International Career Panel
The School of International Studies and the College of the Pacific hosted an International Career Panel Discussion in January 2012. The panel was comprised of the following international experts:
Amy Curlee, '06 International Financial Advisor at Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Management in San Diego. Rufaro Gwarada, '06, Grants Manager for Campaign for Female Education (Camfed), based in San Francisco. Bruce Janigian, Principal Attorney at Law Offices of Bruce Janigian, Director at Global Development Partners, and Head of US Delegation at European Academy of Sciences and Arts. Dr. Venilde Jeronimo, '90, founder and CEO of Jeronimo International, a management consulting firm in Silicon Valley that works with U.S. and international organizations. Dr. Chet Newland, Duggan Distinguished Professor of Public Administration at USC. Yumi Sera, Operations Director at the Disability Rights Fund. Keith Simmons, Independent International Trade and Development Professional.
The panel offered valuable advice to students in the audience, including:
- Pursue internships, both for the experience and also to figure out what you want to do
- Take advantage of meaningful networking opportunities
- Develop both hard skills (analytical skills, such as economics) and soft skills (management of teams across borders, for example)
- Acquire language skills
- Find mentors to help guide you
- Check out the websites for employers such as USAID and the Peace Corps
- Consider careers in the following sectors: health, agriculture, and biotechnology
- Be a unique and interesting person, and be excellent at what you do: stand out
- Be prepared to work in multiple countries throughout your career - focus on at least one developed and one developing country
- Consider a masters degree, because many good international jobs will require one
