How to Work for Liberty: A Message to Free Staters

Wouldn’t it be great to move to New Hampshire, get paid to work for liberty, and join forces with companies that move the bus of freedom forward?

That’s exactly what I thought to myself when I lost my job back in 2017. You see, I was working in a sales job putting in forty-plus hours per week making phone calls and knocking on doors. Despite making a good living, I did not enjoy it. I was actively building someone else’s dream.

Like many, I worked on liberty-friendly campaigns during my free time. I would write occasionally about the principles of liberty I care so deeply about, but I knew that wasn’t enough. Turns out, as I was building a network of liberty-minded friends, I realized that what I truly loved and wanted to do full time was to be actively Working For Liberty. The only problem was, finding out how I was going to keep paying the bills. In the next few paragraphs, I will share a bit more about my journey to finding a job with purpose defending the cause of freedom.

Evolution of The Job Market

To say that 2020 disrupted the job market along with the lives of millions, would be the understatement of the decade. However, where there is crisis, there are often opportunities for change and action. Whether that’s being able to work from home, reducing on commute, and spending more time with your children, or getting that kick in the pants you needed to move to a pro-freedom state like New Hampshire, and joining the Free State Project. A one of a kind project that is dear to me, and which I have been a huge supporter of over the years. The point is that, crises are inevitable, but the way we choose to respond to a crisis, can make a big difference in our lives.

A Common Problem in the Liberty Movement

The principles and causes we care about are often just relegated to hobbies instead of being the driving force of our livelihoods. That was certainly my case, until July of 2017, when I was laid off and found myself without an income and no clear path forward. Although I had no clear idea about how I could make a full-time career out of working for liberty, I decided I would not be taking on another random job. Instead, I made myself a promise: I would never get another job that was not purpose-driven!

The Good News About Working for Liberty

I’m not going to lie, the next six months were difficult, some of you might have experienced this lately, so you can relate. Plus, the network I was building and the contacts I was making in the liberty community, did not yield any jobs at first. I struggled to find resources online that could guide me through the process of finding a decent job in the liberty movement. I was up early every morning, and up well into the night, scouring the internet for resources that could help me land my dream job.

In the meantime, I still had to pay the mortgage and other expenses. I was the not-so-proud owner of a dwindling bank account. So I decided to take things into my own hands, and find those freedom jobs no matter what, I knew they were out there. At last, I’m here with some good news: Although the global pandemic has brought on hiring freezes, reduced networking opportunities, and has left most of us with a distinct feeling that liberty lovers are losing the battle of ideas… right now there are hundreds of organizations hiring, and there are thousands of liberty-friendly jobs waiting for great candidates, some of which are located in New Hampshire.

How to Work for Liberty

Throughout my six months of struggling to find work in the liberty movement, I realized that working for liberty is not just for policy wonks. Law firms, grassroots organizations, advocacy groups, think tanks, and marketing companies all need talents. From entry-level workers to executives there are countless opportunities. The most important thing you can bring to the table for some of these jobs, is a sound commitment to liberty-friendly principles. Second to that, is a willingness to learn and adapt. You can make a good living while doing something you love. Many liberty organizations have jobs that pay well into the six-figure range for qualified candidates.

Now, of course if you are in New Hampshire or planning on moving, the first step is to check out the numerous resources the FSP has put together to help you land a job in The Granite State. You should also join the online job board on the Jobs Page, and don’t forget to network, network, network. Everybody’s situation is unique and sometimes you just need to rally and find whatever you can to provide for yourself and your family. However, if you could apply to jobs that are in line with your values, why wouldn’t you give it a shot?

Liberty Jobs Resources

One of the many strengths of our movement is that we believe in free markets, and I think we ought to do a better job making freedom jobs more available and visible to everyone, today more than ever. This way, we can get paid to pursue and advance the great cause of liberty.

For me, it took six months to land a Director level job helping protect our constitutional rights. It was a lengthy process that I wouldn’t wish on anyone—especially potential allies in liberty. The world has changed quite a bit since 2017—but hopefully you don’t have to go through the process of finding meaningful work alone. Now, it would be quite irrelevant for me to post jobs or websites here since opportunities come and go. So, I built a practical guide and resource list that can take you from a liberty volunteer to a working professional. To me this is more than a book, libertarians are building a movement in New Hampshire. We have a community full of people who care about liberty and helping each other succeed, so let’s shape the future together.