Applications...Again

I just completed an application and an interview. No, not the ones of the college variety that have been plaguing my fellow classmates and me for the past several months, these are for a summer job.

I just applied to work in Washington D.C. again. I officially have what my former internship coordinator called the "Potomac Fever," a term he used to describe the allure that Washington D.C. has over the individuals that visit or work in that city. I say that I have this "affliction" because, if I get the job for which I just completed an interview, I will have worked in Washington D.C. for the past three summers.

My friends can't understand why I would want to return to a job that I have done already for two summers that I previously did without pay. However, to me at least, there are several conditions that make this time around very different to those previous. First, I used a third party organization in order to find the positions in Washington D.C. This organization has proved instrumental in the development of my interest in the U.S. government and public policy. This time is different in that I am applying for a job independently of any job-finding organization. Secondly, this year has meant much for me in terms of the development of my political and ideological beliefs. Now that I have been going out of the way to read exploratory non-fiction books along with scholarly articles, I am much more acutely aware of world events and their causes/potential impacts. I have consumed this kind of media voraciously, and as a result, I have developed a new perspective on government. Furthermore, I believe that the kind of job a person has in the government or politics is a reflection of the beliefs and perceptions of the individual in that job. Some people can take their personal beliefs into their work and use them to make their work more enjoyable or worthwhile. In this way, though I may have a similar position that I have in the past two summers, it is a completely different kind of job, a job that fascinates me.