# Anybody here working in an NGO?



## kitsu (Feb 13, 2013)

Hello

I'm currently trying to make some big decisions, like what I want to do with my life, what masters degree to chose and all that fun stuff. I'm really interested in the work most NGO's do, in any shape or form, but I don't really know what kind would suit me specifically, and I guess I have little knowledge of the reality of working for one. I think first hand knowledge would really help me situate it a bit better, so if you're currently working with/in an NGO or have in the past I have a few questions:

What sort of NGO is it?

What is your position/role in it? What are the inherent skills you need to do your job?

What were your college degrees (if any)/what career path did you follow to end up there?

And kinda just anything you think would be interesting or useful to someone trying to get into that field.

Thanks!


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## Entropic (Jun 15, 2012)

I have an education that makes it possible for me to work in NGOs though I realized halfway through my education that this wasn't quite what I wanted. My masters is in global studies. The problem with working in NGOs is that unless you managed to land an internship, you may have to work your way up from a very basal level where you try to recruit people on the street to support your NGO and even if you start from there, the ability to really move upward within the org can be extremely difficult even if you do have an education that makes it possible for you to work with other things. 

Concerning college and similar degrees, most kinds of social sciences work, though it depends a little on what kind of NGO you are aiming for and what kind of activism you are interested in. If you are into sustainability I'd look into human ecology, otherwise gender/feminist studies and human rights, possibly international relations, are the way to go. You can also get away with a degree in anthropology. It depends on the NGO and what kind of work they are doing. Some NGOs for example rely quite heavily on anthropological studies in order to assess the social situation they are trying to improve. 

Another thing to understand about NGOs is that they do not necessarily give you money. A lot of people who work for NGOs do so on a volunteering basis because they entirely rely on external funding in order to work, which means that even people who are somewhat full-time employed may not have a base or definite salary each month. 

If you are looking for a stable career path, I would not work for NGOs. 

I would recommend to first narrow down what kind of rights you are interested in e.g. sustainability, human rights, gender equality, and then look up NGOs that work with these particular issues and contact them and ask them to explain how they work and what kind of credentials and previous experience they are looking for. Some of them have tasks that require little to no past experience or any particular experience such as administration. 

NGOs aren't always the same either. Some work more structurally and have government and other forms of agreements, and others are more like say, WWF or Save the Children that rely much more on public recruitment and opinion. I'd in particular avoid these. Chances are that you are not going to be able to climb in these companies and they will not provide food on the table, as they make a lot of their new recruits work on a volunteering basis.


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## kitsu (Feb 13, 2013)

Entropic said:


> I have an education that makes it possible for me to work in NGOs though I realized halfway through my education that this wasn't quite what I wanted. My masters is in global studies. The problem with working in NGOs is that unless you managed to land an internship, you may have to work your way up from a very basal level where you try to recruit people on the street to support your NGO and even if you start from there, the ability to really move upward within the org can be extremely difficult even if you do have an education that makes it possible for you to work with other things.


Well I'm lucky enough to have some pretty decent contacts in various fields through my parents. I think I'd be ok with working my way up slowly anyways, boring doesn't bother me if I know it's leading somewhere more rewarding, and I function better if I'm able to observe how things work for a while before I'm given any real responsibility.
What was global studies like?



> Concerning college and similar degrees, most kinds of social sciences work, though it depends a little on what kind of NGO you are aiming for and what kind of activism you are interested in. If you are into sustainability I'd look into human ecology, otherwise gender/feminist studies and human rights, possibly international relations, are the way to go. You can also get away with a degree in anthropology. It depends on the NGO and what kind of work they are doing. Some NGOs for example rely quite heavily on anthropological studies in order to assess the social situation they are trying to improve.
> 
> Another thing to understand about NGOs is that they do not necessarily give you money. A lot of people who work for NGOs do so on a volunteering basis because they entirely rely on external funding in order to work, which means that even people who are somewhat full-time employed may not have a base or definite salary each month.
> 
> If you are looking for a stable career path, I would not work for NGOs.


Haha don't worry about me, I'm so paranoid I've got plans B through Z to fall back on. More seriously though, I feel like being poor's the price to pay for anything remotely fulfilling or interesting these days unless you're some kind of genius or you have a really lucky star. I'm cool with it, I don't really need much more than a roof and food on my plate. If it's really bad I can always waitress on the side, it put me through college so what's a few more years right.




> I would recommend to first narrow down what kind of rights you are interested in e.g. sustainability, human rights, gender equality, and then look up NGOs that work with these particular issues and contact them and ask them to explain how they work and what kind of credentials and previous experience they are looking for. Some of them have tasks that require little to no past experience or any particular experience such as administration.
> 
> NGOs aren't always the same either. Some work more structurally and have government and other forms of agreements, and others are more like say, WWF or Save the Children that rely much more on public recruitment and opinion. I'd in particular avoid these. Chances are that you are not going to be able to climb in these companies and they will not provide food on the table, as they make a lot of their new recruits work on a volunteering basis.


Yeah, the masters degree I'm mainly considering is human geography with a focus on human-ecosystem interaction so sustainability is the direction I'm generally aiming for. I mean originally I went into my anthropology undergrad with these exotic dreams of indigenous conservation or third world development but the more I think about it the more it all seems... I don't know, paternalistic or patronizing? That whole "I, privileged white person, am here to help you help yourself, you poor struggling innocents". I'd just feel like I'm intruding on something I don't fully understand and where it's not really my place to be. And so many of these projects start up with people thinking they know what's best, not really giving the people concerned a voice and ultimately having more of an alienating effect than anything else even if it's done with good intentions. Perhaps I'm prejudiced about it but eh. So sustainability is probably a safer bet for me but I'm open to other stuff, I'm kind of interested in everything indiscriminately which is great and also not so great. 


Mostly here I'm just curious to hear the paths people took even if it's not specifically the division I want to go into. If they started in an internship, or knew someone who linked them up, what different positions they went through, how often they changed jobs, projects they worked on... Just to get an anecdotal idea of how the field works, if it's really as unstable as people say once you're actually in it. I dunno, I'm probably wrong to imagine it as some sort of circuit that you just get on and hop around.


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## Entropic (Jun 15, 2012)

kitsu said:


> Well I'm lucky enough to have some pretty decent contacts in various fields through my parents. I think I'd be ok with working my way up slowly anyways, boring doesn't bother me if I know it's leading somewhere more rewarding, and I function better if I'm able to observe how things work for a while before I'm given any real responsibility.
> What was global studies like?


Yeah, that definitely helps. Global studies felt kind of unfocused, also. I originally had an anthropology degree and wanted a major, but there was no specific major in anthro that was being offered, so I had to take global studies instead. It was a lot of here and there. Various introductions to other fields outside of anthro, a lot of focus on the development of global powers and seeing how everything is interconnected and what is done locally affects the global too. Also macro-politics though not quite the same as international relations, but more about migration, transnationalism, etc. 


> Haha don't worry about me, I'm so paranoid I've got plans B through Z to fall back on. More seriously though, I feel like being poor's the price to pay for anything remotely fulfilling or interesting these days unless you're some kind of genius or you have a really lucky star. I'm cool with it, I don't really need much more than a roof and food on my plate. If it's really bad I can always waitress on the side, it put me through college so what's a few more years right.


These days? Unfortunately yes. I don't per se regret I studied what I did, I found it very meaningful as a learning experience. I only regret how it's so devalued and difficult to get a job with my kind of degree. 



> Yeah, the masters degree I'm mainly considering is human geography with a focus on human-ecosystem interaction so sustainability is the direction I'm generally aiming for. I mean originally I went into my anthropology undergrad with these exotic dreams of indigenous conservation or third world development but the more I think about it the more it all seems... I don't know, paternalistic or patronizing? That whole "I, privileged white person, am here to help you help yourself, you poor struggling innocents". I'd just feel like I'm intruding on something I don't fully understand and where it's not really my place to be. And so many of these projects start up with people thinking they know what's best, not really giving the people concerned a voice and ultimately having more of an alienating effect than anything else even if it's done with good intentions. Perhaps I'm prejudiced about it but eh. So sustainability is probably a safer bet for me but I'm open to other stuff, I'm kind of interested in everything indiscriminately which is great and also not so great.


Well, it doesn't have to be that way though. Sometimes they need someone who can speak up for and represent them and their desires and needs, someone who can help negotiate their terms. That's usually the role of the anthro when it comes to preserving the livelihood of indigenous peoples. An important aspect of social/cultural anthropology is to figure out and understand how _they_ see things and learning to understand something from another person's point of view. The kind of stuff you are referring to is a poor way to conduct anthropology imo, and few orgs work like that nowadays though many still do, obviously. But anthropology in itself is not meant to work that way. What is important is to ask yourself what you are trying to preserve - is it them or your view of them? It's only patronizing if you think you know better what they need and what they should than they do themselves and the way to solve that issue is simple - you ask them. 



> Mostly here I'm just curious to hear the paths people took even if it's not specifically the division I want to go into. If they started in an internship, or knew someone who linked them up, what different positions they went through, how often they changed jobs, projects they worked on... Just to get an anecdotal idea of how the field works, if it's really as unstable as people say once you're actually in it. I dunno, I'm probably wrong to imagine it as some sort of circuit that you just get on and hop around.


The problem, I think, is that different NGOs work very differently. Some are very stable, especially those tied to governmental funding, and those that are not are not, obviously.


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## angelfish (Feb 17, 2011)

I'm not sure that I work in the sort of organization you're thinking of, but I do work for an NGO. It sounds like you probably already know more than I do about the field in general, as I've only been in one NGO job. 

_What sort of NGO is it?_

I work at an organization that provides assistance in life skills and caregiving.

_What is your position/role in it? What are the inherent skills you need to do your job?_

I work one-on-one with several clients. The most important skills I have are attentiveness, patience, creativity, empathy, and problem-solving.

_What were your college degrees (if any)/what career path did you follow to end up there?_

I have a BA in Psychology. I volunteered twice in recreational therapy and did an internship at a school. A friend suggested that I apply for this job. I worked part-time with one client while I was finishing school, and took a full-time job for this summer. I have also worked a handful of other jobs that are not explicitly related. I am still working on figuring out my long-term direction.

_And kinda just anything you think would be interesting or useful to someone trying to get into that field._

I agree with Entropic's points about money and stability. There is also a strange mixture of structure and lack thereof - it seems to depend greatly on who is in charge of the department. It is not as consistent or structured as previous jobs I have had in business or with the government. My role is less delineated and depends on current need, rather than being a more permanent fixture. I agree that it probably varies greatly from organization to organization and I have done some volunteering with other orgs where the workbase is a huge percentage volunteer.

I don't think it's a bad idea to work for NGOs, but I don't know that I will stay with them personally. With this particular position, I am really not a "group" type person, and a lot of what goes on at our organization is very group-yay-focused, like internal team building or external trips. I am definitely not a recruiter-type person and I really don't like fundraising, and I am not personally very into work travel, which some organizations rely heavily upon.

I understand where you're coming from with the paternalistic POV. For a little while I was a student working with some environmental NGO groups, and I got a chance one night to speak in a small group with the director of an NGO who admitted to us that what she went into it with a very different expectation than what it turned out to be, and that she had struggled to get indigenous people in other countries on board with her cause, perhaps because she was coming into it with such an outside perspective. But at the same time, I think some of that is unavoidable, and like Entropic said if you go into it with the attitude that you have much to learn and you want to cooperate, then that's really very different.


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