Bushwacking Through the Job Jungle

by Faye Dresner

What I love most about the nonprofit world is the variety of types of work one can do. Granted, I’m the quintessential multi-tasker who isn’t happy unless I have multiple irons in the fire. My career has not been a “point A to point B” kind of journey. I’ve been the “bushwhacker,” working my way through the maze of jobs and opportunities like navigating the thick underbrush of the jungle. I watch for openings and when they appear before me, if it seems like a good idea, I walk through them. It’s how I ended up doing what I’m doing now.

Some people seem to be born knowing exactly what they want to be “when they grow up.” And others, like me who aren’t sure, explore many different possibilities and often become what I fondly refer to as “a generalist.” We generalists have strong generic skills – we communicate well, are critical thinkers, adapt to change, learn quickly, build relationships easily, and can handle ambiguity (in fact, some would say, thrive on it). The nonprofit world is replete with wonderful opportunities for generalists if you have the itch for constant change and are looking for something different from a traditional career path.

My first inkling that I was a “generalist” was when I landed my first management position in a nonprofit as the assistant director. After working in delivering services to clients for a number of years, suddenly I was overseeing the planning and implementation of both programs and meetings, in addition to supervising staff. About a year later, a position in the agency opened up to write training curriculum, and do workshop facilitation. While I may not have been the most qualified person for the job, I was interested (and available which didn’t hurt), and jumped at the chance to do something new. Initially, the path was rocky, but luckily for me, the director of the agency was willing to mentor me. The skills I used as assistant director actually translated fairly easily into that of training director. Planning a meeting did not differ greatly from planning a workshop. Creating a curriculum was similar to developing a program. Six months into the job, I had learned enough about the subject matter to begin training other trainers.

From that point on, most of the positions I have taken have all required some combination of general skills. I communicate, present, facilitate, analyze, manage, strategize, and problem solve in diverse arenas that range from aging to affordable housing. I’ve become knowledgeable on many subjects, but an expert in none. I’ve moved from department to department and job to job in several different agencies because my skills were relevant to all. The challenge, which I took to readily, was to learn the subject matter quickly. It seems a logical conclusion that I now work as a consultant using my “general” set of skills to tackle a broad range of problems in a diverse group of nonprofits.

If you have a particular vocational dream or goal and the tools to support pursuing it, your direction should be obvious. But if you are unsure of how you fit in the nonprofit world or what kind of work would be satisfying to you – don’t despair. Make an inventory of your skills (see my article in this column entitled The Archaeological Dig for more on how to do that), figure out what kind of environment you’d like to be in, and decide what salary you need to make. Concentrate on locating a job in which your “generalist” abilities are in demand, the setting fits your criteria, and the mission resonates with your personal values. Then suspend any preconceived notions about your future in the position or agency, and stay open to possibilities. And remember, they don’t always manifest in the way you might imagine. One of my best experiences was negotiating a dispute between the owner of a trailer park and an adjoining neighborhood association. Was it out of my range of experience? Perhaps. But I had really good facilitation skills, and that was the critical factor to a good outcome.

If you can communicate, strategize, analyze, think critically, and build relationships, and are more focused on what you’re doing than what the job title is, you may be a generalist. And good general skills are in demand. Savvy leaders and directors understand the value of the generalist, and if you’re flexible, you may find yourself being offered opportunities and experiences you never imagined.

Faye Dresner

Faye Dresner is the founder of Dresner Consulting, LLC which she started to help tap the power of nonprofits and philanthropists to affect change. For over two decades, Faye has served in director-level positions with a variety of nonprofits which has taught her that when a person finds work that is personally fulfilling and life enhancing, both employer and employee benefit.

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