All walks of life

Our guest blogger today is Meera Shankar, who is head of Career Services at SAIS Bologna. She is also director of Alumni Relations. It is no coincidence that we link careers and alumni: there is a close relationship between students and alumni, who serve as mentors, guides and sounding boards for our students as they explore the wide variety of job opportunities that await SAIS graduates.


SAIS students are curious and have a genuine interest in such a variety of subjects, regions, cultures and languages that one of the most difficult things is to decide what to do professionally.

The program at SAIS starts people on paths that lead them around the world. In Career Services, we work with students as soon as they set foot on campus to help them understand what their options are and think through how they want to manage their careers.

I have just concluded a trip to London with a group of students. We visited a mix of think tanks, political risk companies and human rights organizations. I am on my way to meet another group in Brussels to visit public relations and lobbying firms, consultancies and European institutions.

During our meetings, students have a chance to speak to people who are doing the work that they themselves might want to do. The idea is to enable students to make informed choices about their careers.

The multidisciplinary approach to studies at SAIS enables graduates to be successful and effective in careers that vary as widely as their interests, and for this, nothing illustrates the point better than our alumni. Our graduates go into all walks of life -- you can find them in top positions in government around the world, banking, consulting, journalism, grassroots development and conflict management.

Not only are they leading people in their fields, but they are also extremely generous with their time and advice in helping students define their own career paths.

Meera Shankar

For more information on some of the career services we offer, click here.

Tomorrow: Photo gallery