When we choose to study international development, many of us are drawn to the possibility of doing work that matters beyond ourselves. We imagine working alongside communities, contributing to meaningful projects, and helping turn the ideas we encounter in the classroom into tangible change. At least, that was how I imagined my future when I chose to study International Development at the University of Toronto.

A career in humanitarian work, project management, and community-based development seemed like a natural extension of what I was learning. I wanted to understand how development worked beyond textbooks and lectures, and what it meant to work alongside the communities at the center of these efforts. Joining the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) as a co-op student therefore felt like an opportunity I could definitely not pass up. I was overjoyed to begin my placement and feel incredibly fortunate to be spending eight months working with the organization in Marrakesh.

Experiencing development firsthand made the theories and practices I had studied feel tangible. And working alongside HAF’s staff introduced me to responsibilities and processes I had not fully appreciated before, revealing how much of development happens beyond the moments of direct community engagement we often imagine. Visiting project sites offered a different kind of perspective. Seeing initiatives in practice and learning about the people involved gave me a better understanding of how community-based work can contribute to livelihoods, well-being, and long-term sustainability. These experiences reminded me why I had been drawn to the field in the first place. Yet, the more I learned about development, the more complicated my understanding of it became.

Like many students approaching graduation, I have started thinking more seriously about what comes next. What kind of work do I want to do? What does a fulfilling career look like to me? And how do I build a future around work that I find meaningful while also considering the practical realities of making a living?

These questions have become particularly difficult to navigate in a sector shaped by changing priorities, donor decisions, and funding cycles. It can be challenging to imagine a long-term career when the resources available to organizations, and the opportunities available to the people working within them, can depend on decisions made far beyond the communities they serve. I have also found myself reflecting on the gap that can exist between the ideals of development and the realities of the institutions through which it operates. A sector built around improving lives is not automatically free from bureaucracy, competing interests, or the shortcomings that affect other fields. Recognizing this has been an uncomfortable but important part of learning what development looks like in practice.

I do not share these concerns because I have lost faith in the importance of the work. Rather, I am beginning to understand that believing in a mission and choosing a career are not necessarily the same thing. Wanting to contribute to positive change does not automatically mean that a career in the development sector is the right path for me. And admitting that possibility has been more difficult than I expected.

For a long time, I associated studying development with a fairly clear professional future. I imagined that the natural next step would be to continue working in the sector, moving from one project to another, gradually building the experience and expertise needed to make a difference. I am now realizing that careers are rarely so straightforward. Sometimes, the more experience we gain, the more questions we find ourselves asking. An experience can confirm what matters to us while also challenging our assumptions about how we want to pursue it.

My time at HAF has been extremely valuable in this regard. Beyond the practical skills I have developed, it has given me a closer look at the people, relationships, and everyday work that sustain community initiatives. It has shown me that development is not simply an idea discussed in a classroom or a set of objectives written into a project proposal. It involves people, local knowledge, collaboration, and the often complex process of translating intentions into action. I have also learned that meaningful work does not always come with straightforward answers, and that making an impact is rarely as simple as we might initially imagine.

I still do not know exactly where my career will take me. Perhaps I will remain in development; perhaps I will find another way to pursue the values that first drew me to it. For now, I am trying to see this uncertainty not as evidence that I have taken the wrong path, but as part of understanding what I want from the next one.

If there is one thing I hope other students entering the field can take from my experience, it is that they do not need to have their entire future figured out before they begin. Studying development, volunteering, or joining an organization as an intern can offer more than professional experience. These opportunities can challenge our assumptions, introduce us to perspectives we might never otherwise encounter, and help us discover not only what we want to do, but also what matters to us and what kind of life we want to build.

My time at HAF has not answered every question I have about development or my future. But they have given me a more grounded understanding of the sector, a deeper appreciation for the people doing this work, and a clearer sense of the questions I need to keep asking myself. Sometimes, an experience does not give us a definitive direction. Sometimes, it helps us understand why and what we need to find our own.