MA in Global Affairs

Fahad Malik, 2012

Fahad  Malik

What work are you doing now?

I work as a Linguist/ Media Analyst for a government contract. I provide translations, summaries, and overviews of what is going on in various foreign media circles on various topics. I will soon be moving into a new position as a Research Analyst with another government client, for which I will use my expertise on regional international relations for clients within the US government.

What do you like about it?

My job allows me to use my skills in multiple languages and thus provides me the opportunity to improve and polish those skills, while at the same time giving me the opportunity to use and expand upon my knowledge of international politics and global affairs that I gained through my academic career at Mason.

How did your degree in the college prepare you to do this work?

My MA degree in global affairs at George Mason University provided me with the advanced knowledge that I needed to move ahead in my career. In particular, it helped me to understand how a number of aspects of the human system that may seem unrelated at first, such as politics, migration, human rights issues, the environment, economy, and security issues, are in fact deeply interconnected. Various courses from my master's degree at Mason provided me with the insights I required to further enhance the work I do at my job.

What advice would you give current students about developing their careers?

While the scope of a bachelor's or even master's degree can be quite broad, and necessarily so, it is important to find your niche as far as what you are passionate about within your field of study. This will help in clarifying where you would like your career path to lead. Furthermore, do not underestimate the power of expanding your network while you are at the early stages of developing your career. Not only will it provide contacts into branches of a career that you may not have even been aware about, it will help to increase your insights about what you want to do.