MA Poverty & Development alumna Molly Charker (class of 2020) works as a strategist at a creative agency for social impact, Shape History, who look after IDS’s web development. She shares how she has applied the knowledge and skills she learnt at IDS to the roles she has secured since graduating.
Prior to studying at IDS, I completed my BA in Human Geography at Sussex University, so I got a taste for IDS while I studied on the same campus.
During my BA, I explored cultural geography and therefore chose the Poverty and Development course, as it allowed me to expand on this knowledge into niche areas, such as security and conflict. The course enabled me to delve deeper into different case studies from lecturers who studied their knowledge area in the field, which allowed me to build on what I learnt at Sussex.
My dissertation
My dissertation was titled ‘Does the Othering of Kenyan Somalis and other minority groups, by Kenyan counter-terrorism strategies, contribute to a sustained Al-Shabaab Presence in North Eastern Kenya?’ As my MA unfortunately fell over COVID, I had limited access to library resources and contact time with my supervisor, so the dissertation was solely based on secondary research.
My interest in counterterrorism piqued during my BA, where I began to focus on Cultural and Imaginative Geographies. My MA then offered modules in conflict and security and allowed space to dive deeper into this area.
Finding a community at IDS
The most memorable thing about IDS was being surrounded by likeminded people from all over the world with the most interesting stories. What was most surprising is that I was one of the few that had joined IDS straight from an undergraduate degree – a lot of students were older and had taken time out of jobs to study an MA to further their career, which just shows you are never too old to learn something new! It was also interesting to study alongside people who already had careers in international development.
Career development
Having an MA from IDS has helped in my career, as when I entered the charity/development space, I had the background knowledge to then apply real world issues to my day job. For example, working at a Pakistani education charity, I used my knowledge around conflict points and development spaces to support the charity’s communication and secure donations.
Working at Shape History
I now work at a creative agency for social impact, Shape History, as a strategist and I am lucky enough to be working with the IDS team while we develop their website, which has been so much fun as I understand exactly what IDS needs! We recently undertook a big project to help IDS organise its website content into six themes, to make the organisational narrative more cohesive to current and prospective stakeholders.
My MA has also provided me with key research skills, which I use in my current role, along with thinking outside the box to solve problems and write complex issues in a digestible format for different audiences. All my clients are charities, foundations and institutions working towards the Sustainable Development Goals, so I apply the development knowledge I gained at IDS every single day.
If you’re willing to put in the hard work and commitment, studying at IDS is extremely rewarding and I have nothing but fond memories of being part of the community. Living in Brighton is an added bonus to studying at IDS – the city is vibrant, inclusive and full of fun spots, and of course the beach! I have the fondest memories of Brighton and have made some lifelong friends – I can’t wait to move back there one day!
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