In this series, we’re asking you to tell your life story through eight songs. Starting with your earliest memories, guest columnists will name their defining songs along with a couple of sentences explaining their meaning.
DJ Alex Klosterman
Waukesha County, WI
Connect: LinkedIn
My path to local government began during my undergraduate years at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
I chose to study in Milwaukee to live in an urban area while staying somewhat reasonably close to my family. The city of Milwaukee was on the cusp of its “renaissance” of reinventing itself into an exciting hub of revitalization.
I initially started out as a Music Composition major, but after a semester of art school frustrations, I switched to becoming an English teacher.
During this time, I learned the difficulties of an urban education system, as well as the various socio-economic factors that all compel the urban environment into a cycle of incremental changes and seemingly undefeatable issues. My frustrations with working in this system led me to change my studies once more to political science with an emphasis on law. (I initially was planning on being a lawyer.)
As I approached closer to graduating (I did actually graduate I promise), I learned that unless I ran for office, a law degree would not initially assist me much with improving the lives of people. Then, I heard about graduate school.
I enrolled in the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee graduate school for a Master’s in Public Administration. Now, I found I could actually get my hands dirty in some real change.
I spent my time focusing on government finance, community development, and policy analysis. I learned the complexity of working within a public sector system, as well as how great the Milwaukee metropolitan area is and it’s potential for greatness in the future.
I eventually was hired as a budget intern at a neighboring county to Milwaukee called Waukesha County. There, I got my feet wet in learning how to navigate and strategize within a bureaucracy to achieve my goals. Also, that the current fiscal situation for government is a tough one (but getter better!).
I graduated with my MPA in December 2016, and now I am on the job hunt looking to build my career towards eventually becoming a City Manager. Here’s to the future!
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