5 answers
Dara
Student
Burlington, Ontario, Canada
4
Questions
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What classes should you take in high school if you wan't to be involved in Politics?
#high-school-students #high-school #careers #politics # #high-school-classes
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5 answers
Kim Igleheart
Career Counselor | Police Officer
1683
Answers
San Antonio, Texas
Updated
Kim’s Answer
Hi Dara,
I would definitely recommend speech and debate. You want to get really good at articulating and defending your position!
Kim
I would definitely recommend speech and debate. You want to get really good at articulating and defending your position!
Kim
Kaitlin Keller
Technical Support Analyst II
4
Answers
Bloomfield, Indiana
Updated
Kaitlin’s Answer
Classes that pertain to skills politicians have include Speech (Communication), English, Government, Law, ETC. I would recommend taking as many of these types of courses as you can. In Highschool, you may be limited for options that pertain directly to Politics but depending on the role or roles you may want to play in politics you could certainly find a couple of great courses to get started.
Think about the type of role you want to play in politics.
Consider what skills or knowledge those in that field need to succeed
Look at your schools course catalog for courses that provide those skills. Ask your guidance counselor if you are having trouble figuring out which courses would benefit your political goals.
Kaitlin recommends the following next steps:
Simeon Snow
Risk Assurance
1792
Answers
Houston, Texas
Updated
Simeon’s Answer
I'd recommend looking at government and economic classes as well as any extra history classes that you can take. You will probably also want some experience with the debate team if you can fit it into your schedule. Even if your high school doesn't have a debate club, see if there are other speech clubs you can get into outside of school. If not, you could also try doing ToastMasters.
Richard Smith
Co-owner and Design Partner at 11:22 Creative Design, LLC
31
Answers
Rio Rancho, New Mexico
Updated
Richard’s Answer
The root word of politics is 'politi', which means people, and it is where we get words and phrases like police, Politburo, policy and, of course, politics. The foundations of what drives people, and their politics, is economics. Economics is the root of everything regarding the human condition on this planet. It is the eyes and ears of politics. If you are interested in politics, then you will need to study economic history for that is where all the juicy details hide, the devil in the details, so to speak, that represents the wind in our political sails.
Economics teaches us the proper historical context to understand politics correctly with 20/20 vision. Without a solid understanding of economics, the subject of politics amounts to little more than putting the cart before the horse, and this is what defines the difference between a good or bad politician.
Read "A People's History of the United States" by Howard Zinn
Economics teaches us the proper historical context to understand politics correctly with 20/20 vision. Without a solid understanding of economics, the subject of politics amounts to little more than putting the cart before the horse, and this is what defines the difference between a good or bad politician.
Richard recommends the following next steps:
Gloria Ortiz
Instructional Designer
842
Answers
Irving, Texas
Updated
Gloria’s Answer
Hi Dara,
Like most answers, it depends. What would you like to do with politics? Become a prime minister or work for a candidate? I would say that if you want to be the person influencing government, spend a lot of time learning about government. This can be done through studying law. This still means that you want to know your goal. In the US, a lawyer can become an attorney general for a city, state, or the whole country. If you want to be something like a mayor or a state governor, you would want to focus on how government acts as the various levels.
All of that above is about knowing how the government you want to influence works. Overall, there are some general skills that you should have. Communication skills are really important. Work hard to be clear and succinct verbally and in writing. Comfort with public speaking is a must, since you will probably talk with a lot of people in small or large groups. Debate is another area that would benefit you. Debate classes help you hone your arguing skills and the importance of good research skills. Also, make sure that you learn about how to network with people. Those networks are going to be your support system as you grow through a political career.
Gloria
Like most answers, it depends. What would you like to do with politics? Become a prime minister or work for a candidate? I would say that if you want to be the person influencing government, spend a lot of time learning about government. This can be done through studying law. This still means that you want to know your goal. In the US, a lawyer can become an attorney general for a city, state, or the whole country. If you want to be something like a mayor or a state governor, you would want to focus on how government acts as the various levels.
All of that above is about knowing how the government you want to influence works. Overall, there are some general skills that you should have. Communication skills are really important. Work hard to be clear and succinct verbally and in writing. Comfort with public speaking is a must, since you will probably talk with a lot of people in small or large groups. Debate is another area that would benefit you. Debate classes help you hone your arguing skills and the importance of good research skills. Also, make sure that you learn about how to network with people. Those networks are going to be your support system as you grow through a political career.
Gloria