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What major(s) should I choose to work in the human trafficking area or in the terrorism area?

I am currently enrolling into a collegiate high school so that I may graduate high school with my associates degree, however the final part in the process requires me to choose a major. I would like any information at all regarding internships or majors I should choose or if I should double major or any details at all regarding job details because a lot of things online is not specific enough or if there is any websites you recommend... all would be greatly appreciated! #college-major #law #major #human-trafficking #criminal #terrorism

college-major law major criminal human-trafficking terrorism
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Chris’s Answer

Hi Helen,

There are many majors you could choose. I think Social Work is a great choice as it allows you to do just about anything you want. If you want to go a step further than a Bachelor's degree, you can get a MSW or law degree. I have a very close friend here in Houston who is an attorney and she has devoted most of her career to just human trafficking and helping victims of human trafficking. She's a great resource for all of it. I suggest you talk to some individuals who have been doing both types of work and ask what degrees they got and about their career path.

Chris Parker, MA, LCSW
Thank you comment icon I have tried to find contacts of poeple who work in these areas but they are all cybersecurity and I dont like tech., but if you and your friend are ok with sending me her email that would be great! Thank you for the tips about social work and MSW! It is greatly appreciated, thank you! Helen
Thank you comment icon Hi Helen, My attorney/friend who has devoted her career to human trafficking is Ann Johnson. She has a private practice with another attorney. Here is the link to her website and contact information: https://www.johnsonmartinez.com/contact# I'm sure she would be glad to speak with you as she is also a teacher at the law school and does much educating in the community about human trafficking. Chris Parker, LCSW Chris Parker
Thank you comment icon Thank you very much for your help! I will check it out! Helen
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yoonji’s Answer, CareerVillage.org Team

Hi Helen,

You've gotten interesting insights from Chris and Taylor thus far. There are a lot of different paths to working in human trafficking and/or terrorism.

Since you have a deep interest in these two fields, the next thing I would think about would be what career you'd like to have. Do you want to go work for a think tank, NGO/nonprofit, or the government? For a think tank or NGO/nonprofit, I'd think about a degree in international affairs or international development. If you'd like to work in the government one day and fight this good fight overseas as a foreign service officer or in Washington, DC at the State Department, Dept. of Justice, or Dept. of Labor, I'd look into a degree in public policy or law. Do you like to write and travel? Perhaps you could do double major in journalism and international affairs so that you could be on the human trafficking/terrorism beat. Are you interested in tech? You could work for an NGO like Thorn that is using AI to combat child abuse and helps with trafficking of minors or work for a tech giant that is using tech for good.

After that, I would consider your regional interests. Do you speak a second language? (If you don't that's fine but some majors like international affairs will have you study a second language. You can be strategic and consider learning a language that the US government deems critical and get access to scholarships this way, see https://exchanges.state.gov/cls for more info.) Do you have an interest in a particular region of the world like East Asia, the Middle East, or Latin America? You can combine these interests and work them into your studies and career choice.

The options are truly limitless! Feel free to post a follow-up question in the comment section of this answer if you have any. Good luck with your studies!

yoonji, CareerVillage.org Team recommends the following next steps:

Study a second language/explore language scholarships (https://exchanges.state.gov/cls)
Research different career paths of interest
Explore the profiles of professionals whose job you'd like to have in the future on LinkedIn to study their education and career path
Speak/do informational interviews with professionals in this field to dive deeper and learn more
Thank you comment icon Thank you so much for your helpful information! I am looking into working with the government but working with nonprofit organizations also interests me so I may look into that. I do speak another language, (arabic) but I am planning on helping in human trafficking or terrorism in the middle east and east European areas such as Russia so I am planning on taking Russian hopefully, but I was wondering if I work there, would I be living there for approximately how long? And I do love traveling so I am fine with it! Again thank you so much for your help! Also would I be able to double major in international affairs or relations AND counter terrorism? Helen
Thank you comment icon Wow! You speak Arabic?! That is amazing, Helen! It's such an important, strategic language to have in your skillset. In regards to your question on how long you would work there, it is really up to you. You could find yourself working for an NGO or a company out in eastern Europe and find that you love the work you're doing and enjoy living out there and want to stay for a while. You could find yourself in the Peace Corps and only have a 2 year stint (I'd also highly suggest checking out the Peace Corps, it really opens up doors when you apply to government jobs.) (Pt. 1 of 2) yoonji KIM, Admin
Thank you comment icon (Pt. 2) As for majors, I'm not sure if undergrad universities offer counterterrorism majors. They might have this for the masters level so do some research into that to confirm. If they don't offer a specific major on counterterrorism, I'd research universities you are interested in and see what the professors within the International Affairs program are focusing their research on counterterrorism. You could take a lot of their classes or be a research assistant for them to build up your knowledge. (You can check out my other answer related to an IA major here for more insights: https://www.careervillage.org/questions/128319/what-are-the-best-colleges-for-international-relations._ Do a little research and feel free to shoot me a follow-up question! Hope this is helpful :) yoonji KIM, Admin
Thank you comment icon Thank you again for all your help! This information is very beneficial! Helen
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Taylor’s Answer



Hi Helen.


It sounds to like a Criminal Justice degree would be just perfect for you. Helen, since you are interested in a double major may I suggest Social Work that way you will have some idea of how to help the people who are being trafficked. Helen, if fighting terrorism is the area that you are interested in pursuing then I think that Political Science would be your best bet.


Helen,

I know that whatever major you choose to pursue you have a very bright future ahead of you and I am glad to have been able to be a part of it.


Good luck


Taylor

Taylor recommends the following next steps:

Helen, ask your local Police Department if you can be a shadow for a shift or two.
Thank you comment icon Thank you so much! I will keep a note of all of these! Helen
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