Answers from a ProInspire Fellow: Three Questions About the Fellowship Experience

By 2012 ProInspire Fellow Elisa Chen

Over the past few weeks I've received questions from friends who are considering applying to become a ProInspire Fellow. While we provide a list of FAQs on our website, I was happy to offer my own perspective on the Fellowship experience. Allow me to share my responses to three of the questions I've been asked that you won't find answered elsewhere on the website.

1. After going through this program, do you think it's really worth it? (i.e. taking a year off to do this program, as opposed to another program that is out there)

I absolutely think it was worth taking a year off to take part in ProInspire. I'm not sure if it would have been possible for me to obtain the position I have with my current organization. I am working with C-level suite people with a high level of responsibility and accountability that I would have had a rare possibility to have as an entry level person in this sector.

I'm not aware of another program like ProInspire that specifically targets helping those wanting to transition from the private sector into strategic roles in the public sector. The cohort of ProInspire fellows in your class is another incredibly important component of this program. The caliber of people in the Fellowship is unparalleled, with many of them coming from highly regarded private sector companies and/or going to top tier business schools post-fellowship; more importantly, these are like-minded people who share the same passion as you and are in the same point in their lives as you. For me, the fellows are people that I see as friends for a lifetime who I share similar interests with, bounce ideas off of, go catch a drink with whenever and even consider being entrepreneurial partners with in future endeavors.

I would also say that ProInspire, like many other experiences, will be what you make out of it — in other words, what you put into it is what you will get out of it. I try to take advantage of my time here in DC, at my organization and in my new environment, learning as much as possible, establishing new networks, etc. What this meant to me was putting myself in a lot of new and sometime uncomfortable situations to get my out of my comfort zone. This year, I have met with friends of friends, strangers and professional networking groups. I have participated in new hobbies/activities, taken Arabic classes and joined online courses. I have taken on pro bono consulting roles with non-profits and volunteer roles for refugee programs. All of these things were not provided directly by ProInspire but the program did provide me the network of people in areas I am interested in and/or have provided me the opportunity to live in an environment (DC!) where I could try new activities and meet vastly different people/networks.

2. How has this affected you and what you want to be doing in the future? Or do you see this more of a 1-year experience where you learn a lot?

I see this year as the perfect opportunity to transition into the public sector/nonprofit world. Through ProInspire, I have realized my skills from management consulting are absolutely applicable in the public sector and moreover, a skill set much needed. While being able to apply these skills, I've learned how to utilize them in a different context. And while learning to utilize my skills differently, I've also learned a tremendous amount about international development from my organization, which is what I am interested in pursuing.

Since I work in the Strategic Planning and Analysis team in my organization, I've been fortunate to have the purview of pretty much all areas/departments of the organization and understand the basics of how the organization and each of those departments/areas operates. This has helped me understand what areas I may be interested in pursuing within international development organizations and somewhat narrow down what areas I'd like to pursue. Of course, there is still much to explore, learn and narrow down.

3. What are some of the challenges you have faced while doing this program and while being in D.C.?

Some of the challenges I've faced include:

• Learning to live without a car – Being from Houston, public transportation is pretty non-existent. Now I've learned to only buy what I can carry home, better time management in commuting to places, maximizing my time with just a few activities (really enjoying them and doing the well) instead of doing so many activities (since it was easier with a car) and overall, I think learning to live a much simpler life which I appreciate. 
• Deciding what I want to do after my fellowship – As much as ProInspire and my current job has helped guide me in what I want to do within the public sector, specifically international development, there is still much for me to figure out. Unfortunately, there is new easy formula to follow — everyone has their different journeys to lead them down their career path. I'm still in the process of figuring it out each day at a time. 
• Re-establishing a community and network – Like any move to a new place, you're up-rooting yourself from your friends, family and everything that you're used to. Moving to a new place means finding new friends, adjusting to different weather and a new environment, and starting a new pattern in your life. Thankfully, with ProInspire, you have an "instant" network with the fellows who definitely serve as a family of sorts.