One of the first posts I put up here was one about advice for emerging evaluators, based on my own experiences of getting into the field. I wrote it about a year after moving to Vancouver and six months after I committed to building a consulting practice. Three years later, I’m pleased with how well that post holds up. I might word a few things differently now, but the gist would be the same. And I’m pleased to report that I took my own advice (for once) and it’s stood me well as a developing evaluator and consultant. So much so that the last year in particular has been one of transformation and levelling up!
Read moreIn December I had the opportunity to moderate a breakfast club event organized by the local chapters for the Canadian Evaluation Society (CES-BCY) and the Institute of Public Administration Canada (IPAC Vancouver). The theme was next year’s CES 2017 Conference theme: Facing Forward: Innovation, Action and Reflection.
Read moreIt's nerve-wracking to be approached by a recent grad or student asking my advice on how to break into the evaluation field. I want to look around and see if they're really talking to someone else, someone who's been doing this forever who knows exactly what they're talking about, not someone in the midst of breaking into the field themselves.
Then I remind myself that no one ever knows exactly what they're talking about, especially in a field as dynamic and rapidly growing as evaluation. And while I may still be at the start of what I hope will be a long career, that also gives me an excellent perspective on things that in five or twenty years I may have forgotten about or may no longer be relevant. So none of this advice comes with a solid guarantee of success, but it does come with my absolute promise that you're not the only one using it.
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