What kind of job can I expect with an MPH (from a top school, if that matters?)

[Anonymous]

I'm interested in international health types of issues, particularly women and children, HIV, etc. It seems that you need experience for some of the "cool" jobs I'm interested in (think, FHI360 and the like.) What can you get right out of grad school? What is a typical work day doing this type of work? How is quality of life as far as hours?

[Anonymous]

If you are you (early 20's to mid 30's) with no kids, you may want to comsider international organizations that can send you oversees. That is where there is a need and MPH professionals gets their best hands on experience in the areas you mentioned you are interested in. Good luck. I have tons of friends in that field who find the profession to be very rewarding.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you are you (early 20's to mid 30's) with no kids, you may want to comsider international organizations that can send you oversees. That is where there is a need and MPH professionals gets their best hands on experience in the areas you mentioned you are interested in. Good luck. I have tons of friends in that field who find the profession to be very rewarding.

Thanks, PP! That is great to hear. I actually do have a child so would most likely need to be based in the US (but would love to spend time overseas for work). What do you think as far as US-based organizations, particularly in DC?

[Anonymous]

Tell us more about your experience prior to grad school. It matters a lot about what kind of job you can get and the type of work you'll be doing.

If you went straight from undergrad to grad you will be doing mostly admin work but it's a really valuable to way to learn the business. You will likely to doing Project Managment Support...so reviewing financials, drafting budgets, writing scopes of work for consultants, maybe recruiting those consultants and getting them to the field, editing reports that come in from the field, writing success stories, doing some research for proposals, etc.

Hours can be tough but it is really dependent on the organization. I worked in the field for FHI360 when it was still FHI and I have friends that are still at HQ. Workloads can be intense but it usually waxes and wanes. Also, there is often great camaraderie built among junior staff at these larger organizations. My entry level job was at a different USAID health contractor. It was super intense...long hours...it was not unheard of to be at the office until 2 AM when a proposal was due BUT I was surrounded by smart, interesting young professionals. We were all in our mid-late 20s. The health division of that company was about 30 strong at that time...the 15 of us that were junior staff are all still close friends. We're now in mid-senior level positions at different organizations and are constantly helping each other get the next job, make a connection, etc, etc. I will forever be grateful for the friends and network that resulted from that job. Oh - and PS - I met my husband there too.

[Anonymous]

To the earlier PP - it is almost impossible to get a field based job as a newly minted MPH without any additional experience. Most countries already have professional staff that can do what you do but also speak the local language and know the local context.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the info, PPs. I actually do have several years of experience (I was an attorney for several years...this is a career change for me.) So I think I have a good amount of project management.

Another question - to the PP that mentioned the very long hours: What would you recommend if one was NOT interested in working such long hours but wanted a more predictable, regular schedule? I did the "work til 2am" thing for many years at a law firm and I don't really want to do it again (though doing it for public health work would probably be a lot more meaningful than what I was doing!) What are the public health opportunities that offer a good work-life balance (again, focused on international work but based in DC)? It doesn't have to be the most prestigious gig in public health -- I really want something that is interesting and will allow me to make a difference, but will also allow me to eat dinner with my kid most nights. Thanks for any tips.

[Anonymous]

I think you just have to interview for positions that you are interested in and then ask around about work life balance for that organization. I'm 34 now with two kids and work for a smaller organization. I definitely do not work until 2 AM anymore but do sometimes respond to emails after the kids go to bed. It's actually more important to be flexible in the morning since you might have to schedule calls with people that are 6, 7, 8, 9 time zones away.

And I'm not trying to be snarky, but I'm having a hard time thinking of a type of position that would value your experience as an attorney. What kind of law? Do you have any international experience at all? Peace Corps? Internships abroad? Some international health organizations are doing policy work - both domestically and globally so that might be an option. Or if you have a particular interest or skill in knowledge management, commuication, etc...

You'll be competing with other MPHers that speak two languages, have lived, studied, or worked abroad...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think you just have to interview for positions that you are interested in and then ask around about work life balance for that organization. I'm 34 now with two kids and work for a smaller organization. I definitely do not work until 2 AM anymore but do sometimes respond to emails after the kids go to bed. It's actually more important to be flexible in the morning since you might have to schedule calls with people that are 6, 7, 8, 9 time zones away.

And I'm not trying to be snarky, but I'm having a hard time thinking of a type of position that would value your experience as an attorney. What kind of law? Do you have any international experience at all? Peace Corps? Internships abroad? Some international health organizations are doing policy work - both domestically and globally so that might be an option. Or if you have a particular interest or skill in knowledge management, commuication, etc...

You'll be competing with other MPHers that speak two languages, have lived, studied, or worked abroad...

Thanks, PP. I appreciate the info! My legal experience is transactional (so management of a deal) which I think could possibly be somewhat similar to project management. I do have some international experience but it is from many years ago, so I'm not sure it would be relevant.

[Anonymous]

I would encourage you to network, network, network and then network some more

If you're at Hopkins have them set you up with informational interviews at JHPIEGO and CCP.

If any of your classmates are working have them set you up with interviews at their organization.

There are a couple of health oriented happy hours organized around town - those can be useful. If I can find the links to those I'll post them here. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would encourage you to network, network, network and then network some more

If you're at Hopkins have them set you up with informational interviews at JHPIEGO and CCP.

If any of your classmates are working have them set you up with interviews at their organization.

There are a couple of health oriented happy hours organized around town - those can be useful. If I can find the links to those I'll post them here. Good luck!

Awesome, thanks PP!

[Anonymous]

I would avoid FHI 360 though - the company is a bit of a mess right now.

[Anonymous]

Are you already in school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think you just have to interview for positions that you are interested in and then ask around about work life balance for that organization. I'm 34 now with two kids and work for a smaller organization. I definitely do not work until 2 AM anymore but do sometimes respond to emails after the kids go to bed. It's actually more important to be flexible in the morning since you might have to schedule calls with people that are 6, 7, 8, 9 time zones away.

And I'm not trying to be snarky, but I'm having a hard time thinking of a type of position that would value your experience as an attorney. What kind of law? Do you have any international experience at all? Peace Corps? Internships abroad? Some international health organizations are doing policy work - both domestically and globally so that might be an option. Or if you have a particular interest or skill in knowledge management, commuication, etc...

You'll be competing with other MPHers that speak two languages, have lived, studied, or worked abroad...

NP, what company do you work for? I have an MPH and I'm currently looking for work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you already in school?

No, but considering going.

[Anonymous]

I work for an org that is headquartered in the UK but maintains a small office in the US. I'd rather not give the name. But lots of organizations to consider: MSH, JSI, Abt, URC, RTI, Futures Group, Save the Children, etc...