After Mines
Life After Mines
Graduates of our HE programs will have unique knowledge, skills and attitudes that are highly desired by both non-profit (NGOSs) and for-profit organizations. But you have to remember that your commitment to humanitarian engineering is for the long haul so your first entry job might not be directly related to community development or corporate social responsibility. So here are general considerations to begin your career in ways that allows you to be financially stable, develop your knowledge/skill set, and integrate your interests and passions for both engineering and positive social change.
Seeking a job
If you are seeking a job after graduation:
- Make sure that you know how to highlight your HE background in your resume and job interviews. (Remember that if you completed the Peace Corps Prep Program, you will receive preferential treatment if you apply for a Peace Corps volunteer position)
- Find a first interesting and challenging job that will help you pay your student loans (and other debt) while ensuring that the company’s values, location, work schedules, etc. will allow you to remain committed to your passion for humanitarian engineering.
- Once you have begun developing your knowledge/skill set, consider careers in the non-profit sector and in international development while making sure that you understand their implications for your career as an engineer.
- After a couple of years gaining experience as an engineer, you could consider joining the Engineering Service Corps.
If you would like to attend graduate school:
- Consider applying to graduate programs that will allow you to deepen your interest, knowledge and skills in HE-related fields.
If you follow this advice, your career over the years could look something like this, with your ability to land positions with high relevance to HE increasing after you have established your credibility in jobs that offer important skills and experience even if they do not directly relate to HE.
GRADUATE PROGRAMS
ENGINEERING GRAD PROGRAMS
Engineering for Developing Communities, University of Colorado at Boulder
Development Engineering, University of California-Berkeley
D-Lab at MIT
Masters Program in Human Centered Design and Engineering
Graduate Concentration in Engineering for International Development Program in Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of South Florida
Sustainable Futures IGERT program : Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship
NON-ENGINEERING GRAD PROGRAMS
Masters of Science in Global Technology and Development, Arizona State University
Master of Professional Studies in Community and Economic Development, Penn State
Humanitarian Academy, Harvard University.
University of Washington – Law of Sustainable Development Graduate Program
The Graduate Certificate in Sustainability, Michigan Tech
PROGRAMS BEYOND THE US
Masters of Science in Engineering for International Development, University College of London
Master of Science in Sustainable Energy Engineering, Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden
Master of Science in Sustainable Energy Engineering, Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden: This program has two parallel study majors, both having a strong environmental focus: Sustainable Power Generation and Sustainable Energy Utilization in the Built Environment. Students learn state-of-the-art education in the fields of power generation and energy utilization in the built environment by means of economically and environmentally sustainable systems.