I really like what I do. I mean, I REALLY like it. Every day I have the opportunity to improve people’s lives. This can be through implementing craft training programs to help them gain the skills to enter high-paying careers, building the capacity of their business to increase their workforce, and work with international business partners to bring in new technologies and investment.
Remember I said “opportunity”, because this is not easy and successes are far from a daily occurrence. It requires a lot of work and partnerships within my organization and strong collaboration outside my organization.
I hadn’t even heard of economic development before I entered my MBA program. This international journey has taken me from donor programs to the private sector to nonprofits and for the last decade working in the extractive industry.
Every day on the job brings me into contact with technical experts, supply chain professionals, local entrepreneurs, and government stakeholders. Every day also brings the real opportunity to improve the lives of people in the countries and communities we operate.
As economic development and sustainability practitioners I hope you can take something from my experience and improve your results, because the work you do and the impact you have is significant.
-Shaun
