The best thing about my job is being able to do what I love, working with children

Name: Mispah Mawusi Mamah

Study programme: Master of Philosophy Childhood Studies

Profession: Project coordinator at SOS Children's Villages Ghana

I better understand the different situations that shape people's way of life/habits as I work with people from diverse backgrounds.

What do you do at work? What are your tasks?

I manage an Oral Health Project. The project aims at helping children in basic schools aged 4-12 in Ghana to develop good oral care habits. As the coordinator of the project, my responsibilities include:

• Creating and maintaining comprehensive project documentation, plans, and reports
• Developing and maintaining partnerships with government institutions and development organizations
• Liaise with stakeholders in local communities for implementation of the project 
• Organize outreach activities to educate children on good oral care practices
• Arranging for accommodation for staff on outreach programs
• Create content of project activity updates for the organization’s website and social media handles
• Budget preparation and acquisition of logistics
• Responding to correspondences
• Scheduling and attending meetings

What is the best thing about your job?

I would say the best thing about my job is being able to do what I love, working with children.

How did you get this job, and how was your job-seeking process and journey after graduating?

After graduating, I returned to my home country Ghana. Even though securing a job in Ghana is particularly difficult because of the high numbers of qualified graduates, I was able to secure a job within six months. What helped me was that I offered myself for volunteer work with SOS Children's Villages Ghana. I did the volunteer work for two months and later on had the offer when the Project Coordinator position became vacant.

How do you use skills and knowledge earned from your studies in your job?

With my knowledge of social construction from Childhood Studies, I better understand the different situations that shape people's way of life/habits as I work with people from diverse backgrounds.

Did you work either part-time or voluntarily during your studies with something that are relevant for your job today? Did this help you during your job-seeking process after your studies?

Yes, I did part-time work even though not related to my current job it added value to my CV. Employers always look for work experience whether relevant to the job or not, it says a lot about the candidate's readiness to fit into the labour market.

What is your best job/career advice for our current students?

Think about post-graduation life, which career paths they would like to take and start working towards that whilst still in school. Search for opportunities for internship/volunteer work to gain professional experience. Take advantage of the alumni networks and connect with graduates that are doing well professionally.

Find a way to combine your studies with the social aspects

Name: Ida Farstad EnganIda Farstad Engan. Photo.

Study programme: Master of Philosophy in Childhood Studies

Childhood Studies gave me new perspectives on how to understand childhood and children's everyday life.

I have integrated the perspectives in my current position as a PhD at NTNU.

Read the whole interview with Ida (in Norwegian).

Finn en måte å kombinere det faglige og det sosiale på, slik at det blir gøy å studere

Navn: Ida Engan Farstad

Studieretning: Master of Philosophy Childhood Studies

Arbeider som: Stipendiat i pedagogikk

Childhood Studies ga meg nye perspektiver på hvordan man kan forstå barndom og barns hverdagsliv, som jeg har tatt med meg inn i jobben som stipendiat.

Tidligere relevante jobber

Jeg jobbet tidligere på Steinerbarnehagen Rotnissen.

Hva jobber du med?

Jeg er stipendiat i pedagogikk ved Institutt for pedagogikk og livslang læring. Jeg jobber med et forskningsprosjekt om barn som reiser alene, og i tillegg underviser jeg i fag på bachelor- og masternivå i pedagogikk.

Hva er det beste ved jobben din?

Å få muligheten til å fordype meg i tema som opptar meg, og å få ta del i et interessant fagmiljø.

Hvordan var veien til denne jobben etter studiene?

Jeg begynte å jobbe i barnehage rett etter jeg var ferdig med mastergraden, og det forsterket interessen min for å studere barns hverdagsliv. Da en relevant stipendiatstilling dukket opp sendte jeg inn en søknad og var så heldig at jeg fikk jobben.

Hvordan bruker du kompetansen fra studiene i jobben din?

Childhood Studies ga meg nye perspektiver på hvordan man kan forstå barndom og barns hverdagsliv, som jeg har tatt med meg inn i jobben som stipendiat.

Dine beste jobb- og karrieretips til de som studerer i dag:

Finn en måte å kombinere det faglige og det sosiale på, slik at det blir gøy å studere. Jeg har hatt både mye glede og faglig utbytte av å ha kollokviegrupper med medstudenter.

Jeg har fått god bruk for barnevennlig metode, både i møte med barn og i oppstart av nye aktiviteter for barn

Name: Mira Mariella Fiskum Myhr

Study programme: Master of Philosophy Childhood Studies

Profession: Regionrådgiver på Redd Barnas regionkontor i Trondheim

Bli frivillig i en organisasjon du brenner for, og vis engasjementet ditt også utenfor studiene.

Interview in Norwegian.

Hva jobber du med?

Jeg jobber som regionrådgiver på Redd Barnas regionkontor i Trondheim. Som regionrådgiver har jeg en mangfoldig hverdag, men mye tid går blant annet til å rekruttere, lære opp og følge opp frivillige i vår region. I tillegg til dette arrangerer vi også enkeltstående aktiviteter, besøker skoler eller holder markeringer

Tidligere relevante jobber

• Miljøarbeider i Røde Kors ved Danmarks største asylmottak
• Assistent ved barnehager i Danmark og Norge
• Assistent i en studie på vegne av Bolig- og urbanismedepartementet i Chile

Hva er det beste med jobben din?

At det er en meningsfull jobb.

Hvordan var veien til denne jobben etter studiene?

Siden jeg har flyttet til både Chile og Danmark etter studiene, har jeg hatt litt forskjellige jobber. I tillegg har jeg alltid vært frivillig i mange ulike organisasjoner, noe som gjorde det naturlig for meg å søke på jobb i en frivillig organisasjon som Redd Barna.

Hvordan bruker du kompetansen fra studiene i jobben din?

Redd Barna er en rettighetsbasert organisasjon, og barnekonvensjonen er dets viktigste arbeidsverktøy. Å komme med bakgrunn i Childhood Studies er derfor en stor fordel. I tillegg har jeg fått god bruk for barnevennlig metode, både i møte med barn og i oppstart av nye aktiviteter for barn.

Hadde du verv eller deltidsjobb i studietiden som er relevant for jobben din i dag, eller som bidro til at du fikk jobb etter studiene?

Jeg var frivillig i Redd Barna under studietiden, og har også vært frivillig i Redd Barna når jeg studerte i Oslo. Gjennom dette ble jeg godt kjent med organisasjonen og frivilligheten, noe som nok har bidratt positivt når jeg søkte på jobb senere.

Hva er dine beste jobb- og karrieretips til de som studerer i dag?

Bli frivillig i en organisasjon du brenner for, og vis engasjementet ditt også utenfor studiene.

Take up a job in which you will be using the skills you enjoy

Name: Jonnathan Mtonga

Study programme: Master of Philosophy in Childhood Studies

Profession: Monitoring and Evaluation manager

Having knowledge on how to work and conduct research with children gave me an upper-hand in being successful and professional.

Do you have any degree from other universities than NTNU?

I have a bachelor's degree from the University of Zambia.

Tell us about your carreer after you graduated from NTNU

2011 Profession (job title) Monitoring and Evaluation manager Employer Nathan Associates Earlier relevant jobs I previously worked for the following organisations: 1. Development Alternative Incorporation- Monitoring and Results Measurement specialist for Southern Africa. 2. Concern Worldwide-National Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator. 3. iSchool Zambia-Senior Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist.

What do you do at work?

I work on the Private Enterprise Programme Zambia (PEPZ) financed by DFID and is being implemented by Nathan Associates London. As member of the PEPZ senior management team, I provide specialist input and support to the Strategic Management Team.  I'm responsible for managing all evaluation, monitoring and value for money activities related to the programme. This includes ensuring the timely and effective implementation of PEPZ’s M&E systems such as the preparation of M&E sections of grantee contracts, the design of M&E frameworks at the intervention level, the collection and processing of monitoring data, as well as improving the design and efficiency of monitoring and evaluation tools. I also ensure that PEPZ has access to robust data and analysis to support evidence-based management decision making and reporting to DFID and other stakeholders. What is the best thing about your job? The bet thing about my jobs is that I collect data, analyse and used the findings to direct and influence decisions taken by management.

How did you get this job, and how was your job-seeking process and journey after graduating?

For my current job, I did not apply for it, the employer found my career profile online and contacted me to find out whether I would be interested to taking up the job. After a Skype call and few email exchanges, I was offered the job.  After graduating from NTNU, it only took me two months before finding a job.

How do you use skills and knowledge earned from your studies in your job?

My current and previous jobs involved a lot of data collection such as conducting interviews and focus group discussions and thereafter data analysis. These are skills that I greatly improved during my Masters program at NTNU and they have shaped my career.  In some of my previous jobs I used to work on projects that involved children in different setting. Having knowledge on how to work and conduct research with children gave me an upper-hand in being successful and professional.

Did you work either part-time or voluntarily during your studies with something that are relevant for your job today? Did this help you during your job-seeking process after your studies?

I did not work work either part-time or voluntarily during my studies. I however had worked part-time and volunteered with an NGO that works with street children before starting my Masters program at NTNU and I believe that this helped me during my job seeking process after my studies.

What is your best job/career advice for our current students?

Take up a job in which you will be using the skills you enjoy.  You should also never endeavour to network with people in your profession or in a profession that you plan to pursue, a good number of jobs/opportunities are not advertised but shared among networks and colleagues.

The best thing about my job? Dedicating 100% of my worktime to researching and learning about the topic that I am passionate about.

Name Anneke Kneppers

Study programme: Master of Philosophy Childhood Studies

Profession: PhD Candidate at the Department of Teacher Education, NTNU

Try to make the most out of your time as a student. Do well in your studies and find work or volunteering opportunities besides it.

What do you do at work? What are your tasks?

I do research for my PhD project, write articles and I teach general pedagogy and didactics at the department.

What is the best thing about your job?

Dedicating 100% of my worktime to researching and learning about the topic that I am passionate about. In addition, having deep conversations and exchanging thoughts with people who are in the same field of research.

How did you get this job, and how was your job-seeking process and journey after graduating? How do you use skills and knowledge earned from your studies in your job?

After graduation from the master, I worked again as a primary school teacher while I was searching for other jobs and PhD positions. 

The MPhil in Childhood Studies is an excellent preparation for applying for a PhD. I was able to write a good project proposal because I had gained knowledge about different theoretical perspectives in the social sciences while I could also use my practical experience as a teacher. I was also able to engage with high quality research concerning children.

Did you work either part-time or voluntarily during your studies with something that is relevant for your job today? Did this help you during your job-seeking process after your studies?

I worked as a substitute teacher assistant during my masters and also did volunteering work with Redd Barna. I think it definitely helped my to become familiar with the Norwegian work environment.

What is your best job/career advice for our current students?

Try to make the most out of your time as a student - do well in your studies and find work or volunteering opportunities besides it. It is helpful to start building a network.

It is crucial for broader perspectives and resilient approaches in any job sector

Name: Tanu Biswas

Study programme: Master of Philosophy Childhood Studies

Profession: Postdoctoral scholar at the University of Bayreuth (Affiliated through Independent Fund)

The best thing about my job is that I get to participate in the global knowledge production industry and raise awareness of the marginalised position of children in academia and beyond.

What do you do at work? What are your tasks?

I am an independent postdoctoral researcher working in the field of Childism research on the intersections of Education, Childhood Studies and Philosophy. 

Previously as a docent at University of Bayreuth my tasks included teaching, student counselling and research support.

What is the best thing about your job?

That I get to participate in the global knowledge production industry and raise awareness of the marginalised position of children in academia and beyond. That I can continue writing and philosophising about subjects that matter to me with people who have similar aims. This is especially meaningful as we are in a time where future generations will pay very high costs which result from the choices of adultist systems in an overheated, postcolonial world. I love the opportunities I get to teach in international contexts.

How did you get this job, and how was your job-seeking process and journey after graduating?

I got it through my academic network.

How do you use skills and knowledge earned from your studies in your job?

It is a continuation of what I learned during the MPhil degree, at a higher level. Since the programme included a state of art childhood studies curriculum and our classroom was completely international with a balanced north-south representation - it has helped me in my teaching duties as well as research activities.

What is your best job/career advice for our current students?

It is important to recognise the niche programme you are part of as good as possible and integrate it in both your future work. It won't be easy and there will be resistance, especially since interdisciplinary backgrounds are 'hard to sell'. At the same time, it is crucial for broader perspectives and resilient approaches in any job sector. So that can work to your advantage if you let it work for you!