The Erratic Hours of Working in Government

One thing I've observed in my various political and government related internships is that the hours are very erratic. Sure, for me as an intern I worked a pretty standard nine to five days, but I'm not talking about interns. They get off easy. No, I'm talking about paid staff. They are worked like dogs and often times they're still hard at work long after the interns have packed up and gone home for the night. Depending on where you're working, a government job can be grueling and demanding. Some nights you may stay at work until after midnight! One night when I was interning with the Biden for President campaign, we had to stuff envelopes and send them out by the next morning. All the interns and the staff stayed stuffing and sealing those envelopes several hours after quitting time! So, if you don't think you can handle the demanding schedule of that kind of job, make sure you know the office procedure before making a commitment.
So then, if you as a staffer work a lot and get paid a little (and you do), then why the hell would anyone want that kind of job? Well, if you're someone who is just thrilled by the prospect of working in government, then while you might not be crazy about the hours, you truly appreciate the opportunity. But that's the thing about government jobs. They're demanding, make sure you really have a passion for what the job is, because if you don't, you could very well be miserable.