Join the new world

If you've been reading the DoE articles so far, you've learned the ins and outs of a slew of game mechanics. Today, I'll be covering the social aspect, the very essence of ladder climbing and ceiling breaking most people dream of. There are many paths of the eRepublik citizen, and those paths are innate to the three branches of the eUSA government. Those of course, are Executive, Legislative, and


MILITARY (thought I was going to say Judicial, did you?)

There's also the life of party politics to dabble in. Over the course of this article (which is non-linear, feel free to skip sections you're not interested in), I'll go over these paths with guidelines on how to go from the bottom to the top. Remember these are just guidelines, not rules. When it comes down to action, do what you feel - it's your game.

General Good Ideas

#1) Join the National Forums
The national forums are where all business happens. It's where our Congress is. It's where our courts are. It's where our Oval Office is. It's where every helper, entrepreneur, genius, lurker, and troll in our nation goes to congregate. If you've ever had something you wanted to talk about in this game (and some things outside of the game), anything, you'll find a discussion for it on the forums. Sign up today!

#2) Join the National IRC
Join our national IRC room at #usa-chat on Rizon (irc.rizon.net). Most organizations will ask or require you to get on IRC (parties, congress, military units), so you might as well join this giant national room with all types of crazy people for some good random conversation. In fact, you can join directly from the aforementioned forums from this thread.


Come on bro! We're waiting!

#3) Build Bridges, Don't Burn Them
eRepublik gives you option to be a helpful, productive, diplomatic person or to be an absolute inscrutable douche. Don't be angry about everything and don't attack new players. That's not to say you shouldn't have fun: be talkative, be constructive, be open to criticism and keep things light, and you'll generally move up faster wherever you go.

#4) Recognize Your Position
If you're looking for a military promotion, be respectful to your superiors. If you're running for a publically elected position, write an intelligent platform. If you're running for re-election, rehash your ideas and point out accomplishments. Know where you stand and where you want to be, and adjust your poise to get there.

#5) Analyze Your Time
As you progress to higher levels of responsibility, the amount of time required increases. Be prepared to meet those expectations if you wish to succeed. Don't run for a position that's too consuming for your real life schedule.

Executive Branch

I recommend this to any presidential hopeful.

The executive branch is a glamourous life generally free of terrifying elections. Aside from the Presidency itself, most positions in the Executive are appointed. Department heads, agency directors, ambassadors, you could be them all.

- Be available for talks, post a lot on the forum and release articles related to your target field.
Get name recognition! You can't be appointed if they don't know who you are. Being a party name or an existing congressman can help this, but often enough just being talkative will get your name out there.

- Apply for your target field.
Use the Gov't Job Interest form to sign up for what you want to do. You might not always get what you want, but you might get an opportunity to show you're ready for what you want. Initiative is half the battle!

- Be good at your job.
Whatever you're doing, do it well. You'll have a superior, ask questions if you need to. See if the eWiki has any information helpful to you. If you're particularly studious, look up your predecessors and see if they wrote anything about their job. Dedicate time and effort, and people will see you're an up and comer.

- Move up.
When you have the qualifications, move up. Some presidential candidates have a Cabinet interest form like the government one above. Jump on that if you want to start invading the Cabinets. Much like real life, one cannot simply walk into the Oval Office, you need plenty of positions under your belt to be considered a contender, but that doesn't mean you should just be looking to expand your resume. If you only sign up for jobs to get resume lines, you will be devoured whole by your bosses.

Legislative Branch

All the fun of this without the white hair.

The legislative branch consists of a very simple group of elected officials, the Congressmen and Congresswomen. On top of them all is the Speaker of the House, who gets elected by the citizens and then by the Congresspeople themselves. That's right, two elections.

- Learn the job.
The Capitol subforum on our national forums houses Congress, it's proceedings, and it's archives. Watch the pros, learn how to write bills, check out the subject matter that Congress has to deal with. Often, it's economics, so if you're good at that, this is definitely your field. We also have a practice Congress you can sign up for, Model Congress, to learn procedures and debate first hand.

- Get someone to run you.
To run for Congress, you need to have a top 5 party list you as a candidate. If you're already a prominent party member, this will be no problem. Military ties can also help you get run occassionally. Other than that, personal friendships or just being persuasive can get you on the ballot. Get a newspaper, write a good platform, and campaign until you win. Smaller states are easier to win, especially if you compensate mobile voters' for their moving tickets.

- Be good at your job.
#1 about Congress, don't do any kind of joke or XP proposal that can backfire. Especially president impeachments. #2, download Publius' script from the forums and use it. #3, talk, innovate, debate. Show a pulse and show enthusiasm, and people will appreciate it.

Military

Only a fool wouldn't want to be one of these guys.

Military careers are odd because of the amount of adaptation you go through from bottom to top. High-ranking military officials are often berated for being boring or serious, but a military career is often the most colorful: most people start as learners, become organizers, then leaders, then strategists, then politicians. By the end of it all, some generals are more versed in politics than the people who fund them, with a devastating attack power to boot.

- Pass training.
Most military units have a training program, including our national military in the form of the Training Corps. Think of this like boot camp, and you want to be the fastest soldier through the obstacle course. Quickly pick up anything they throw at you and don't procrastinate, and you'll be out of there in no time. Don't forget to train everyday.

- Play the role and be proactive.
Most units will socially operate like a real military unit, meaning you show respect to those above you at all times. Or they'll kick your ass. Often enough in your journey, there will be a time when someone needs you for something. A mobile vote for a general running in congress, a mass messager, a deployment to far away lands in the 11th hour. Be helpful and available and a promotion will be in your grasp.

- Show leadership qualities.
People expect you to be a leader in the military eventually, either on a personal level or a strategic level. If you want to lead your own regiment, you have to show them that you have the social and organizational skills to get it done. Be meek or slack off and you will surely be stuck in a non-leadership position.

Party Politics

Communicating is important to parties.

"The best way to move up in party politics is to help out as much as possible, but always be looking for the next job. If are smart and capable, you will be trusted with both more responsibility and more access quickly. Often, how well your personality blends with those in high party positions will either boost or hinder your chances of accession as well. Be smart, make connections with people from all parties, stay loyal enough to your party to burn very few bridges, but stay independent enough that you are able to peacefully work with leaders of other parties. And make sure you get on IRC, or else you'll probably never move up as high as you want to. Party bonding, planning, and negotiation all happen mostly on IRC. It is a must for anyone with high ambitions." - Anonymous contributor

- Be personable, make friends.
Think of your party like a country, and your country like an alliance. It has it's own community, funds, and reputation. You want to make friends, post on the forums, talk in IRC and get your name known. If it comes under attack, you want to defend it. If it has success, you want to tell other people about it. When it all comes down to security though, remember that you're doing the greater good as a party by helping your country instead of yourself.

- Get involved.
Parties have a lot of positions to fill. They need congressional blockers, mobile voters for their candidates, mass messaging operations, and many more. The best way to garner attention from your party is by volunteering for work. You should always use your party's IRC as well, as parties are arguably the biggest social IRC users around.

Special thanks to Fionia for helping me with this section.





Remember these are just good ideas to follow. I encourage everyone to beat their own path eventually. Do two career paths at once if you want. Do them all, if you have the time. Just have fun doing what you like with people whose company you enjoy. 😃

Have questions? You can ask us anything here and get answers! Coming soon: FAQ + Tip of the Day 🙂

Join the eUSA forums. Help sections, general discussion, congressional hearings, all the action happens here.
Join a military outfit or a militia. Free food, tickets, and company in exchange for loyal service to your country.
Join #tc on the Rizon server in IRC. You can join directly here, or learn how to set up an IRC client from our article here.

- New Citizen Assistance Form, free food and mentoring from the Department of Interior
- Message the Department of Education, give new ideas or feedback on planned topics
- Department of Defense Orders, guidance for civilians looking to contribute in a battle
- White House Press Releases, news, information, and links directly from the President's staff
- Presidential Newspaper, the current President of the United States' newspaper

Find and read other articles from the Department of Education:
       

Until next time,
Blank Keating