Barney Frank
Washington, DC USA
"Learn what your traits are. The places where your traits are weaknesses? Stay away from them. And where they are strengths? Go there."
Career Roadmap
Barney's work combines: Government, Politics, and Accomplishing Goals
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Harvard University
Doctorate
Harvard University
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life has been direct
1.
Politics interested him since he was in high school, but being gay and Jewish, he didn't think he'd have a shot.
2.
Involved in the 1964 Mississippi Freedom Summer, a movement where white college students went to the South, registered black voters.
3.
Thought he wanted to be a professor but realized he had a very short attention span, not ideal for writing theses.
4.
Moved into politics, where he could use his short attention span as an asset, switch gears quickly, work on multiple projects at once.
5.
His advice for aspiring politicians: "Don't count on winning. Have a job you like doing while you're not winning and meet as many people as you can."
6.
After 42 years in politics, he sometimes feels tired of the profession, but stays as an obligation to his constituents.
7.
Stresses that too much importance is put on the career decisions you make right out of college.
8.
Says by 35, most people have made two or three major career changes; early decisions won't define your path for the next 75 years.
Defining Moments
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I never thought I could ever be elected myself because, first because I'm Jewish... and I'm also gay and I knew that when I was 13, and so I thought that my chances of getting elected were nil.