Participating in one of the 10 political clubs on campus can help a student find more than a political niche, it may lead to a job.

Whether an individual wants a career in politics or not, joining a student organization could help him or her stand out from the crowd when looking for that dream job in the future.

“I think joining a student organization, political or not, just says ‘I’m a person who is a participant in life,'” said Steven Kravinsky, director of Career Services within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. “That, in and of itself, tells an employer that that’s the kind of person you are and that’s the kind of person they want to hire.”

Students can also gain skills from joining these clubs, which Kravinsky called “soft skills.” This includes building leadership skills, communication skills, interpersonal skills, attention to detail and time management.

For students who align themselves with a certain political party, there are three clubs to join on campus that allow for discussion and localized involvement in elections or campaigns.

The ISU Democrats is a group promoting the ideas and values of the Democratic Party, providing students the opportunity to get involved in the political process through collaboration with campaigns.

The group also coordinates with speakers and elected officials who host talks or workshops for students. Recently, the ISU Democrats worked with the ISU College Republicans to host John Avlon and his lecture, “Putting Labels Aside: Not Left, Not Right, Just Forward.”

On the other side of the political spectrum sits the ISU College Republicans.

“Basically we’re college Republicans,” said Logan Pals, president of the ISU College Republicans and senior in industrial engineering. “We will be representing Republican matters, we’ll be standing with Republicans and basically, we’re out there to let people know there are actually Republicans on university campuses.”

Similar to the ISU Democrats, the ISU College Republicans also focus on elections, work with Republican candidates and host speeches and workshops at the school.

This semester, ISU College Republicans will also host the conservative coming-out week. There will be a different event every day, from hearing politicians speak to a barbecue.

The ISU Libertarians is the last group advocating for a certain political party on campus, working to educate students on what exactly it means to be a Libertarian.

They also sponsor talks with people such as Gary Johnson, the former governor of New Mexico, and help promote Libertarian candidates on the ISU campus.

The group is also planning to participate in First Amendment Day activities by setting up a deficit clock to show how much the debt is increasing.

But being involved in a political group on campus doesn’t mean a student has to associate with a party. There are also several groups on campus that endorse a certain cause or issue that it feels is important.

The Vagina Warriors is a group that promotes women’s equality through involvement in such events like The Vagina Monologues, which in the past, has been its main event.

This semester the group is hoping to revamp and begin hosting and participating in more events such as No-Makeup Mondays, Ask a Feminist Booth and Take Back the Night in April. The group is also looking to publish a magazine soon that wants to redefine the standards of beauty.

UNICEF @ ISU is an organization whose goals are to advocate, educate and fundraise on behalf of UNICEF, which is a national organization headquartered in New York.

Each semester, the group decides on an issue to focus on, and this year that focus has been water sanitation. So far, its members have raised money for the wash fund and sponsored an awareness event.

Students involved in the club may also get an important opportunity to participate in a leadership conference at the headquarters in New York, which is scheduled for next October.

MEDLIFE ISU is a newer organization on campus that is a part of a national organization that started five years ago.

“We want to get the message across that there are people in need in the world,” said Eduardo Maldonado, president of MEDLIFE and junior in biochemistry. “We essentially want to slap people in the face with a cold, hard dose of reality.”

This is a group for everyone to join, but is especially appealing to students looking at medical school after Iowa State because MEDLIFE examines how medicine is used globally, particularly in South America.

Another fairly new organization on campus is Students for Concealed Carry on Campus.

The group’s primary function is “to raise awareness and advocate for people who are licensed by the state of Iowa to be allowed to carry concealed weapons on campus for their protection,” according to its  constitution.

For students who want to be more environmentally active, ActivUS encourages both the administration and students to become more sustainable through two grassroots campaigns per year.

This year, those campaigns include Beyond Coal, advocating the phasing out of burning coal at the campus coal plant, and Beyond Plastic, promoting the reduction of plastic consumption on campus.

ISU Students for Life is an issue advocacy organization on campus promoting “the sanctity of human life,” according to its constitution found online.

The group provides the information regarding such issues as abortion to students so they can become more educated and make a decision on his or her own.

“It has helped in finding a purpose in my life,” said Rachel Peller, president of ISU Students for Life and junior in women’s studies. “It gives more value to what I’m doing here rather than just going to class, because you are actively trying to make peoples’ lives better.”

The One Campaign aims to fight extreme poverty and preventable diseases, predominantly in developing countries through political advocacy, fundraising and awareness.

The group has raised both awareness and funds for the national organization through events such as a benefit concerts.

“If students are going to be good global citizens, they have to know about these issues, whatever their political background or whatever their belief system is, they need to know about the various issues that impact them,” said Shelley Taylor, the faculty adviser for The One Campaign and program coordinator of the global agriculture program. “Joining a club is a great way to do that.”