Looking for work when you’re not quite sure what you want to do is challenging. I feel sure – I really hope! – that there is work I could do that would be stimulating and interesting to me if I put the effort in to work out what is out there that matches my skills and interests.
Here these are, as currently formulated.
My interests:
- Understanding how the way people act, think and feel is influenced by external forces (e.g. personal backgrounds – social, cultural, economic, familial, geographic; advertising; the media – what newspapers, magazines, books, music, TV, radio we consume; the State) and the implications of imbalances of power and control (e.g. power of the State, mass media and big business versus the individual)
- Developing a good articulation of what the objectives of our society should be (e.g. fulfillment for the greatest number of people?, economic growth?, minimising poverty?, maximising opportunity?, minimising inequality?)
- Understanding what people require in order to live fulfilling lives (e.g. security, community, income, social mobility, personal freedom…) and how these can be best provided (e.g. by the State, by business, by the voluntary sector, by individuals…).
My skills:
- Communicating – especially through the written word
- Being creative – generating new ideas and coming up with new ways of doing things
- Research and analysis – especially pulling ideas together to make recommendations or support new conclusions
- Taking the initiative, getting things done, making things happen.
At the moment this seems to suggest a role as a researcher, analyst or writer perhaps with some element of project management/direction. I’m not sure what job titles would encompass creativity and coming up with ideas (entrepeneur doesn’t feel right) – maybe that’s just an essential element to other roles?
Types of organisation I’m finding harder to identify at the moment. So far I’ve identified academia and think tanks (demos, fabian society, compass, civitas… – perhaps taking an internship to get experience). But there must be more types I’ve not thought, or heard, of.
Would be very interested if you read this and any ideas for types of job, organisation or specific organisations come to mind. Or suggestions of people it might be useful to talk to !
