Single In Silicon Valley: Politically Minded

A few years ago, the number of single friends in my circle skyrocketed. I was being invited to more events, my Saturdays no longer were free of activity and I even got to start going to swanky events.

You guessed it: I became involved in a political organization.

One day, back in 2006, I had this lofty idea about being able to affect change.  While I didn’t grow up with political aspirations in the slightest, I did have a motto: If you don’t like something, either do something about it or shut up.  I wasn’t super excited about some of the people who were thinking of running for city council, and none of them at the time were renters (like me), so I tried to do something about it. (I didn’t win, but it definitely shaped the path to what I’m doing today).

So, in learning how to do this whole election thing, I started engaging with other likeminded souls (some more extreme than others) and made some new friends along the way. Attending, and later joining a Democratic Club, not only helped me learn more about the topics I had interests in, it opened me up to a whole new world of networking. Younger people in any political organization or club are hot commodities. It’s even better if you’re a college student and single, because you usually don’t have to worry about getting home to your spouse/family to take care of certain things. 

If you’re a single "professional," meaning you actually have income, you’re on a whole other level. You can give of time and money. College students have the time. Older folks have the money. You come with both! How awesome we come off to be! If you’re a young professional that is politically active, you tend to start thinking about running for local office (school board, city council, etc.).

Let’s get back to the social aspect. After joining a club, I started to attend meetings, got to know other people in my area and would eventually have the opportunity to attend events held for local, state and nationally elected officials. I admit, again, I wasn’t really politically minded. However, when given an opportunity to attend a fancy dinner at the Fairmont Hotel or similar venues for almost next to nothing (helping fill a seat at a sponsored table has its benefits), it was a hard thing to pass up.

While not as active in political activities as I used to, I am still closely connected to some of the people I met those many years ago, across various political party affiliations. You never know where a lofty idea can take you and have you meet along the way.