<p>Have you considered joining the Peace Corps after college? That would give you a good idea of what kind of work can be done in developing countries, and I am sure you'd have the opportunity to meet people in a variety of fields who are doing such work.</p>
<p>As for lawyers, there are lawyers who specialize in advocacy work. I am not familiar with what they do internationally, but I know such lawyers in the US. </p>
<p>You might want to contact a law school and ask them what kind of international work is available for people who want to make a difference, and you also could see if you could contact some alum working in such fields.</p>
<p>When it comes to helping developing countries, agriculture is a very important field as are engineering and other sciences including environmental sciences. </p>
<p>With a business or economics degree, one also can do things ranging from banking systems in developing countries to working with individuals and family units to help them form microenterprises. I know a college economics professor who specializes in microeconomy and women in developing countries. She works directly with the women.</p>
<p>I also know a person with a doctorate who has specialized in children who have lived through horribly traumatic situations and who flies off to places after massacres and similar events, and she helps the children.</p>
<p>I know someone else with a doctorate in psychology with a specialty in group relations who works with groups of people who are enemies such as the factions in northern Ireland to try to help them collaborate.</p>
<p>There are some colleges that are known for having programs designed to prepare students for international careers, including in developing countries. I am not expert on this, but there probably are some parents who can give you advice. You might want to start another thread to attract attention on this.</p>
<p>I do know that Macalester College in Minn. seems to be interested in preparing students for such work. That is where Kofi Annan went to college and the brochures seem to take pride in this and in their international outlook.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, since you are in the US now and probably won't be doing your international work for a while, I assure you that there is plenty of work to be done here. We have people in this country who are homeless and hungry. We have children getting substandard education. We have people without access to health. We have environmental problems. I am sure that if you look around your own community or nearby communities, you'll find that there's plenty of work to be done.</p>
<p>Start with your school. In my S's public school, there are children who are homeless, hungry, and students who can't afford basic supplies like backpacks and supplemental texts. One time we had a student awaiting a heart transplant whose parents were low income and had difficulty affording to take the several-hour trip to his hospital.</p>
<p>S's friends live very comfortably, and we live in a city with lots of professionals and college grads. The reason I know about the poverty that some students in the school experience is through having a close relationship with administrators. You might want to ask your GC if there are students in need of help in your school, and you might be able to provide such assistance on a totally anonymous basis.</p>