Hi there,
I’m two years out of undergrad and have been working since. I went to an Ivy League undergrad for economics, worked in tech for a year, and now am in similar, less stressful, role. I hate what I do.
I want to switch to a career in international affairs, and have been looking at masters programs. The problem is, I have no relevant experience in that area. How do I sell this to a committee? I’m just stuck in my head that no program will accept me. My story isn’t compelling and doesn’t make sense. How does one make a switch from what I do now to a career in public service? My recommenders won’t be from a relevant field.
I just feel like a fool trying to apply to masters programs with no experience I can draw upon for why I’d be successful, no one tangentially related to the field that could recommend me, and a background that just screams a career in the private sector.
Is there any advice anyone here can give? Did anyone also make a very drastic switch? Or should I try to find a job in a relevant field before applying?
The quant skills that you develop in Econ are desired in all industries, including nonprofit and government.
I’m sure you could find some grad program that would take you, but it would be low-ranked. And anything “international” generally requires prestige. Better to search for Econ type jobs in that industry first and then apply for a masters at a top program if you think you need it later.
An alternative is to look for volunteer opportunities in international anything to get your foot in the door and get some connections.
I do not think that changing from economics to international affairs is all that huge of a switch. It seems to me that international affairs spreads across a wider spectrum of issues in addition to economics, but that economics is a very big part of it.
One option would be to talk to someone, hopefully professors, who teach in international affairs and see what they suggest. You could also talk to your old guidance counselor from your undergraduate education and ask them for advice. They would probably be thrilled to see a student from their past (with the current pandemic “see” is probably the wrong word, “talk to via phone or Internet” is probably more accurate).
Another option would be to apply to a few master’s degree programs in international affairs and see if you get in.
How were your undergraduate grades? Do you have people who will give you good references?
I have heard of a student taking a few classes at a community college or at the Harvard Extension school in the subject that they wanted to switch into, before heading off to graduate school.
This seems like a switch that should be possible. To me “an Ivy League undergrad for economics” sounds like a very good basis for ongoing work in a wide range of fields.
For “international affairs” masters programs, consider Tufts Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy as well as Johns Hopkins IR related masters degree program.
Absolutely no problem with respect to switching careers.
Changing careers is something people do all the time. You shouldn’t feel like a fool just because you want to do something different - most adults change careers during their working lives these days.
The key is learning how to switch. It’s easier to make a lateral switch gradually. International affairs is an entire field, and there are lots of different kinds of roles you can hold in it. I’d argue that finding a job in the field is better than going for a master’s - a job that is similar to the one you hold but just in the international affairs field. So for example, if you were a program manager in tech, look for program manager roles within international affairs. There are lots of roles that will transfer over. I’d bet with an economics major, you’ve held roles that are applicable.
The other thing is that filling in the gaps in your story is part of your job to make yourself a better candidate. Why do you want to switch to a career in international affairs? Can you explain it to yourself? Especially since you have no relevant experience in the area, how do you have enough information and experience to know that this is really the field that you want go to? What interests you about the work that you could do in the roles you’re interested in?
You should ask yourself these questions first. If you’re not sure about the answers to them yet, then you should seek out experiences that will help you answer them for yourself, particularly before you get into an expensive master’s program you’ll have to finance through loans. When I switched careers (from academia to technology) some good advice was not to describe what I was running from but to focus on what I was running to.
International affairs doesn’t have to mean public service - there are for-profit businesses and regulatory agencies that deal with business that have folks in international affairs. But if you do want to switch to public service, that in and of itself isn’t difficult - sectors really care more about the skills you have than the sector in which you applied them (with a few exceptions).
Another route is to simply take the civil service exam and try to get into the State Department. A family member of mine with an Industrial Engineering degree worked for a couple of years as a consultant and then made the jump. This kind of trajectory would give you good experience from which to get into a top program after a couple of years.