Category: reposted awesome writing from someone else

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reposted awesome writing from someone else

Job advice from others

Really good post and link resources on careers in international/humanitarian development: http://www.internationalpeaceandconflict.org/profiles/blogs/guide-to-careers-in

(copied completely incase of broken links)

Guide to Careers in International Affairs (Including Review of Top Job Sites)

Finding the right job in conflict resolution, international development and related fields requires a combination of the right experience and training, an understanding of the field, developing strong connections and a bit of serendipity. In addition to academic and/or professional training, it is essential to have an understanding of how conflict resolution works in practice. Many people working in conflict related jobs, will not find employment with “conflict resolution organizations” but with organizations in others sectors (international development, education, environment, business) working on conflict related jobs. Thus it is also important in the job search to broaden your scope to include international development organizations, government and intergovernmental institutions, for-profit and business institutions, educational institutions, and more.

One of the things that I encourage my students to consider is developing strong skills in conflict resolution processes and theory, but also develop an expertise in a another sector and/or regional area. For more information on careers in the field, see a report I co-authored, Skills, Networks and Knowledge: Careers in International Peace and Conflict Resolution. offers guide to careers in the field based on interviews with over 60 organizations and practitioners. The document also offers 10 pages of resources for finding jobs, internships, scholarships and more. You can download the report for Download Webreport.pdf or at the ACT website. Another great resource is a Career Guide from Sustainability on Corporate Social Responsibility. Idealist has also developed an excellent guide to Nonprofit Careers and a separate Careers Resources Section . Dr. John Paul Lederach and Kate Mansfield from the Kroc Institute have also developed a wonderful visual representation of possible careers in the field.

Here are some additional career development suggestions

1) Develop a Strong Resume – Make sure you have a strong, clear and compelling resume and cover letter. See the Download TipsforWritingEffectiveResumes.pdf . Many university career centers also offer guidance on resumes.

2) Conduct Informational Interviews – Most people are more than happy to talk about their job and conducting informational interviews can be an excellent way to learn more about an organization and what a career is like in a particular area. Informational interviews are a chance for you to ask general questions of someone already in the field. However, it is very important in informational interviews not to ask for a job or put pressure on the person you’re speaking with to help you find a job.

3) Subscribe to Key Web and Job Lists – There are countless numbers of websites that provide resources on jobs and internships in the field (and in related fields). You should get on all or some of these sites as you will get daily or weekly updates of opportunities around the world (note some charge a fee, whiles others are free or provide partial postings for free).
Some of the best sites for jobs directly in conflict resolution, development, social entrepreneurship, etc. include (some of these sites have been suggested by the Skoll Foundation’s www.socialedge.org site on social entrepreneurship which is a wonderful resource):

Other Job Sites/Resources that may have relevant jobs:

3) Use your contacts/networks – One of the key strategies for finding a job/internship is to consult your personal and professional networks. Let your professors, colleagues and friends know that you’re seeking an opportunity and perhaps they will have suggestions/contacts. University career centers and alumni can also be terrific resources.

4)Join New Networks– Joining a professional network in the field can also be a useful way to make contacts and learn about opportunities. Some relevant networks include:
Society for International Development or Society for International Development DC Chapter
Association for Conflict Resolution
Women in International Security
Peace and Justice Studies Association

5) Examine Ethical Practice – When you are researching an organization it is important to make sure that the organization’s ethics and practice fit with your values. If you’re offered a job (hopefully before this happens) learn about what the organization does, how do they treat their staff, how do they work in they field and with partners, etc.

6) Considering Taking a Job to Get Experience – Although many people would like to obtain their ideal job right away, sometimes it may be worth considering taking a job that will help you develop the necessary skills, contacts and experience that in the future can help lead to more of an ideal job.

7) Explore Fellowship Opportunities – There are many excellent fellowships/scholarships that do provide funding for independent research/volunteer work/study. Thus, fellowships can be an excellent way to get experience in the field. You can find many fellowships/scholarships on this site by searching by various keywords.

8 ) Explore Organizations that Have Developed Mentoring Programs for New Employees – A number of organizations have developed special entry level positions in which new employees receive extra mentoring. Look for organizations that have Junior Program Officer Positions (some in the UN), Entry Level Fellowships (Catholic Relief Services in the US) and others.

9) Develop an Expertise in a Needed Area – There are number of current areas in which the field is in need of developing further expertise. Developing your skills in this area can make you more attractive to potential employers. Some areas include: Program Evaluation and Monitoring, Conflict Mainstreaming and Conflict Sensitivity (Integrating Conflict Across Sectors), Organizational Conflict Management. Talk with your colleagues and other professionals in the field to see what might be potential growth areas.

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reposted awesome writing from someone else

I was reading this article, which I found really interesting, the other day…

So here were my top three values that just flew into my head in under 3 minutes:

Working with nature rather than against nature.
Always stand by my principles, rich or poor, hard or easy
Respect for life, humans, animals, and the environment.
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reposted awesome writing from someone else

The Disadvantages of an Elite Education

One of the few articles that I have read that really made me think and rethink and rethink. I think there’s a lot of truth in this article, please see for yourself! Along with David Orr’s “What is education for” this is quickly become my second education-guiding read.

The Disadvantages of an Elite Education

By William Deresiewicz

It didn’t dawn on me that there might be a few holes in my education until I was about 35. I’d just bought a house, the pipes needed fixing, and the plumber was standing in my kitchen. There he was, a short, beefy guy with a goatee and a Red Sox cap and a thick Boston accent, and I suddenly learned that I didn’t have the slightest idea what to say to someone like him. So alien was his experience to me, so unguessable his values, so mysterious his very language, that I couldn’t succeed in engaging him in a few minutes of small talk before he got down to work. Fourteen years of higher education and a handful of Ivy League degrees, and there I was, stiff and stupid, struck dumb by my own dumbness. “Ivy retardation,” a friend of mine calls this. I could carry on conversations with people from other countries, in other languages, but I couldn’t talk to the man who was standing in my own house.

For the rest, please go to http://www.theamericanscholar.org/the-disadvantages-of-an-elite-education/

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reposted awesome writing from someone else

Four Harsh Truths about Climate Change – Gwynne Dyer

to see full article: http://www.gwynnedyer.com/articles/Gwynne%20Dyer%20article_%20%20Four%20Harsh%20Truths.txt

…..

Food is the key issue, and world food supply is already very tight: we have
eaten up about two-thirds of the world grain reserve in the past five
years, leaving only 50 days’ worth in store. Even a one degree C (1.8
degrees F) rise in average global temperature will take a major bite out of
food production in almost all the countries that are closer to the equator
than to the poles, and that includes almost all of the planet’s
bread-baskets.

So the international grain market will wither for lack of supplies.
Countries that can no longer feed their people will not be able to buy
their way out of trouble by importing grain from elsewhere, even if they
have the money. Starving refugees will flood across borders, whole nations
will collapse into anarchy — and some countries may make a grab for their
neighbours’ land or water.

These are scenarios that the Pentagon and other military
planning staffs are examining now. They could start to come true as little
as fifteen or twenty years down the road. If this kind of breakdown becomes
widespread, there will be little chance of making or keeping global
agreements to curb greenhouse gas emissions and avoid further warming.

….

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reposted awesome writing from someone else

Michael Pollan’s Open Letter to Mr. President

Very interesting essay. I wonder if Mr. Next President will take it into consideration? By the way, Michael Pollan’s TED talk is also pretty fascinating.

The Food Issue of the New York Times: An Open Letter to the Next Farmer in Chief

Dear Mr. President-Elect,

It may surprise you to learn that among the issues that will occupy much of your time in the coming years is one you barely mentioned during the campaign: food. Food policy is not something American presidents have had to give much thought to, at least since the Nixon administration — the last time high food prices presented a serious political peril. Since then, federal policies to promote maximum production of the commodity crops (corn, soybeans, wheat and rice) from which most of our supermarket foods are derived have succeeded impressively in keeping prices low and food more or less off the national political agenda. But with a suddenness that has taken us all by surprise, the era of cheap and abundant food appears to be drawing to a close. What this means is that you, like so many other leaders through history, will find yourself confronting the fact — so easy to overlook these past few years — that the health of a nation’s food system is a critical issue of national security. Food is about to demand your attention.

(see the rest here)

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