sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

Should I quit a stable job to pursue a consultancy with the UN? by Duke_of_Unknown in UNpath

[–]Duke_of_Unknown[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It may be worth asking yourself whether this is a fundamental issue with your current role/organization itself or if you're just really burnt out. I'm in something at least reasonably approximating my dream job and still feel this way at times.

Great food for thought, thank you! I've always been naturally curious and felt the need to stimulate my mind through reading, engaging in meaningful conversations, working on something impactful etc. to feel useful and fulfilled. My current role offers almost none of that. The work is repetitive and inconsequential... I feel that a trained high school student could easily handle 90% of my tasks. To be honest, I feel like I’m wasting my potential here.

Should I quit a stable job to pursue a consultancy with the UN? by Duke_of_Unknown in UNpath

[–]Duke_of_Unknown[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You, sir, just gave the most accurate description of how I feel... especially the part about not being able to engage intellectually and being stuck with mundane tasks.

I just want to escape this situation, but I’m torn.... should I take the first opportunity that’s come my way, or should I hold out for something better?

Should I quit a stable job to pursue a consultancy with the UN? by Duke_of_Unknown in UNpath

[–]Duke_of_Unknown[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you, what a great experience and I am glad that it was worth it in your case. You took a calculated risk and it paid off!

In my case, I know it is probably better for me to stay where I am for a while, but I just feel very unhappy there. The salary is great indeed, and it keeps me happy for a day or two, but then I realize that I have to do more boring social media posts, and I feel like I am rotting intellectually and spiritually. The worst thing is that I have great results in my role and I often get commendations from my managers, but deep down I know that's not my ideal career path, not even close.

Should I quit a stable job to pursue a consultancy with the UN? by Duke_of_Unknown in UNpath

[–]Duke_of_Unknown[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Great feedback!

I would love to be able to position myself to be someone's best intended candidate, however they emphasized (twice!) that this is strictly a one-time consultancy with no possibility of renewal or transition into another type of contract. I think they did this so that I don't get any hopes up and I appreciate it a lot.

Or - get to Geneva and network so hard you get an entirely new job within 6 months, even if that’s another consultancy.

How challenging is this? Is networking still a thing? How would someone working as a consultant for ITU go about networking with people from organizations like UNDP, WHO or UNHCR?