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.