CSC

Job Market

Due to International Relations field interdisciplinary nature, the graduate job market does not follow the same pattern of traditional careers as Engineering and Law, for example.  During its academic path, the student develops critic-reflexive capacity to acquire skills and abilities to solve problems with international nature in a number of dimensions – economy, society, politics, culture, environment, warlike strategies, etc. This enables him to investigate, analyze, decide, and act in a broad range of issues that goes from war and conflict resolution until projecting companies into international market. The graduate is also able to perform activities on technical, cultural, financial, and economic cooperation, such as fund raising, international exchanges, etc. Last but not least, there are also activities related to study and to research the international phenomena at academic level. The work field is broad and diverse, and an interdisciplinary formation enables the alumni an also diversified range of professional opportunities.

The emergency of a job market is no longer limited to national frontiers and the increasing interdependency of economic agents made companies worry about competition no longer just at local or regional level, but also to expand its performance beyond the national market. This favored International Relations professionals absorption by the private initiative, and its graduates are demanded by national and transnational enterprises, financial organizations, business class associations, chambers of commerce, and sectorial associations to act in the intersection between national and international markets. The International Relations bachelor is fit for making market surveys, diagnosis, scenarios, and analyzing companies international projection opportunities, as well negotiating and actualizing international agreements in specific areas and segments.

When it comes to the state, employability goes beyond the tradition entrance into diplomatic career. Central government and its foreign affairs offices still have the monopoly over controlling foreign policy, but the new scenario of international interdependence and the emergence of global problems that go beyond national frontiers took a number of state sectors – ministries; secretaries; superintendencies; public and mixed companies; provinces and cities – to project internationally for fund and investment raising, making international cooperation agreements, experiences and good practices exchanges. This has opened up new opportunities of work for International Relations bachelor as analysts and advisors at ministries, governmental agencies, municipal and provincial secretaries, consulates, and other foreign representations.

Job opportunities emerge as well in the field of security and national defense concerning the state realm. International networks of illicit activities such as international organized crime – cross-border trafficking of drugs, arms, people, organs, etc. – and the global terrorism demand states to establish transnational strategies of cooperation for its prevention and for fighting against it. Although it is still an incipient job market in Brazil, the state has hired International Relations bachelors as analysts and prevention and fighting strategies formulators for this kind of illicit activities, especially when it comes to deal with international cooperation between countries directly impacted by these problems.

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are another opportunity for work. International advocacy in fields as developing and sustainability; fighting poverty and environmental problems; mediation at zones of tensions and conflicts; acting in areas of disasters and catastrophes; cultural exchange; human rights and minorities defense, etc., demand international analysts for acting in fund raising and in formulating strategies for international cooperation. They can also act directly at zones of tensions and conflicts, for instance, as mediators for conflict resolution.

At last, international institutions and organizations as the United Nations System (UN), the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the Inter American Development Bank, the World Trade Organization, etc. – and regional integration blocs as the MERCOSUR, the European Union, the ASEAN, the NAFTA, the UNASUL, etc. – offer a diversified range of work that goes from conflict mediation and resolution until negotiations and the formulation of agreements and international treaties. International Relations bachelor can act at these organizations national representations in Brazil or in other countries around the world, as well directly in their international headquarters.

The International Relations bachelors must be convinced that their professional lives does not restrict to the local where it resides or to its country of origin. The job market for the graduate is the whole world, and for that he must uproot him or herself nationally and be able to deal with the diversity and the richness of human experience anywhere in the globe. They must be convinced that they can be today, in Brazil, dealing with the international insertion of a company, and, tomorrow, they can be handling with the effects of global warming in Tuvalu – a small Polynesian country in Oceania that is threatened to extinction due to the sea level raise.