with a job that I was not really qualified for. So at this point I’m 25 years old, have worked a real job for about three months total, and land at a firm that does public policy and lobbying at the federal level. And I’m in charge of creating a buttload of content every day about issues ranging from drilling on the outer continental shelf to fugitive dust in the west to drought preparedness to forest management to the multiple use doctrine on federal lands, etc. We had about 25 issue campaigns going at any one time.

The pace was furious, the hours were grueling, the level of stress was intense, and the learning curve was steep. I don’t think it’s accurate to say I enjoyed my time there because the day-to-day of it was so intensely challenging, but I am forever grateful for this opportunity because at 25, I had better command of a broad range of issues than virtually anyone else my age. This set me up beautifully for the rest of my career.

On this week’s show I also share what it’s like working on the ground of a political campaign, how the first door I ever knocked on likely interrupted an orgy, and more. Lots of fun stuff here!

Download it on iTunes, stream it on Stitcher, or listen at the Jon of All Trades homepage.

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