Career questions and answers for development students

CANBERRA — With the development and humanitarian sectors continually evolving, students seeking a career in the sector need to be better prepared to make use of the opportunities available. In association with the Master of Development Studies program at the University of Melbourne, the Humanitarian Advisory Group is seeking to do just that. The students in the course come from diverse backgrounds, in Australia and internationally, with equally diverse goals and expectations for a career following the completion of their degree. But generally, they are new to the sector. By co-facilitating industry engagement events — including a professional practice seminar series, workshops, and other career events — the Humanitarian Advisory Group is enabling these students to engage with and learn from development practitioners who can provide, guidance, support, and a real understanding of workforce demands in the sector. Devex spoke with Pip Henty, a researcher with the Humanitarian Advisory Group, who discussed the key questions development students ask at their events and shared her advice. 1. Is unpaid work really the best way to enter the development and humanitarian sector? Henty explained to Devex that a common cause of concern is the necessity of interning and volunteering as a step toward entering into the sector. “There is hesitance regarding unpaid work, understandably,” Henty said. “When your career is often founded on the unpaid work you do at the start of it, it also narrows down the pool of candidates that can do that. Whether that is due to family life or a financial situation — it can be a strain for some people.” But Henty said students needed to be aware that volunteering and interning — unpaid work — is a reality of the sector. “Most graduates will have to undertake some form of unpaid work to build their experience,” she said. The key was understanding what you wanted to get out of an internship. “If you are going to go to a bigger NGO, you may not get all the skillsets that are helpful,” Henty said. “You may be doing basic jobs or something you are not interested in. If you are with a smaller organization, you may get access to people who you can have more one-on-one conversations, as well as access to professional development and training courses. A smaller organization may be able to provide you with better skills.” In addition to the challenge of needing volunteer experience, Henty said opportunities themselves can be limited. “It is tricky,” she said. But in understanding the importance of unpaid work experience, students can better prepare themselves to meet sector needs and expectations. 2. What career path should I expect? The key for development students to understand, Henty said, is that the first job in the sector will not be their last. The first position is about getting a foot in the door, gaining experience, and taking the next step — whether this is within the same organization or a new opportunity. Career paths will diverge, but jobseekers should continually seek to expand and grow skillsets. “Having the basic communications skills, ability to write really well, are skills organizations will always need and will require.” --— Pip Henty, researcher, Humanitarian Advisory Group 3. What are the key skills required to get my foot in the door of an organization? Master's degrees aim to provide much of the skillsets that are in demand. “The skills you get out of the course include critical analysis, communication, policy writing, and monitoring and evaluation,” Henty said. “This is applicable in many different sectors.” While some students may aim to specialize, they will not always be able to enter immediately into that field. “A lot of people have the idea that they want to specialize in gender or protection,” Henty said. “It’s not about lowering expectations but being realistic about what you need to get into the field. For example, you may want to specialize in gender, but don’t have that experience. So what do you need to do to get your foot in the door? Having the basic communications skills, ability to write really well, are skills organizations will always need and will require.” “Interactions with people are important,” she added. 4. Does localization mean putting myself out of a job? New ways of providing development and humanitarian assistance, including a requirement for localized responses, raises concerns for career prospects. “The sector is changing rapidly and these are challenges graduates face entering the sector,” Henty said. “The concept of localization is a new challenge. It promotes and supports locally led responses and development. However, will that put you out of a job in the long run?” While there are no clear answers, Henty emphasized the importance of students to be aware of the changing workforce and to be ready to fill the gaps that will exist. 5. What is the workforce I need to be planning for? As the workforce is changing, what should students entering a degree today prepare for? Henty said it was important to ensure skillsets they held are relevant for the future. “Not now or five years ago,” she said. The challenge for students is that, in 10 years, NGOs may change substantially. “This is where a lot of development graduates today are ending up,” Henty said. So students entering in the future need to think differently — and expand their scope of opportunities to areas such as private sector companies, which could be leaders in development program in the future. “The future of development won’t just be NGOs.” The key, Henty said, was to think about which skills are transferable between the different stakeholders in development. 6. What opportunities are there if I don’t want to move to a different city or country? Henty explained that within the master’s degree, there is a mixture of international and local students with some happy to uproot their lives, and others less keen. A big question for the less-keen group is what options there are if you don’t want to go overseas. “Some move into local community work, work with diaspora groups or even refugee groups,” Henty said. But she said career opportunities existed beyond community-based work. Photography, government and policy work, consulting, research, and journalism are among the career paths past alumni have taken. And with private sector organizations including Deloitte having huge research arms with development needs, there are plenty of ways students can leverage their skills to support developing communities outside the traditional paths. “Build up your network to continually connect with people. You never know when those connections will come in handy.” --— Pip Henty, researcher, Humanitarian Advisory Group 7. What is the best advice for progressing my career? Aside from building a volunteer portfolio, building up networks to continually connect with people is key. Industry engagement opportunities allow students to engage with past students or leaders from organizations, including the International Planned Parenthood Foundation, RedR, Plan International, and Red Cross. Henty urged students to connect with alumni who have gone on to careers in development or organization leaders, and build connections within various development and humanitarian organizations. But networking should be a continual aspect of their career, Henty said. “Build up your network to continually connect with people,” she said. “You never know when those connections will come in handy.” Looking to make a career move? Visit our career center for expert advice on how to navigate your job search — all you need is a Devex Career Account to get started.