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.

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.

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.

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.