)
)
What have you been up to since you graduated?
I started a role as an Evidence and Learning Coordinator at Save the Children International three days after I handed in my 8,000 word Development Work Placement report. This was part of the Knowledge Management and Learning team in the organisation, and involved things like analysing and synthesising project evaluations to measure impact, and conducting internal surveys to analyse how staff access and use knowledge.
For the past two years, I've been a Knowledge Officer in the Programme Support and Knowledge team at WaterAid. This has involved a 12-month project developing an internal Knowledge, Research, and Statistics Portal for the organisation, supporting on the development of a knowledge management and learning strategy, and supporting learning on the organisation's projects and programmes.
What was your ambition for your career when you started at UEA? Did you have a specific career path in mind?
When I started my MSc in International Development Management, I did not have a specific career path in mind, but I knew I wanted to work in an INGO in the development sector.
Tell us about your experiences studying at UEA (how did you find out about UEA, what made you choose to study your subject, and what were your best days on the course?
My path to studying international development started during my undergraduate degree in History at the University of Kent, when I went on a regretful voluntourism trip to Uganda after my first year. After taking part in the International Citizen Service in Kenya and still having reservations about the way the programme was run, I wanted to learn more about how to work in development in a more ethical, impactful, and sustainable way, while also thinking critically about the history and purpose of the development sector, and the actors in it.
I lived locally at the time I applied to UEA. I'd done some research on the university already, as I knew I wanted to study international development at some point, but was planning to do this a year later. In June 2021, my partner got a job offer as a teacher in Norwich, and I decided it was the right moment to apply to do a master's at UEA. The fact that one of the best international development departments in the world was right on my doorstep made my decision a lot easier! I went from application to student in less than 3 months.
My best days on the course were often those where I was working with others. The satisfaction of handing in a project proposal after working for hours on it with a group of four was definitely a highlight. I also really enjoyed working on a climate presentation at the end of the second climate module. I really valued being around so many people with a real diversity of backgrounds, experiences, and cultures. I learned a lot just from listening to people's experiences, which could bring the abstract into reality.
Of course, I also enjoyed the occasional pint in the student union bar after a lecture too!
In your career what key tasks & skills are involved on a day-to-day basis, and what are/have been the most rewarding/challenging aspects?
On a day-to-day basis, key skills for me include project management; analysis; facilitation; interpersonal skills, and patience.
In my current role, key tasks include building and maintaining a portal for WaterAid's documented knowledge, supporting on the development of a knowledge management and learning strategy for the organisation, and supporting knowledge management and learning needs in project development, implementation, and evaluation.
It was definitely a challenge getting to grips with knowledge management and learning at first. It's not necessarily something that springs to mind when thinking about careers in the sector. The theory behind it can be a bit dry, and it can be hard to encourage others to be enthusiastic about it or see its importance. However, bringing this to life and getting people to see its benefits - mainly reducing the likelihood of repeating past failures, ensuring we're not working in siloes, and improving the overall quality and impact of our work - has been a big benefit. In particular, speaking to staff across the organisation when developing a strategy, particularly those involved in programming in countries, has been a big reward.
Like any INGO, there can be issues with the structure and size of a global organisation. There can be quite a bit of bureaucracy, and others may have a different opinion of the way forward in what is an increasingly challenging time for the sector. However, having the platform to have discussions about these topics with a wide range of people is a privilege.
Has your degree influenced your career?
Yes, my master's has definitely influenced my career. I gained a wide breadth of knowledge about international development, from its history and foundation to topics like gender, education, climate change, and power dynamics. While I do not use all of these in my day-to-day work, this knowledge is important to give context to the work I do and what it is aiming to achieve.
One of the biggest influences my degree had on my career right now is that I did a work placement at WaterAid as part of my studies. This really helped with networking, and I actually applied for and secured my current role after seeing it advertised by someone in the team that I'd connected with on LinkedIn. The fact I'd had experience at WaterAid before definitely helped in my application, as I knew how the organisation worked and was structured. This wouldn't have happened without the Development Work Placement at UEA.
Perhaps most importantly, my master's also taught me to think critically about the sector and the actors within it. I know there are serious issues with power dynamics and funding streams within the wider international development system, including INGOs, that have only been exacerbated since I graduated. Although I don't have ultimate decision-making power over strategic decisions in my organisation, I try to have conversations with others and connect with people in other organisations who are trying to shift things in a better direction.
What personal or professional achievement are you most proud of?
Managing a 12-month project to develop a portal for WaterAid's knowledge, research, and statistics. Too often, information and knowledge that is produced in INGOs is not shared effectively or used by others. This portal helps everyone in the organisation share and use over 3000 resources, so that learnings from one project can be contextualised and applied in another. What's more, the information you do get access to in an organisation is often based on who you know. This project aimed to provide more equity of access by curating key information for our key areas of work into one place. The portal hasn't solved all of these issues, but it has definitely helped staff get access to more of the information they need, when they need it.
It might sound easy or simple to build a system like this, but it required huge amount of coordination and consultation, as well as learning skills along the way like how to design effective metadata, collate resources from over 20 country teams and departments, build webpages, design socialisation activities, and facilitate effective training sessions.
Of course, a lot of the most valuable learning is often not documented or shared at all. That's next on my agenda!
What were your experiences of Norwich as a city? Is there anything in particular that you miss or have fond memories of?
I absolutely loved living in Norwich. One of the best things was that almost everywhere in the centre of the city was walkable. There was never a shortage of things to do.
I really miss the food in Norwich. There are so many great restaurants for a city of its size! I also miss sitting around Norwich Cathedral on a sunny day, and beach days in Cromer only being a short train trip away.
Of course, I also miss and have fond memories of the UEA campus. Being able to walk around the UEA Broad, and visit the Sainsbury Centre after a lecture is something I took for granted!
Would you recommend studying at UEA? Why?
Yes, I'd definitely recommend studying at UEA! The School of Global Development is so multidisciplinary, with such a variety of areas of study, that you'll be able to focus on your interests while pushing yourself in directions you may not have intended on going in at first. The staff in the department are great and very accommodating. It's also amazing to be part of a cohort of students from so many personal, professional, and cultural backgrounds. I met so many interesting people during my year at UEA.
More broadly, you can take part in a lot of social activities at UEA, whether that's in sports clubs or other societies. Norwich in general is such a lovely place to live, and you can settle in very quickly.
Is there any advice you would give to current students, wishing to follow a similar career path to you?
I'd say that networking and building experience while you study is really important. The Development Work Placement would be an excellent module to take if you want to have a career in the international development sector after studying.
However, I'd think critically about if and why you want to work for an international NGO. After looking at the wider system as part of your studies, you may find that you can have more impact in other areas of work in the sector, particularly as INGOs shift and change their strategies due to smaller and different pools of funding (and many make cuts in their workforce as a result).
Instead, you may find you have more impact working with 'local' NGOs, or in areas like tax, trade, energy, or climate, that impact relations between the Global North and South just as much, if not more, than aid.
Additionally, I'd recommend those interested in development economics to research degrowth/post-growth and Doughnut Economics, which look beyond aid, and focus on poverty, inequality, climate change, social justice, and their links to exponential increases in economic growth, energy use, and production in the Global North.
What is next for you?
I'm content in my current role. However, in the future, I'd like to branch out into more into work on climate change. This could be within an INGO, but potentially also in work 'beyond aid', focusing on areas like post-growth futures and climate justice.
*The course changed its name from MA International Global Development during the 2023 re-brand to the School of Global Development.