WASHINGTON, DC – Elliott School students of all ages and disciplines gathered on Wednesday evening to gain insight into how best to use their international affairs degrees. Elliott School alumnus Hussain Nadim, BA ’10, brought his experience as a senior expert on Pakistan at the U.S. Institute of Peace to explain to students how he was able to use his degree to lead to his successes, among them, being recognized in 2016 as a “Forbes 30 Under 30 Global Leader in Law and Policy.”
Nadim started the evening by giving students a reassuring message. “I had no idea what I was going to do with my international affairs degree,” he told the students, generating a large sigh of relief. “But that doesn’t mean you should not be thinking about it.” Nadim emphasized the importance of creating a plan and thinking big.
“We’re living in a post-job era,” Nadim told the students. “It is important for you to think beyond the typical 9-5 jobs.” Nadim noted that with today’s technological advancements, many jobs that their parents and grandparents had sought after college are now conducted through Artificial Intelligence. He encouraged students to think beyond the traditional employers and to choose issues they are passionate about. It is not about the organization or company, he noted, but instead about the impact you want to make that will drive your future career.
Nadim commended the students for choosing to study international affairs, as it is a field that provides a wide-ranging interdisciplinary education. In his experiences recruiting and hiring employees for various government and private agencies, Nadim has appreciated those candidates who are able to look beyond the conventional and use a broader worldview to solve a problem.
As someone who has made it his goal to have lunch or dinner with someone new every day, Nadim also encouraged students to reach out to people in their field of interest. “People are generally nicer than you think,” he assured students, “They will be willing to help.”
Read more about Hussain Nadim’s Recent Alumni Achievement Award, presented during Alumni Weekend 2016.
This event was sponsored by Elliott School Alumni Programs.
For more information please visit https://elliott.gwu.edu/alumni.
###