What remains of the intl development field

[Anonymous]

With USAID gone?

[Anonymous]

Jobs which are not with the USG, obviously. Many may be with foreign employers overseas. Expand your horizons if you're committed to that line of work.

[Anonymous]

This is a valid question. I did my MA in International Development 20 years ago- and then my career took an unexpected twist and I did not work in the field (fwiw, I worked at and then founded a tech startup instead).

Most of my friends and classmates in the field either went Govt (USAID, State, IAF etc) or were working for contractors like Chemonics.

It’s been carnage. They’re switching fields, a very few are working with foreign governments directly, some took early retirement Really tough times.

I would not enter a graduate program in ID right now. Maybe in 2-3 years…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is a valid question. I did my MA in International Development 20 years ago- and then my career took an unexpected twist and I did not work in the field (fwiw, I worked at and then founded a tech startup instead).

Most of my friends and classmates in the field either went Govt (USAID, State, IAF etc) or were working for contractors like Chemonics.

It’s been carnage. They’re switching fields, a very few are working with foreign governments directly, some took early retirement Really tough times.

I would not enter a graduate program in ID right now. Maybe in 2-3 years…

Agree with this. I’m also seeing people land jobs they are massively overqualified for, which is making it harder for everyone else. But the landscape is so bad that everyone is shifting down and taking whatever they can find.

[Anonymous]

Some people of the people I know who were former USAID or USAID contractors are trying for International Non-profits and Foundation positions. Most are still looking months after being laid-off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Jobs which are not with the USG, obviously. Many may be with foreign employers overseas. Expand your horizons if you're committed to that line of work.

+1. The US is not the biggest game in town in international development, but USAID was obviously one of the biggest employers of Americans.

But many NGOs remain, plus the multilateral institutions continue to employ large numbers.

[Anonymous]

I’m curious about the advice not to enter a grad program in the next few years. My college sophomore is interested in global health — if she entered a masters in fall 2028, she would be done in 2030. Won’t most people have given up and found new fields by then? It seems like at some point at least some of this work will come back and they will have to hire up. I think almost everyone thinks this was a colossally stupid thing contrary to long term U.S. interests so I would think even a R admin would bring back some of it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m curious about the advice not to enter a grad program in the next few years. My college sophomore is interested in global health — if she entered a masters in fall 2028, she would be done in 2030. Won’t most people have given up and found new fields by then? It seems like at some point at least some of this work will come back and they will have to hire up. I think almost everyone thinks this was a colossally stupid thing contrary to long term U.S. interests so I would think even a R admin would bring back some of it.

Lots of mid-senior but not retirement ready people found themselves suddenly unemployed. They’re taking anything they can get, which will compress the entry points for new grads/entry level roles for the next 5-10 years.

[Anonymous]

International health is different than international development. I am not saying they have not been impacted, but I would not discourage a young person from entering that field.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jobs which are not with the USG, obviously. Many may be with foreign employers overseas. Expand your horizons if you're committed to that line of work.

+1. The US is not the biggest game in town in international development, but USAID was obviously one of the biggest employers of Americans.

But many NGOs remain, plus the multilateral institutions continue to employ large numbers.

Which countries are more significant than the US?

[Anonymous]

Has the average pay been affected (gone down) since there are fewer jobs, and a saturated supply of workers?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has the average pay been affected (gone down) since there are fewer jobs, and a saturated supply of workers?

Hard to measure accurately. Certainly has not gone up, while inflation is rising.

[Anonymous]

World Bank / IMF are located in DC, but only hire a few US citizens. They primarily hire people who are not US Citizens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:World Bank / IMF are located in DC, but only hire a few US citizens. They primarily hire people who are not US Citizens.

I have actually wondered how these entities (plus IADB) have been impacted. I have a few close friends working there but haven’t wanted to ask. Don’t they historically get a lot of funding from US?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m curious about the advice not to enter a grad program in the next few years. My college sophomore is interested in global health — if she entered a masters in fall 2028, she would be done in 2030. Won’t most people have given up and found new fields by then? It seems like at some point at least some of this work will come back and they will have to hire up. I think almost everyone thinks this was a colossally stupid thing contrary to long term U.S. interests so I would think even a R admin would bring back some of it.

She should get an MD or engineering degree so she can actually help people globally instead of a fluff masters program.