Despite the seeming demotion, Ugandan industrial engineer Juliet Nankinga left a local supervisory post in 2008 to work as a mechanic for the World Food Program.
The career move was strategic in many ways for the 29-year-old.
Apart from gaining field experience and exposure in an international organization, Nankinga earns almost double for getting down and dirty in overalls than for calling the shots as a field supervisor. The pay hike: from $4,000 a year as an operations engineer to $7,000 as a mechanic.