Careers for Social Justice

Calling all students looking to work in social justice!! Last week, CSC’s intern, Geneva, put on a stunningly successful workshop called, “Careers for Social Justice”. With five knowledgeable panelists who work in all different parts of the social justice world, attendees of the workshop were able to walk away with a wealth of knowledge about many aspects of the social justice/ non-profit work field.

I’ll try to summarize, so that those of you who weren’t able to make it can benefit as well!

1. Networking- This is SO important, BUT it’s not as scary as it sounds! Basically, networking is a fancy word for talking to people. It’s making connections with people, talking to friends of friends, finding out what people do, and asking around. It’s asking people, “who would I talk to for…”? Which brings me to my next point….
2. Informational interviews- One fantastic way to put yourself on the radar AND to learn about a potential career path, is to set up an informational interview with someone. People like being asked about themselves, and feeling like an expert. Ask things like, “what do you do?” You want to understand what the day to day of a job entails before you pursue it… (Hopefully sometime soon, we’ll be able to give you more details about how exactly to conduct these interviews, including a video example.)
3. Breaking into the biz- The panelists stressed that it is important to understand that most everyone starts at the bottom and works their way up. A great way to get your foot in the door is to volunteer at the type of place you could see yourself working for. Be helpful, work hard, and treat it like any professional job you might have. Many volunteers get hired after they put in their time, and the more valuable of an asset you become, the more likely your volunteer time could turn into a paid position. Another suggestion made was to keep your eyes open to any and all opportunities. Put yourself on tons of mailing lists, and filter what comes through. You never know where your break is going to come from, so make yourself available!
4. Money, money, money- Many people shy away from the non-profit sector because it has a reputation of being a low paying field. The truth? Panelists claim that they have little problem making the money work, and that the benefits are usually great (healthcare, etc.). Also, the more experience you have (practical and educational), the more specific your work can be, and the more you will be paid. Most of the panelists recognized that although the money isn’t as high as it would be in other fields, the importance of having a vocation, a calling, rather than just a job, was just as important, if not more, than making the big bucks. Another thing to keep in mind that working for social justice does not necessarily equal working in a non-profit. Salaries are generally going to be higher in for profit businesses. (Pick up a handout at CSC on career options you might have thought of that work towards social justice. For example: lawyer, policy maker, teacher, etc.)

Finally, as satisfying as this kind of work can be, it is hard! All of the panelist agreed on how important it is to balance out your life with activities that you enjoy, to offset the potential stress, as well as to have a strong support system! 

Stay tuned for a video recap... tomorrow!

Go out and do good!
-Allison