Rowan University Political Science & Communication Studies Graduate Details Launching His Post-College Career
After graduating from Rowan University in 2019 with two bachelors’ degrees, one in communication studies and the other political science, Conor Schmiegel’s career would take him in a variety of directions with a variety of ebbs and flows that leverage both of his degrees. From working on campaigns to working for the New Jersey Food Council, hard work and an open mind presented a variety of opportunities that he would seize.
Understanding the real world implications and their themes helped grow his perspective allowing him to use the lessons to be applied practically in his various lines of work. For him, it was not just about figuring out the problems given to him in class, “The challenge is that you have to figure out how they will help you. You have to figure out how you will use those beyond that class and the scope of the classroom.” Some translate more directly, what you learn in Campaigns and Elections will directly translate to a campaign internship, or that the theories taught in Gender Politics still hold relevance, others are about applying the concepts to broader challenges. Part of the academic puzzle is piecing together the lessons application to a wide variety of disciplines and connecting them to the professional world when challenges arise.
After two years of networking, working a variety of internships, and creating a well rounded professional tool kit that could be applied to a variety of career paths, the post-graduation transition for Conor was exciting.
The possibility of working as an intern for Campbell’s Soup Company was proposed to him after a contact reached out to him. A paid internship for the summer that revolved around lobbying and government affairs for a company that was active in the majority of the country was perfect for him. This was a chance to refine and add onto his skillset as a lobbyist, taking his abilities to the professional level. A key lesson that was learned was how to carry out a task effectively even if you don’t agree with the position, “Lobbying was interesting in that regard because like the political campaigns course, my client may not be someone I see eye to eye with. Their position may not be something I see eye to eye with but I’m still advocating on their behalf which is what I was doing at Campbell’s Soup Company.”
After working on a variety of campaigns during his undergraduate years, Conor became connected within New Jersey politics. In New Jersey there’s always someone running for office and in August of 2019, the chance to help run two candidates presented itself. The campaign was just coming together when Conor signed on. “They said ‘We don’t have a field rep, we only have a campaign director– the chief of staff– and a finance guy and that’s it. We don’t have anyone else, we need someone in the field right away.” The grind of a campaign and the political chaos that comes with it can break people from the long hours and the constant moving pieces or it forces them to rise to the occasion.
He also attributed a lot of the success to the team around him. The interns who worked on the campaigns received a lot of praise, even when they were not being paid, they showed up ready to pour their hearts into their candidate’s cause, “My interns on those campaigns were some of the best people ever, I write them all letters of recommendation. Now they’re adults– it’s like watching my kids grow up, even though some of them were two years younger than me. Still they were college students and I was a new graduate. They didn’t get paid all the way through but they got paid in full in the end. But it was like, ‘I know you may seem like this is just work, but I promise you I’ll help you out in the long term. This is a good experience for you to have.’ The nine interns stuck around, some fell off, but those nine– they understood that. To this day they still keep in touch.” After both candidates achieved victory, Conor believed a legislative role was the next step but with no positions open, a different route was needed.
In the winter of 2019, a new opportunity came around after an old contact in Conor’s network reached out. An opportunity to be the Associate Director of Public Affairs for the New Jersey Food Council proved to be the next step. The job allowed Conor to thrive as a lobbyist for a variety of major companies. “I was a lobbyist, advocating on behalf of the second largest industry which is the grocery, convenience, and food distributors, so the food retail industry in the state of New Jersey. Our members are ACME, Quickcheck, Wawa, Coca-Cola, you name it, they were usually members. With the exception of the big box stores, we didn’t have Walmart and all those individuals, but we had everyone else. I was advocating on their behalf to the state legislature.” Working for the Food Council as a lobbyist at the young age of 23 was massive as a first full time job. Shuttling back and forth from Camden, Atlantic City, and Trenton, Conor was able to learn from a ton of hands-on experience in the South and Central Jersey political sphere.
When asked about the process to become a registered lobbyist, he broke it down the process, “First you get hired by someone who is a trade association like the Food Council, you could become a contract lobbyist, you could be at any organization like the League of Conservation Voters– they’re an environmental lobbying organization. You pay $600 for the year and you register with the state of New Jersey as an official lobbyist as someone who can go to the State and lobby on behalf of another individual. The reason you register is if you’re making any campaign donations, that has to get filed with ELEC (Election Law Enforcement Commission). I did all the filings with campaign donations with ELEC.” From helping create new legislation to working on the company newsletter, a job in which his communications degree helped greatly, Conor was able to work on a variety of projects. In the end something new was needed. After completing everything that should be done at an entry level position, something new was needed.
In the midst of a transition period, a dream opportunity presented itself. The League of Conservation had a job opening that would play perfectly into the lobbying skills that had been refined through a number of internships and jobs. Hope of achieving the dream job was in reach as he became one of two finalists left in contention to be the League’s newest lobbyist. Yet experience beat out Conor, “I was a finalist at the League of Conservation Voters, it would’ve been a dream to work there, but what they wanted, I was probably like a year or two shy of the skills they needed. I was one of two finalists and the person who beat me out had been working at the DEP (Department of Environmental Protection) for like 3 years. It was an environmental lobbying organization, it only makes sense that they picked him”. Through adversity and lost opportunities were something that Conor had learned to battle through during his time working on political campaigns. It was not to be, but something else would eventually come along.
Still in search of a new job, a friend from Conor’s time with the Rowan Institute of For Public Policy and Citizenship reached out to about the possibility of working at the Aubrey Group– a grant writing firm. Initially he did not want to write or view himself as a writer except and wanted a job that was client facing. After sitting down with his friend’s boss, the work sounded intriguing. A transition into a different field brought out uncertainty, but eventually moving to the Aubrey Group was the right decision. After accepting the position in May of 2022, Conor has now become the Vice President of the Aubrey Group. He attributes his success largely to his four years at Rowan by drawing on not just the classes he took but connections he made through getting involved in clubs and internships. Conor is a prime example of what is possible at Rowan through academic success and using the tools and opportunities at the student body’s disposal.
Thomas Ubelhoer, junior political science and international studies double major