Yup. I think he also worked some typical high school jobs but I have not read the book and Wiki doesn't cover it.
From en.wikipedia.org
College years
Following high school, Obama moved to Los Angeles in 1979, where he studied at Occidental College for two years.[49] On February 18, 1981, he made his first public speech, calling for Occidental's divestment from South Africa.[49] In the summer of 1981, Obama traveled to Jakarta to visit his mother and half-sister Maya, and visited the families of Occidental College friends in Hyderabad (India) and Karachi (Pakistan) for three weeks.[49]
He then transferred to Columbia University in New York City, where he majored in political science with a specialty in international relations[50][51] and in English literature.[52] Obama lived off campus in a modest rented apartment at 142 West 109th Street.[53][54] He graduated with a B.A. from Columbia in 1983, then worked at Business International Corporation and New York Public Interest Research Group.[55][56]
and from
en.wikipedia.org
Business International Corporation (BI) was a publishing and advisory firm dedicated to assisting American companies in operating abroad. It was founded in 1953. It organized conferences, and worked with major corporations. Former president Barack Obama worked there as a financial researcher after graduating from Columbia University. In 1986, Business International was acquired by the Economist Group in London, and it eventually merged with the Economist Intelligence Unit. Business International was linked to the Central Intelligence Agency.
and
In his book The Strawberry Statement, former student protester James Kunen reports a description of Business International by an unnamed Students for a Democratic Society conference attendee in 1968. The attendee, referred to by Kunen as 'the kid', claimed the company offered to finance SDS demonstrations in Chicago. Business International is described as 'the left wing of the ruling class' and as desiring a Gene McCarthy presidency.[1]
My guess is the connections made during that job decided to back his political career... |
