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.:Resource Guides:Interviews-Ben MacConnell.
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Interviews
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Career Path
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What was your first job after college and how did you get it? |
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I went through a short-term, paid, organizing training program. It was rather competitive to get into. I found that the two years I spent overseas as a full-time volunteer doing advocacy work with the Friends of the Earth International helped to
pave the way toward the job.
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How did you get your current job? |
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I purposely sought out an Associate Community Organizer position with an affiliate of the DART Network which would enable me to learn from someone with more experience in the field. I mentored under him for two years, learning the
ropes of community organizing before setting up the DART Organizers Institute.
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What experiences and/or course work in college best prepared you for this job or influenced your decision to do this work? |
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I feel for those who pay loads of money to get a specialized graduate degree in community organizing because college doesn't prepare one well for the field of organizing. I would have to say that being around people outside of the
classroom, such as student groups or even at churches or synagogues, would be the best way of knowing whether you're going to be a good organizer. If you like people and are drawn to anger around issues of injustice on your campus or in your community, I think
that's at least a good signal that you're barking up the right tree. As for actual preparation for the field, I found the best way of approaching it was to talk with someone in the field.
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Any regrets? What experiences and/or course work might have better prepared you for this work? |
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I had an vague interest in graduate school or even law school. And I wouldn't say I regret that motivation, but I am certainly glad I didn't go forward with that. I have a bunch of friends who went onto law/graduate school thinking
that you become a legitimate change maker once you have the right set of framed certificates hanging on the wall in your office. Now they're unable to take a starting pay to train under an organizer, given the debt they incurred through school. That would be a
pitfall I would strongly encourage some to consider. Also, a good friend of mine went through law school after a short stint as an organizer, then left the law to go back to organizing. He's never been happier. I also have similar stories for people who get their
Masters of Divinity or Social Work. So, I would also encourage those who have gone on to get graduate degrees and feel as though they're betraying their education by taking a job learning to organize, to reconsider. Organizing is a wonderful, professional career,
no matter what level of education you have.
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Have you attended graduate school or are you considering graduate school? What degree do you have/would you want and why? Are there any limitations to advancement in your field if you do not have a certain graduate degree? |
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See my answer on 'Any Regrets?' I have not attended graduate school and I do not believe that graduate school prepares anyone to be a better organizer than they would be otherwise. I don't think it hurts, I just think the best
preparation occurs in the field under the supervision of a good organizer. This is also the best way of knowing whether or not organizing is right for you. However, I should say that in the DART network we have organizers with law degrees and masters in public
policy, divinity, and social work.
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next page | Advice
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Career Center Resource Guides
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