1. Reading the vision and mission statements of organisations you want to apply to
2. Feeling inspired by the larger-than-life stories of visionaries in the development sector
3. Defending yourself from the horrified looks of your nonprofit colleagues after asking about the bonus situation on your first day
4. Having trouble fitting in with your new colleagues because you can’t shake the corporate in you yet
5. Feeling nostalgic about the time before your social conscience kicked in
6. Getting made fun of by both your old work friends who think you’ve become a ‘bleeding heart lefty activist type’ and your new work friends who think you’re still a corporate sell-out
7. Becoming the go-to person for all Excel-related problems in the office
8. Reacting to your manager’s request to volunteer over the weekends… when you thought your job was a daily volunteering exercise anyway
9. Trying to understand people’s reaction when you ask if the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will actually be achieved by 2030
10. Getting frustrated, one week into your job, when your ex-colleagues ask you, “What is the development sector again?!”