Learn How You Can Pursue a Career in International Affairs or Security

Summary: Careers in security or international affairs provide opportunities for those with a wide range of talents and expertise to make a difference.

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Television shows and media may have turned your interest in career choices to something more international affairs/security-like. How do you even start getting into the industry, you may be wondering? We know a few ways to enhance your expertise in international affairs.

1. Monitor career websites and job board for internships and job postings. USA jobs.gov and CIA.gov are the best places to start. There are a number of other non-government websites for jobs in this field. Women in International Security is a good resource for women and they even have a newsletter you can subscribe to. Another great job website you should monitor for international affairs jobs is Hound.com. For those that are still in school, check your career center for information on campus visits from organizations that might be of interest to you.
2. Develop expertise in an area of interest by immersing yourself in the industry. Perhaps you are interested in women in Africa or Syrian chemical weapons; there are global think-tanks like fpri.org to help you learn about each topic. Follow policymakers, journalists, academics, offices, leaders, and institutions in the industry on Twitter to stay current with the latest news.
3. Don't assume that just because your expertise isn't in fighting bad guys that you can't pursue a job in the industry. International relations and national security rely on people of various specialties, so feel free to major in political science, economics, foreign languages, psychology, computer science, sociology, regional studies, and engineering.
4. Networking is just as valuable for this industry as well. Try to find a mentor to help you navigate through the career. If you can't find one, stick to attending events and taking initiative. See How to Network for more information.
5. Develop your own voice as to why you want to be in this career and what matters most to you about it. What problems are you most concerned with and want to help improve? Having expertise on the topic is beneficial, but you need to be able to fight for the topic as well. You can start a blog bringing awareness to a topic you are passionate about, write articles, and use other social media networks to get the word out about your topic.

Photo: Tom Page via Flickr (Used under CC BY-SA 2.0 License)



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