Humanitarian Careers For Christian Students
What does humanitarian work imply, and how can you build a career in this area?
In this piece, we explore how young Christians can combine their faith and career to make a difference in the world.
We’ll be taking you through what it means to serve others through your work, how to understand your calling, and how faith can guide your decisions in this important area of your life.
You’ll also learn what are some key considerations for humanitarian careers as Christian students, what university programs you can explore, and how these will have a real impact on global issues.
What Qualifies As Humanitarian Work?
In essence, humanitarian work is about saving lives, reducing suffering, and building lasting solutions that can reduce the negative effects and help with risk prevention and management.
It’s especially important now more than ever, as 360 million people needed humanitarian assistance worldwide in 2023 alone, according to the U.N. Secretary-General, compared to 136 million people in 2017, as provided by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
People often think of providing food, shelter, and medical care after natural disasters, or long-term efforts like rebuilding communities, advocating for human rights, and supporting minorities.
The most impactful humanitarian work is often much more niche, helping specific highly neglected populations who are suffering from preventable diseases or from extreme poverty.
How To Choose The Right Degrees For Humanitarian Careers?
Honestly, it depends. It’s not a one-size-fits-all.
If your area of interest is tackling global poverty, degrees in economics, finance, marketing or communications are frequently sought after.
These are some of the degrees needed for impactful roles helping humanitarian organizations, including monitoring and evaluation experts, economists, communicators, grantmakers, financial planners, and fundraisers.
To get started, we’ve highlighted below some undergraduate and postgraduate programs you can consider when planning a career in humanitarian work:
Undergraduate Degrees
Economics: Learn to manage resources, markets, and financial decision-making to support marginalized communities.
Communications: Study how to convey messages effectively across cultures and platforms, and how to reach potential donors.
Social Sciences: Explore human behavior, society, and social systems. Especially useful is to do this with a quantitative dimension/
International Relations / Politics: Study global politics, policy, and international cooperation.
Environmental Sciences: Address key environmental challenges and identify sustainable solutions.
Postgraduate Degrees
Economics PhD: Study advanced techniques for resource management and global financial systems.
Master’s in Public Policy: Learn to design and influence policies that shape society.
Master’s in Public Health: Focus on global health issues, prevention, and community well-being.
Master’s of Business Administration (MBA): Develop leadership and management skills to build organizations that can make an impact.
But above all, think of God throughout your entire academic and career journey.
Your education is more than advancing in your career or “climbing the corporate ladder.”
It’s a way to serve God and care for His children. Keep seeking His guidance at every crossroad, and trust that God will direct your steps.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)
When asked about the most challenging part of his job as a Christian, Dave Jones, Chief Development Officer at ICM, gives us a perfect example of why what matters the most is to show up as a follower of Christ first and then focus on doing great work:
“Staying focused on being a Christian. You know, the reality is that it’s easy to take any job and turn it into a process, and part of that is good. It helps you be more effective and efficient, but it can become rough. Sometimes, you can go about your business of doing whatever you’re doing in the ministry and forget to wake up that day and say, “God, you need to fill me with your Spirit today. And I know that there’s no good thing in me except for you living through me. So, please, Lord, give me the words to say today and help people see Christ because I showed up.’ And when you forget to do that, and you forget to be that, they don’t see Christ; they see you, and that’s not nearly as good.”
How To Choose A Career According To The Bible?
While there’s more than one answer, the Bible gives us some beautiful guidance here:
“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” (James 1:5)
“Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.” (Proverbs 19:17)
“There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.” (Deuteronomy 15:11)
God teaches us to pursue the education that prepares us to follow the path that He has set up for us.
If in doubt, one way to think about your impact in a humanitarian career is by considering how many people you help and how much you improve their lives, particularly over a longer period.
If you come across an opportunity that enables you to help more people and in more significant ways, that can be a good sign that the path is from God.
(Source: 80000hours.org)
How To Know If An Opportunity Is From God?
We all face important decisions in life, some of which carry immense implications for our future, like choosing your career as a Christian student. As followers of Jesus, we are blessed to approach every opportunity with prayer and discernment. In this regard, we encourage people to ask the following questions:
✅ Does this opportunity align with Scripture?
God will never lead you into something that contradicts His Word. If it goes against your faith and Scripture teachings, that might be a sign to reconsider.
✅ Does it honor other key areas of your life?
Our work is extremely important, but also important is our relationship to our families, our friendships, physical and mental health, and church community. If an opportunity forces you to neglect or damage these areas of life, think carefully before proceeding.
✅ Does it help you to grow in gifts and talents?
If an opportunity allows you to to grow in skills and talents that you can later use to serve others, for His glory, that’s a good sign.
✅ Does it allow you to have an impact?
Any opportunity from God will not just satisfy your checklist.
Does it allow you to serve others?
Some helpful questions to ask yourself are:
Would this opportunity enable me to earn more that I can give away to effective charities?
Would this opportunity have an especially high direct impact, greater than other opportunities I’ve considered?
Would this opportunity position me to be able to have more impact in the future?
Before making your final choice, we recommend praying these 5 things before choosing your degree or major.
And, regardless of where you are in your journey, you may benefit from reading The Christian Guide to an Impactful Career.
What Does The Bible Say About Social Entrepreneurship?
“In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” (Acts 20:35)
The Bible supports using resources to serve others and care for His creation.
If you’re drawn to an entrepreneurial path, you can focus on building a for-profit or non-profit organization that addresses social needs, creates jobs, and fosters economic growth in underserved areas.
What counts as social entrepreneurship?
Social entrepreneurship involves starting businesses or organizations that exist not just to make a profit but to solve social problems. The key is to build a business that helps create lasting positive impact.
What is faith-based entrepreneurship?
Essentially, faith-based entrepreneurship is driven by the principles of faith and the teachings of the Bible, and using those to inform your business practices and decisions. It focuses on the intentional act of serving others and utilizing your platform to glorify God.
A great example of faith-based entrepreneurship is the work of Henry Kaestner and his Faith-Driven Movements.
Social and faith-based entrepreneurship have something in common: both are driven by a desire to make a positive impact on society and help alleviate the negative effects of the world’s most pressing problems.
Expert Spotlight: Joy is a non-profit called Vida Plena that tackles poor mental health in Latin America. Listen to our podcast episode on Tackling Depression Among Ecuadorian Poor & Refugees to learn more about her story and find the inspiration (and practical steps) you need to embark on your own journey.
Building Careers In Humanitarian Work: Final Thoughts
Ultimately, building a career in humanitarian work means more than choosing a degree or landing the right job. It’s about responding to God’s call to serve others with compassion and wisdom.
Start by seeking His guidance in prayer and Scripture. Be intentional about improving the gifts He’s given you, and trust that He has equipped you to meet real needs in the world.
Even when an opportunity might feel intimidating or even overwhelming, as long as it aligns with His mission and allows you to serve others, it might be exactly what you need.
If you’re unsure where to start, we’re here to offer free 1-on-1 advice to help you get back on track. And don’t just take our word for it. Here’s what our mentees have to say:
“You realise that JD is very well connected, has a lot of experience with mentoring and gives useful tips on career planning. Unlike many other career mentors, the support doesn't stop at the calls with him, he also connects mentees with experienced sector specialists, or people who had similar questions and career plans. I thank God for this great mentoring session.” (Jacob)
“The way everything was conducted helped me organize my ideas, and find some guidance. I am very thankful for this first call, it already helped me a lot, and gave me lots to think of!” (Karen)
“It felt like Vesa took the time to get to know me and had read up on me and my application. He could thereby offer the most tailored advice. I also appreciated how he took notes throughout the call!” (Alexander)
