Wednesday 25-01-2023 - 09:11

It’s that time of year again, the 2023 Elections will soon be here (nominations are open now, too), and we thought it’d be a good idea to do some myth busting about what it takes to be an Officer.

Many misconceptions about being an Officer come in the form of it ‘not being a real job’, or from students thinking it’s not that much of an important role.

Well, we’ve got it straight from some of our amazing past Officers, that this just isn’t the case.

So, if you’re thinking of putting yourself forward, or are just intrigued as to what Elections even is, get stuck into this article to get clued up.

 

 

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It’s not a real job / you’re still a student

 

One of the first and most common thoughts around being a Student Officer is that it’s not a real job.

Students often think that being in the role is something you do alongside your studies, but it’s not.

Being an Officer is a full time, paid job; something that requires you to have either recently graduated or be taking a year out of your course.

It’s a big deal, and The Union appreciates all the work of Officers put in (and at times, it’s a lot).

 

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The Officers and the job aren’t important

 

Another huuuge misconception about being an Officer is that they’re not important.

Student Officers literally lead The Union in a lot of different areas (and we don’t use that word lightly); they’re among the most senior positions in the building.

As an Officer, you’re in meetings with some very senior people, like the CEO and Board of Governors, who all want to know what you think, and what suggestions you've got.

Our Officers go through a lot of training to get to their positions, and they have a lot of power over what changes are made to benefit students (and we mean, a lot).

They’ve even got the power to try and get rid of exams if they wanted to – they’re top dogs.

 

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You’re still a student

 

In short – you’re not.

Like we’ve mentioned, a lot of the time Officer positions are misunderstood as something that’s done alongside your studies, something that’s even less than part time.

This isn’t the case; being an Officer requires your time, your passion and hard work; and every single second that’s put into the role is appreciated and relied on by The Union.

 

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Campaigning is shady and negative

 

The first thing people think of when they think of Student Officers is the ‘madness’ that surrounds becoming one.

The thought of campaigning in front of a crowd, putting yourself out there to be judged and critiqued is scary, but it’s not the negative experience you think it is.

Don’t get us wrong, campaigning is a lot of work, but it’s as fun as you make it.

It’s rare for a potential Officer to be campaigning alone (that doesn’t mean you can’t, a lot of successful Officers have campaigned alone).

Almost all our candidates either campaign as part of a team or they just bring their friends along for support. A lot of our past Officers have mentioned making great friends with the people they meet and have around them during their campaigning, too.

Like we’ve said, campaigning is what you make it. Positive campaigning works better than negative campaigning and if you’re organised, determined, and have a positive mindset, you’ve got nothing to worry about.

 

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It's not worth it

 

Being an Officer is without a doubt worth the work.

If you’re the type of person that genuinely cares about others and their university experience, then being an Officer is for you.

What’s more rewarding than seeing positive change for the entire student population brought about because you’ve put the graft in?

It’s not just what goes on in the lecture theatre too, Officers have positive impact on everything to do with academia, students’ social lives, home lives and more.

The Officers work for students and students only, in the aspects that are the most important to them.

If you get as far as campaigning and putting the work and ideas in, we know you care, and caring is enough to be a Student Officer.

What’re you waiting for? You’ve got this.

 

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Check out the visual version of this article below, with some of our incredible past Officers.