Is it hard to get a job in international development?

College Majors
1

<p>I’ve heard that because so many people are interested in international relations and related fields such as my preferred field of international development, that it’s really not a realistic job opportunity. Is that true? I’m interested in the field due to my interest in languages, other countries, and most of all helping people, but I’m worried that it’ll be oversaturated.</p>

2

<p>True, it’s difficult to get a job (or at least the most desirable jobs). OTOH, if you have real skills (not an IR major), you stand a chance. So, get real skills in agriculture, nursing, nutrition, public health, etc. All of these areas can have an international focus.</p>

3

<p>Zapfino provided good advice. My wife is a nurse and worked in Italy, a friend of her’s is going to Nepal to provide medical care to a small village stricken with a birth defect (large percentage of village is born with this defect because of their isolation/shared gene pool).</p>

<p>I have a buddy that is a teacher and was able to teach all over the world and thus far had a remarkable life.</p>

<p>However, my advice would be to join the military as an officer. That is really the most valuable experience you can get. Not only will it give you the opportunity to work abroad and be exposed to international issues, it will also provide you with a security clearance which is very, very important.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.goarmy.com/JobCatDetail.do?id=6[/url]”>http://www.goarmy.com/JobCatDetail.do?id=6&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Being an Intelligence Officer could open HUGE doors for you in international development. A Poli Sci/IR degree, combined with experience as a military Intelligence Officer (or working in civilian affairs or being a translator) would position you well for the State Department or United Nations.</p>

<p>If you really want to be in International Development…the State Department Foreign Service Officer is the job you want. It’s a tough job to get, and you need some solid credentials to make yourself stand out.</p>

<p><a href=“http://careers.state.gov/officer/index.html[/url]”>http://careers.state.gov/officer/index.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Majoring in Economics is another good option.</p>