NextBillion.net - Development Through Enterprise - Guest Post: Glory and Riches? Unraveling Microfinance's Allure among Young Job-Seekers - Comments

For those desiring that competitive internship...

Lauren Withey — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 17:37:40 -0500

Thanks for reading and for the feedback. If you want to make an early entrance onto the microfinance scene, be sure to check out the Microfinance Gateway's job site at http://microfinancegateway.org/content/jobs/ It contains postings ranging from volunteer and internship positions up through fund directors. And even if you're not quite qualified for that senior associate slot, reading the job requirements and descriptions can help give you a sense of the routes you might consider taking to get there a few years hence.

I am an undergraduate at a

Crawford — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 23:48:37 -0500

I am an undergraduate at a competitive private school, and I REALLY dig microfinance. Great article, thanks!

Guest Post: Glory and Riches? Unraveling Microfinance's Allure among Young Job-Seekers

Francisco Noguera — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 07:35:06 -0500

Guest blogger Lauren Withey is a research assistant for the World Resources Report at the World Resources Institute, in Washington D.C.

By Lauren Withey

It used to be that most U.S. college graduates, perhaps after spending a few years testing their penchants for various occupations or getting a second degree, would expect to settle into a consistent office job for the rest of their working lives. Attending a Microfinance Research Symposium at Georgetown University last week reminded me why such a smooth career path has become increasingly the exception rather than the rule among young job seekers today.

The Symposium was organized by FINCA International, a non-profit microfinance institution founded in 1984. Its first project was to create a group lending system - a "Village Bank" - in Bolivia. The success of this enterprise led to the growth of an extensive franchise network of these village banks, which now spans 21 countries, and serves over 700,000 clients.

The NGO's annual Research Symposium consists of presentations by the winners of a call for papers. The papers use FINCA's extensive client data, which is collected around the world each summer by Fellows, to advance the microfinance research agenda.

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