Professors Bass and Ferrari sent this article along from the Washington Post. Rough sailing ahead for our young idealists? This is a worthy read for any majors thinking about a career in the NGO field and/or graduate education. It's not the whole story, of course, but it's not to be dismissed out of hand:
Fulfillment Elusive for Young Altruists In the Crowded Field of Public Interest
By Ian Shapira
Armed with a Georgetown University diploma, Beth Hanley embarked in her 20s on a path hoping to become a professional world-saver. First she worked at nonprofit Bread for the World. Then she taught middle school English in central Africa with the Peace Corps. Finally, to certify her idealism, she graduated last spring with a master's degree in international relations from Johns Hopkins University.
But now the 29-year-old faces a predicament shared by many young strivers in Washington's public interest field. After years of amassing so many achievements, they struggle to find full-time employment with decent pay and realize they might not get exactly what they set out for. Hanley, a think tank temp who dreams of aiding the impoverished and reducing gender discrimination in developing countries, is stuck.
"I knew this would be difficult," said Hanley, an Illinois native who lives in Adams Morgan. "A lot of people say, 'At some point, you're going to have to decide to explore other options,' and I guess I would start applying for jobs in other fields I don't care so much about. But I haven't gotten at all to that point..."
Read the whole piece here.
