I have a huge decision to make by 5:00pm central time on Saturday and I am hoping to get some help from this community in making my decision.
I've been accepted as an Obama Fellow. Actually, I had thought that maybe I didn't get a spot after seeing numerous diaries by other fortunate Obama Fellows on this site in the last couple of days. But alas, last night I signed onto my gmail account...and there it was, my own acceptance.
Honestly, I was very close to not applying at all. I thought long and hard about it...and initially decided not to. Then three hours until the final deadline I changed my mind, put everything together the best I could, and applied with about five minutes to spare.
I had a nice interview a couple of Mondays ago and told myself I'd let the chips fall where they may and make the decision in a weeks time if I was given a spot in the program. Well, here I am, and I need the help of this great community that I have come to love over the course of this primary season.
Quick overview: I'm a 26 year old born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago in Naperville, IL (in very red Du Page county...but a nice shade of blue here on Super Tuesday though as more people voted in the Democratic primary which is rare). I graduated from the University of Missouri - Columbia (Go Tigers! MIZ-ZOU!) where I majored in political science three years ago. After college, I served a year in the AmeriCorps in Chicago teaching and tutoring in public schools with a splash of community organizing. Since then, I've worked for a non-profit in Chicago land. I have a girlfriend of two and a half years. I don't have much money to my name...small amount saved with little else at this point now that most of my debt is finally paid off.
I'm about as dedicated an Obama supporter as most of the people on this site...and have been shocked that his campaign has done such an amazing job of winning the nomination over a political powerhouse like Hillary and Bill Clinton. I did some canvassing in Indianapolis the weekend before the Indiana Primary and loved the experience. It made the surprisingly close finish there all the more enjoyable for me.
Whether or not to become an Obama Fellow at this point in my life is not a no brainer. I lay out the Pros and Cons below as I see them. Now, don't get me wrong...I think this program is an excellent idea and I would love to be a part of it...but I'm a bit torn, because life doesn't always make decisions like this easy and I'm trying to act like an adult here. So, please stay with me.
PROS:
- PRESIDENT OBAMA. Helping Senator Obama become President Obama would be an absolute honor and a completely worthy cause. But, you already knew that!
- CAREER PATH. Leaving a job I'm not entirely crazy about anyway to work for a campaign that I (like many of us) have obsessed over for some months now. Plus, I still don't have a concrete career path so maybe working for the campaign will show me an avenue I haven't given much thought about.
- LIFE EXPERIENCE. We can't always take the risks we want, but I do feel like working for this campaign would be an amazing life experience and one that I would be happy to have taken the risk on. Obviously, this is easier for me to say because I don't have a family to worry about and little ones to feed!
CONS:
- MONEY. I don't have much as it is and finally paid off most of my debt that accumulated thanks to college and a year in AmeriCorps (a living stipend led to credit card use in my case).
- JOB SECURITY. Taking an unpaid fellowship may land me broke once again with no prospects of finding a new job once it is over. (the economy ain't so great right now if any of you have heard) I'm not that happy at my current job, but it is a job with a steady income nonetheless.
- GIRLFRIEND. We have been having many problems lately and I fear that being gone for 6 weeks may only make them worse. Also, she is not a crazy Obama fan like me and is a very casual political follower in the first place so she may not be so understanding about why I would want to take an unpaid fellowship with the campaign. I haven't told her I got accepted yet, but figured I would once I made up my mind about what I want to do so we can talk about it. However, she does know that I applied and that I'm considering this, so I haven't left her completely in the dark I assure you!
- THERE ARE OTHER WAYS TO HELP THE CAMPAIGN. Even if I don't take a position, I expect to go to a couple states this summer and fall to help the campaign. I urge others to do it as well if you have the time...it is a great experience!
Also, I plan on going out of my home state if I do accept the position...I'm thinking he wins Illinois, just a hunch, so my help isn't needed here... My preferences go like this:
- Missouri (some knowledge of the state due to my 4 years at Mizzou)
- Iowa (always felt good about my neighbors to the west and it is very close)
- Ohio (I feel like an Ohio win means an Obama presidency no matter what, but things can change obviously)
- Pennsylvania (I have an old college friend living in Lancaster outside of Philly who I may be able to stay with depending on how the campaign places its fellows in each state)
- Michigan or Wisc. (I think he should win both states, but neither one will be easy, especially Michigan...although I don't think people in Wisc. want a Bears fan trying to convince them about much of anything...LOL)
I've grown to respect this site and the virtual community it is for many of us. Any words and/or advice you may have for me would be most appreciated. So please, help a guy out if you can.
Thank you ahead of time!
And of course...YES WE CAN!