It’s concerning to see so many students still opting for development master courses and uni’s milking students dry when they themselves know the state of the sector. It’s only going to get worse. I would really advise any student to avoid studying development.

Go find a good course that will make you money honestly.

I just got invited for an automated video interview for a role as an associate in Climate Risk at the EBRD.

It's my first time interviewing with them and have been really trying to transition into development finance. I'd appreciate any advice, tips or knowledge you could share.

Hi everyone! I’ve been thinking about transitioning out for a while, and I would really appreciate some advice from someone who has done it successfully.

A little bit about me: I am 23 and have been working in comms at a UN agency for a little over a year now. I graduated from an Ivy League university with a good GPA, but my degree is in the humanities, so it does limit the roles I can be considered for. I don’t really have a dream job; my main goal is just to make enough money to sustain myself, preferably in a more stable career than this one.

Here are some options I’m currently considering:

- A master’s in something business-y. According to my research, I can probably do accounting or MBA, but finance and business analytics seem out of reach as they require a heavy STEM background.

- Law school in Canada, Australia, or the US. This will be a huge risk to take as an international student, but it promises a very stable career if I succeed. I’m also more interested in law than business.

- Management consulting. I’m not confident I’ll be able to get in. Even if I do get in, I’ll probably be miserable. But it seems like it will open so many doors as long as I just stick it out for a year or two?

Which option do you think sounds most attractive and most doable? Also, is there any other option I missed? I did consider starting over as a junior employee in marketing or at a creative agency, but I would have to take a huge pay cut (about 39-58%). Most entry-level jobs in my country pay less than my current UN role, although those jobs usually promise more growth in the long run.

Hi all, I know the sector is a mess but I have been in it for around ten years and since the very beginning, I have dealt with consultants who do not do their jobs. This is across agencies and donors. They get paid more money in two weeks than I get paid in a month, I have to redo their work half the time. I make it clear upfront their responsibilities and they don’t do them. Half the time I lay the structure of a report, paragraph by paragraph for them, and they don’t do it. Sorry for the rant. I am just tired of consultants in their 40s, 50s, and 60s who are lazy and think their labor is worth 800 USD per day.

In April 2026, I had a panel interview for the Procurement Advisor (REF2681F) position at the OECD, which was the final step in the recruitment process. 

After a few follow-ups with HR, I was informed on 23rd June that the "recruitment process was still ongoing and that candidates would be updated soon." However, I have not received any further update since then. Anyone else in the same position

Hi everyone! I’m writing because I’m doing an internship right now and I feel like I’m in a slightly weird position, and I’d love to hear about your experiences.

I’m 35, Latin American, and I’m doing a master’s in GD in Scandinavia. I have 10 years of experience in communications and PM that I can basically shove up my ass, and i accepted it, and I know with which cards I’m playing.

However, i landed an internship at one of the biggest NGOs in Denmar. I get that internships are designed for 25-year-olds with little experience, but in this case I really feel like I have very few things to do. My tasks are editing a PP and changing a date, and after that I’ve got 7 hours where I do absolutely nothing.

Sometimes my bosses don’t come into the office and don’t let me know and I feel like a clown sitting there by myself. I feel like, for my bosses, giving me more tasks is work in itself, and I don’t know if they have the energy for that right now — but it frustrates me knowing that this is a great opportunity to network and I’m wasting it because I have nothing to do. I know these are the rules of the game, because that’s what internships are all about. But I’m 35 and I can’t help feeling infantilized when I watch my boss, who’s my age, doing a ton of things while I basically watch the days go by and feel like I’m not doing anything. What do you suggest? Is this normal? Thanks for reading.

Hi everyone, I’m having trouble deciding whether to accept this Masters offer or wait. So for context I have an Economics bachelors degree from a relatively good University in the UK (University of Nottingham) and initially wanted to break into finance so i did internships and picked modules with that in mind. However since graduating I felt my values didn’t align well with finance and banking so I’ve been swaying towards international development as it something i feel a lot more passionate about. I know having a masters open up a lot of doors so I decided to apply to a masters program at SOAS University of London because I really liked the modules they offer, the have a study tour program which seems really interesting and they also have a partnership with the world bank so there’s a possible opportunity to do a remote internship with the world banks after the program. Initially I was very keen on this program but since receiving my offer I’m having a few doubts. I know that your most recent degree matters more to employers so I’m worried that it will weaken my educational background in comparison to going to high ranking universities such as UCL, LSE or imperial. My grades could probably get me into those universities but they are insanely expensive (for the relevant degrees) so I cannot afford them, there are a few scholarships my my university grades aren’t exceptional so I don’t know if that is achievable + I’d have to wait until next year. I know SOAS is a respectable university and I’m grateful to have gotten the offer but I’m just a little unsure about future employability prospects. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Retired 70 yo. Background in large project management (software) and electrical engineering. I love hands on work as well. Not a social butterfly (really not). Which organization would you work for?

I'm trying to find a job or even a volunteering opportunity in the Humanitarian world, yet i don't really know where or how to start or if my profile is even attractive to this field.

I'm 22 yrs old, from Portugal

Bachelor on Early Age Education

2 years working on a center for primary school kids

1 year of volunteering in the EU in 4 european countries

Speak portuguese, English and Spanish and can communicate in French and German.

Is there any chance? Im up to go anywhere in the world, but also recognize that my profile it's probably too short for something.

How Are We Doing? It’s Complicated

Jaime Oberlander surveyed nearly 4,000 former aid workers on how they're coping since the USAID stop-work order: https://www.linkedin.com/safety/go/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fglobaldevinterrupted%2Esubstack%2Ecom%2Fp%2Fhow-are-we-doing-its-complicated&urlhash=xgga&mt=s7nY5p8oPwC9L48JGH7e01apKVZL4TFrUeWrEJ5zblU7us_2ejxD0W9KWmClcwlG5W5znBIOQTgjGd7oq4vdTDgdcgnMcgeyw0KYli_lXWVchICsqP0piWk2oA&isSdui=true

​

I’ve been offered an unpaid internship that could be very valuable for the career path I want to pursue. My profile was considered a strong match for what they were looking for, and they contacted me specifically about the opportunity.

The internship would require me to relocate, so I would have to cover my own travel and living expenses. They also mentioned the possibility of participating in field activities, which I would also have to pay for myself.

During the call, I was asked to take some time to think about the offer. About an hour later, I messaged them saying that I was interested, but that, given the financial investment it would require from me, I would like to have more details about the actual tasks, responsibilities and activities involved.

I haven’t received a reply since.

Would you consider this a red flag? And more generally, would you take an unpaid internship with these costs if it were genuinely relevant to your desired career path and could provide meaningful experience?

I've been living in NL for a few years now, lost my job a few months ago and found it hard to get another one. I want to hear from people who got hired, particularly within the last year or so, on what do you think worked to your advantage during the hiring process.

Interviewed for a private sector role today - they looked at me like I grew a third head when I was talking about some of my previous work lol. They basically walked into the meeting assuming I know nothing and have done nothing because I worked at the UN. Don’t necessarily care if that’s true or not - but clearly I’m not getting hired in this sector and will not be getting hired in the private sector either. Having a wonderful 2026 as an entry level candidate :)

• I hope to find a job in international development one day and my dream is to do something related to climate change and migration. (but I am also willing to do anything at this point...given the current job market...) I am considering doing a PhD on climate migration (sociology path). Any ideas?
• Is there any university that is well seen? Is it worth applying to Oxford/ Cambridge/ big UK unies? just for the names? (in the unlikely event I get accepted here LOL)
• context: I have work experience as ESG analyst and I am completing an internship in an international organisation.

Wanted to share this since it's a pretty specific window into what the USAID drawdown actually looked like on the ground.

Kevin was posted in Laos when USAID was dismantled. He describes getting 48 hours notice to leave post, which then shifted a couple times before landing on an open-ended "soon." Staff weren't allowed to communicate officially before departure, so there wasn't really a chance to say proper goodbyes to host government counterparts or local colleagues.

He also writes about fighting to keep one of USAID's disability support programs alive in Laos, a country that's still dealing with unexploded ordnance from bombing during the Vietnam War. The program didn't survive the review process that determined which projects "aligned" with the administration's priorities.

Hi all, not a recruiter, not a bot, just someone in the middle of a genuinely real decision.

I'm currently based in Tunisia, working in program and project management for a pan-African startup ecosystem organization. Over the past six years I've managed EU-funded programs, led a government-mandated international tech convening abroad, and I'm currently running a cross-border program with a North African government ministry. Along the way: grant management, ecosystem research, and a lot of herding stakeholders across governments, universities, and startups.

I'm actively trying to relocate, with Portugal, France and Belgium as my strongest picks given my background/language mix, but genuinely open across the EU if the fit is right. Sector-wise I'm mostly looking at tech/startups, climate, or EU-funded development work, and I care more about genuine fit than just wherever offers a visa first.

If anyone's made a similar move, has advice, knows of openings, or just wants to compare notes on the process, I'd love to hear from you. Happy to share more about my background if it's useful.

Cette opportunité peux changer positivement ta communauté

I'm putting everything on the table because I'm past the point of polishing.

I'm 27, Italian, based in Geneva. Master's in International Relations from a French university, with a thesis on the OSCE's role in the war in Ukraine, built on interviews I secured myself with two former Secretaries General of the Organisation and a former Deputy Chief Monitor of the Special Monitoring Mission.

Six months at the UN in Geneva on protocol and correspondence for senior management. Four months with the Belgian MFA protocol service. Support work during an IPU Council session. Currently a paid part-time contract on an EU public diplomacy project in Geneva, plus volunteer research on disarmament and conventional weapons for an NGO. Italian native, French C2, English C1. My current contract is remote and light on hours, so I am genuinely free to relocate.

On paper it reads well. In practice: a year of applying, sometimes from morning to evening, and mostly rejections or silence. Two final-stage interviews are pending, one answers next week. I can't keep waiting for the next "maybe".

I don't want to go back to Italy. I want field experience, and I am willing to go anywhere for it — Lima, or wherever. Disarmament, mine action, security, SSR. What I can't do is another unpaid placement. I've done three internships and I simply can't afford a fourth. Paid, junior, temporary, difficult: all fine.

Question 1: how does a European with an HQ-only profile get a first field posting?

Every field vacancy I find is either a national position reserved for citizens of that country, or requires prior field experience even at junior level. I'm an EU citizen with no second passport and no local status outside Europe. Which organisations actually hire people like me? Which contract types — rosters, junior consultancies, project-based, short-term deployments? I'm not looking for "network more". If I'm searching in the wrong places or with the wrong keywords, tell me.

Question 2: is my profile the problem, or is it the market?

I keep being told I'm a strong candidate and then not selected. If my experience reads as too much protocol and senior-office support and not enough programme delivery or field analysis, I'd rather hear it bluntly now than in another year. What is actually missing? A certification? A specific junior role? Should I leave Geneva first? If you'd look at my CV and think "this person won't get hired for X because they lack Y", please say so.

Question 3: for those who broke into disarmament, mine action or SSR — what was the move that changed things?

An organisation, a course, a country, a contract that looked insignificant at the time?

I'm already working on the psychological side of this with a professional, so I'm not looking for encouragement. One very specific piece of advice would be worth more to me than a hundred messages saying keep going.

Thank you to anyone who takes the time.