Alan Haberer, 28, is a student at the Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC). He was the president and treasurer of the now-defunct BMCC Republican Club.

Haberer became interested in running for elected office through his affiliation with Local 157, the carpenter’s union. He said that a sense of patriotism also pushed him to think of running for office.

Haberer said that he was once a Democrat, but now considers himself a Republican and said he is in good company with Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R). Haberer said he would like to run for public office in the near future.

Tiffany Johnson, 24, wants to wait. She now works in public relations for Heart Share Community Services, a New York-based nonprofit agency that assists developmentally disabled adults and is involved in Community Board 1 and 10.

“I know 2017 is a long way away,” she said, “but I think with the experience I’m gathering now I will make a good candidate.”

Both were among the 23 students who gathered at BMCC on a frigidly cold night in early February to hear from former Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields (D).

Fields reflected on her decision to seek public office in 1989 in a race against incumbent City Council Member Kenneth Clark.

Fields said that when she approached her nearby Democratic political club, she was not met with open arms.

“They told me it was not my time,” Fields said. “But nobody else can tell you when you are ready. You have to be able to focus and make a decision that that moment is the right time for you.”

With that anecdote, she dug into the first of several pointers she had on “How to Run for Pubic Office in New York City,” a seminar developed by The League of Women Voters of the City of New York.

The 12-hour, six-session course teaches the basics of politicking and political law in New York City. It will be taught at community colleges across the five boroughs this year. Fields will teach each first class.

Her seminar, “What Makes a Candidate?” leads students through a series of questions designed to prepare one for a run. She advised students to look at their personal, financial, family and professional situations.

Fields also warned students to consider how the life change will impact them in the long and short run, a lesson she relearned last year in her aborted race for State Senate, which she called “grueling.”

Also teaching seminars: Jerome Koenig, a former chief of staff of the New York State Assembly Election Law Committee; Jay Townsend, president of the Townsend Group; Amy Loprest, executive director of the Campaign Finance Board; Doug Muzzio, professor of public policy at Baruch College; and Rick Jungers, director of community outreach and media at Manhattan Neighborhood Network.

League board members Laura Altschuler and Adrienne Kinelson will also assist in teaching.

During the course, students will be led from the beginning stages of a political run to the more complex ones. Early classes will deal with basics like legal requirements for getting on the ballot. Later classes will deal with conveying concise messages and images to voters and crafting election day strategies.

League of Women Voters executive director Alison Alpert said the group was inspired to give the course because of the volume of calls it receives from aspiring politicians and curious New Yorkers. The league did a massive recruitment for the class with hopes that those interested in a City Council, delegate or state run would attend. Although several students who attended were from BMCC, many came from around the city.

“We’re introducing people into what it takes to go from general interest to being able to get a run for office in place,” Alpert said.