The best career experiment I ever ran confirmed that my dream job was absolutely not for me.
For years, I had dreamt of working in either the humanitarian or human rights field, but I did not know enough about either to know whether it was really a good fit for me.
So, when I left a good job at Novartis because it no longer felt right, I decided to use the opportunity to explore humanitarian work first.
I looked for a low-risk experiment to test things out and came across a week-long training programme run by an NGO, the Irish Humanitarian Response Network (IHRN), for people interested in humanitarian work.
It felt like the perfect mini-experiment:
✅ Learn what the work is really like
✅ Meet others interested in or experienced in the field
✅ Connect with tutors and experts
✅ Test my interest before making a bigger commitment
What I did not know was that the course took place in partnership with the Irish Defence Forces in Maynooth.
‼️ And on Day 5, we had a simulated war zone on site. ‼️
We were split into groups of humanitarian workers responding to a crisis in a conflict zone.
- We dealt with war victims.
- We spoke to journalists.
- We met officials who tried to pressure us into taking sides.
- And, most memorably, we were “kidnapped” at machine-gun point, yelled at, held hostage for what felt like ages, and made to walk barefoot through the freezing cold back to base camp.
Even though I knew it was a simulation, it was one of the most vivid and terrifying experiences of my life.
I left that training knowing two things unequivocally:
1️⃣ I had a much clearer understanding of what this work demands—and even greater respect for the people who do it.
2️⃣ I reached a crystal-clear decision: this type of work was not for me.
It was some of the best money I’ve ever spent.
Not because it gave me a new career direction, but because it prevented me from investing years, energy and identity in a path that was never right for me in the first place.
This is what I meant last week by the value of mini-experiments.
They don’t always confirm the dream.
Sometimes, their greatest value is showing you —early, safely and relatively cheaply—that your dream may need adjusting.
☘️ A small experiment can save you from a big detour.
With love,
Dina 🫶🏽
P.S. Next week, I’ll share the next experiment I conducted. 😊
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