RECAP: Career Café

For some time already, we have been receiving requests for more information about career possibilities. The first Career Café was an event designed to create an environment where both comfortable and uncomfortable questions could be asked and answered.

Organized in the format of speed dating, the event featured five tables with rotating rounds so that everyone had the chance to sit and talk with professionals from different career paths. The topics of the tables were: 1. Municipality/government, 2. NGOs, 3. Private design offices, 4. Freelance/independent career, and 5. Academia/PhD. Each table was hosted by two or more professionals developing their careers within that type of organization.

We were thrilled by the turnout and the energy of the participants — their lack of conformism and the straightforward questions they posed. The atmosphere of solidarity, energy, and openness was very empowering. We concluded the event with a summary discussion, during which many common themes emerged from the smaller table conversations: topics such as salary levels, how to ask for a raise, how to build and maintain professional connections rather than waiting for job openings, and more.

We also noticed a strong need for shared resources, such as a list of offices and their profiles, or statistics about possible salary brackets. Following that, we created an open document that combines workplaces that everyone can access, edit, and share further. We also redistributed a salary survey made by Eslem Karakoc — you can participate and access the results here.

And finally we want to thank the Independent School for the City for hosting us in their new location, everything was smoothly and it was a perfect place for discussion and gathering!