Dear Editor:

Business experience should not be necessary to run for a position in the U.S. Congress. Some argue that having business experience enhances a candidate’s qualifications and may expand his or her breadth of knowledge especially as far as the country’s economic situation. However, I believe that involvement in the business sector does not indicate a candidate’s superior understanding of financial or economic problems, and can even result in a candidate’s bias towards certain legislations or industries. Moreover, while the business world may help provide a candidate with hard and soft skills such as leadership and decision-making, as well as accounting and balancing a budget, it is not the only place where one can learn such skills.

In addition, an issue that I see with this proposition is that “business experience” is not easy to clearly define. It would be difficult to set such a rule as a requirement for office if the guidelines are not explicit. However, would determining “business experience” mean that a candidate would have to have a business education? Or would it mean that he or she would have to have had experience working in a business, or perhaps founding a business? Or would the requirement go so far as saying that the candidate must have held a C-level position in a publicly traded firm? It would not only be difficult to set such guidelines, but to enforce them as well.

This issue of business experience has been especially relevant in this year’s presidential election. However, I believe that experience in business does not necessarily correlate with success in business, and even less with success in public office. What I believe to be more important than business experience in a candidate are values such as integrity and a true concern for constituents’ interests, many of whom are not businessmen and women themselves. If a candidate can effectively communicate and relate to the people that he or she represents, then this is a more valuable trait to possess when running for office. While business education and experience are important to a certain extent, they cannot by any means be the only factors that predict the potential success of a candidate in office. After all, many of our country’s previous leaders have lacked experience in some area, even in formal education, and have turned out to be superior representatives and decision makers.

Sincerely,

Gabriela Cinkova