Peacemaking is a way of skillfully addressing violence and building peace. In this way, peacemaking is more than a type of work—it is how you approach your life and work. Learning how to be a peacemaker can make you more effective at your job, as well as a better partner, neighbor, and community member.

Alumni career pathway panels

Learn from ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ and Center for Peacemaking alumni about their career journeys and pathways to working for the promotion of peace and justice.

Peacemaking job directories

• (Peace and Collaborative Development Network)
• (Jobs That Help)
•  (Notre Dame Center for Social Concerns)

Common skills for peacemaking careers

Some skills included in the peacemaker’s tool set include:

• conflict resolution
• creative problem solving
• critical analysis
• effective communication
• leading change
• negotiation
• persuasion
• strategic thinking
• understanding of economic, political, and social systems
• understanding of one's own positionality, informed by identity and experiences

If you are interested in gaining any of these skills, consider pursuing a Peace Studies major or minor, or taking Peace Studies courses. All of these skills are highly transferable and desired in applicants for a wide variety of positions.

Peacemaking careers chart

Peacemaking careers exist in many fields and across a variety of levels. The chart below illustrates a few examples of how peacemaking careers in different disciplines may differ based on the scope of the work.

View larger version of Peacemaking Careers.

Why pursue a peacemaking career?

In his April 18, 1959 "Address at the Youth March for Integrated Schools," Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called on youth to pursue peacemaking careers:

"Whatever career you may choose for yourself — doctor, lawyer, teacher — let me propose an avocation to be pursued along with it. Become a dedicated fighter for civil rights. Make it a central part of your life.

"It will make you a better doctor, a better lawyer, a better teacher. It will enrich your spirit as nothing else possibly can. It will give you that rare sense of nobility that can only spring from love and selflessly helping your fellow man. Make a career of humanity. Commit yourself to the noble struggle for equal rights. You will make a greater person of yourself, a greater nation of your country and a finer world to live in."

Making a Living, Making a Difference

Explore Making a Living, Making a Difference, our guide on career discernment, peacemaking jobs, and life as a young professional. You can download the guide for free and browse supplementary resources.