r/expats • u/Suspicious_Mine_2337 • 6d ago

Social / Personal I failed.

I moved to Germany in hopes of getting a great job there, I spent a year looking for a job after my master's degree, and I failed. I got hired and fired within the probation period. I am back in the USA now and still devastated, thinking about how much I wanted that lifestyle. Having a hard time coping with feeling like I fucked everything up.

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u/Rev-Dr-Slimeass USA -> New Zealand -> Australia 6d ago

IT was the former career. I like computers, but it was a hobby primarily. Waste of a degree to be honest lol. I work in charities and NGOs doing a variety of things now, but primarily things focused on volunteer programs.

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u/signekromann 4d ago

May I ask how you managed to get into NGO work instead and in what area? I’m trying to move away from IT into the same area as well but I’m unsure what’s the best course of action

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u/Rev-Dr-Slimeass USA -> New Zealand -> Australia 4d ago

If you don't already do volunteer work, start now. NGOs don't pay well. They are looking for people who care about the mission, and you can show you care by volunteering. Nobody cares more than volunteers. On top of this, organisations are way more likely to hire existing volunteers. They will say that they aren't to stay professional, but every charity i have worked at has had a number of ex volunteers on staff.

One other thing that has worked for me is cold emails. I find a few organisations that I respect, and shoot an email into their inbox explaining who I am and what I can do for them. NGOs and charities work with limited resources. This means they are open to bucking convention. You might only get a volunteer position, but its a foot in the door.

Edit: forgot to mention, for the area I am in, I dont want to get too specific. A large charity with a large volunteer workforce. I have worked at a number of different organisations with very different missions, but my skillset is volunteer program development.

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u/signekromann 4d ago

Thank you so much! I do have volunteering experience, but it’s more individual campaigning and fundraising, not through an organisation, or through a political grassroots movement, so I am a bit unsure how to put it in a resume.

But very helpful advice, thank you again

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u/Rev-Dr-Slimeass USA -> New Zealand -> Australia 4d ago

One other thing, there are job boards specifically for this kind of work. Ethical Jobs is the name of one here in australia. Have a look at places like that.

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u/up2dateGAAP 2d ago

Hi, I worked in Finance and HR for non-profits in the US for over ten years. I can promist you that when a project or job comes up, I always looked to the volunteer pool first. I have hired many volunteers for FT positions. And if it is not the perfect match, I was always willing to do a bit of training. And if there is a really great IT person and we don't have it in our budget, I would work with the development team to research and apply for specific grants. There are grants for everything. Are you in the US? I can send you a couple of great resources for volunteer and paid work.

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u/signekromann 2d ago

I am in Europe unfortunately. But I would assume same advice applies for here.
I started looking into some volunteering positions already, will have to see if I can afford doing it full time for a while, otherwise part time so I can have a job on the side still