Building your own Bridges and Expanding your Horizons: how to Develop your Career in Foreign Policy

Author: Daniela Segovia

Daniela Segovia is a Foreign Policy Advisor. She is a Lecturer at the Ortega y Gasset Research Institute (Mexico) and contributes as an Opinion Columnist (Enlace Global) at the Mexican news agency Subrayado.mx.  Her previous experience includes the UN Leadership Program (Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean); the Doctoral School of Latin American, European and Comparative Regionalism (Andean University Simon Bolívar / UN University); and doctoral research in Global Governance (Organization of American States / Andes University in Colombia). She holds a BA in Political Science (Central University of Venezuela), an MA in History of the Americas (Catholic University Andrés Bello); and a Master in Careers in International Organizations (University of Granada).

I am a political scientist by training and a policymaker. Being one more number in a statistic of the Venezuelan migrants, I moved to Mexico in 2018. After working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in my home country for more than a decade, I had to reframe my professional life in a new context. I would like to share with you some advice from my own journey throughout Diplomacy, Academia, and NGOs. 

Adapting to new realities (including Technology and Digital Marketing)  

The best way to discover opportunities is diving into the unknown. In my own journey to develop and expand my views beyond my former career as a diplomat, I discovered the world of NGOs. It’s important to ask yourself what is your strength? What social issues inspires you the most? How can you contribute to get a better world? 

Coming from Venezuela, it could appear that the local context would be familiar to me in Mexico, but living here I have realised that despite many shared aspects of our history, the challenges we are facing are tremendously diverse. I wanted to use my primary area of expertise, but as a foreigner, I was not able to work in a governmental agency.  

 I found Yo quiero Yo puedo (which means “I want to I can”), a Mexican not-for-profit organisation dedicated to facilitating development in a framework of gender equality so that people can become agents of change in their own lives, families and communities. One of the development challenges that worries me the most is women’s lives and the macho culture, especially child marriage in some communities in the country. 

I used to work in diplomacy but, while working for Yo quiero Yo puedo, I had to learn new tools. Working in a Communications and Partnerships role was challenging as I had to advocate for a cause using new methods, including social media, such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Technology is increasing its impact on the ways institutions and NGOs do their work, and after COVID-19, this will be more evident. So it’s a good idea to learn how to use these new tools that will help you throughout your career.

Continually learning and growing 

Updating and training activities are crucial. Even if you have a PhD, continuous learning through seminars, courses and fellowships is very important, not only in terms of gaining new knowledge but also to get inspiration.

These kinds of activities offer you an amazing opportunity to reflect, create and draw on new insights that leverage your own path. Also, it lets you build great networks that can take your work to the next level. 

In my case, I was chosen as a Policy Leader Fellow at the European University Institute (EUI) in Italy in 2018. I was also selected for the Eisenhower Fellowship program in the U.S. in 2019 and travelled around the United States working on my own project to help Latin American migrants in the Americas. At the mid-stage of my career, I learnt how valuable on-the-ground experience in policy-making is and how to use it to reach new audiences (e.g. think tanks, media, universities, communities). These fellowships also taught me how to express my own perspectives as a woman in the foreign policy and at the same time be confronted by new approaches and understandings that I had not previously considered.  Synergy is the key concept to explain the outcome that this type of exchange offers you to resize your career and project. 

Fellowships, courses and training activities are a good chance to meet new people with common interests, and at the same time help you to face new challenges with a renewed perspective. Don’t hesitate to apply!

Broaden your audience and connect the dots

I already mentioned the power of networking, but academia, think tanks and the media can also be wonderful places to promote your message, information and expertise. There are many opportunities to spread your insights (e.g. blogs, podcasts, specialised journals). For instance, the Carnegie New Leaders Program is a great platform to connect with like-minded individuals from diverse sectors and backgrounds and to learn from a wide variety of experts. 

Both teaching and writing force you to be informed and to steadily analyse the most relevant and recent events in international politics. So, these are great ways to hone your analytical skills. 

Final Pieces of Advice

I had to reinvent myself after working in the same job for almost 12 years and had a fresh start as an immigrant. Don’t be afraid to jump from one field to another (e.g. academia, media, government, non-governmental organisations) and to build your own bridges. The most important things are that you stay focused on your core interests (e.g. human rights, environment, gender, democracy) and never ever betray your values. 

Edited by Ashvini Rae

Published 22nd June 2020