The choice of International Relations course
29/07/2010This text is a response e-mail I sent to a high school student who was interested in doing international relations but had heard from friends that many who do the course are repentant of choice, not find jobs and believe they should be allowed to make international relations a graduate.
We must first make some distinctions: there are several areas within international relations. The main mistake that some students do is imagine any job in international relations and seek a college any international relations. Both must be aligned.
Truly international relations is an area of knowledge, encompassing themes and activities of the various. Will the traditional diplomacy, through work in international organizations to get in the business of. When you figure out what you want to do in the area of international relations, first try to imagine what would be the ideal job for you. Forget where you would be working and think about what he was doing. Can you imagine representing Brazil with another country, analyzing political trends from somewhere in the world, negotiating purchase and sale of products in the international market, structuring the launch of a product on the world market, establishing a communication strategy between various civil society groups for action to take place at the international level…
Once I imagined what you want to do, the next step is to look at what the best undergraduate course prepares you to do what you imagined. Even if you've been thinking about things related to international relations, not necessarily this is the best course for you. It may be right (specializing in international law), or Economy, or even Accounting. It may be journalism or Social Sciences. The options are many. Keep in mind that it is not the degree course that will determine what you can do, it will help you qualify to get there, But the choice is yours.
If you come to the conclusion that the course effectively you should do is International Relations, then you need to analyze calmly the bars disciplines of each course. You will see that are very different. Some courses focus more on political dimensions, economic or historical. There are a few to focus on other dimensions, such as law and business. It is important that you can choose the curse that suits the professional practice of reality that you seek.
Many students choose the college that will be based on other issues, to be or not to pay, whether or not a recognized name in the market, or may not be close to home… See which are choices that have nothing to do with what students want in professional terms. Here comes largely from frustration. It is a lottery, can until you get lucky and choose a college that offers exactly what you sought / needed, but in most cases this does not happen.
Students begin to learn a lot of things, do not understand exactly what it is for most of that is learning because he had not turned it upside. You may even come to be interested in the topics discussed, but will struggle to create a bridge between what is studied and what to do in professional terms. As a result the student has difficulty both to seek employment (already learning one thing and faces another), as to show in an interview why he should be hired, you have to qualify to work.
Herein arises another problem: where it is installed College. The country is great but the activities of the area of international relations is mostly concentrated in big cities, especially in São Paulo, Brasilia and Rio de Janeiro (would even say that this order). The other cities to have something, but it is harder to find. This is important to consider because the stages. It will not be easy to find internships in cities with lower supply of jobs.
Thinking specifically about the job search, you will see little to say “International relations”. The job market is still in the process of absorbing this professional profile. Like this, for those seeking a job / internship international relations, overall the scenario is not very positive. On here, the error is, again, to think of international relations as something compact. Keep in mind that you will be formed to develop a set of activities, you have certain professional skills. What you should look for is which employment offered demand such skills. The position is not ready ready for international relations, but it does mean that some professionals trained in this area can not work on it.
What should be done is to find a place that has what you can do (whether directed to an administrator, marketing professional, economist, political scientist…). Once located, contact the company, say they ask a professional X, is that you, although not a professional X, You can do what is asked and anything else it has a competence in the area of international relations which probably does not have the professional X.
To make international relations and have a better chance in the market insertion we need to think differently, change the paradigm. Do not see how anyone with diploma, but someone with a body of knowledge. This may be the big secret.