How to fall into evaluation – a cartoon post.

So what does it mean to “fall into evaluation?”

That’s today’s cartoon post inspiration from Ann Price via Twitter.

There are lots of social scientists working as evaluators.

Unless you’re in academia it’s hard to be something like a Sociologist professionally. Practical fields like program evaluation and contract research offer a good career path for social science grads.

Professional Sidetracker

If you ask the right question at the right time, you can totally sidetrack a meeting. But if it’s a critical question, maybe that’s not such a bad thing.

The tools make the evaluator.

I see a lot of people with certain skillsets get funneled into evaluation or quasi-evaluation roles. Especially those who fall into evaluation from specific roles in non-profits or government agencies.

Sometimes it’s just about filling a need.

People who become evaluators are usually pretty self-aware and good at noticing things other people tend not to see. So sometimes becoming an evaluator is just a response to an existing societal need.

Falling into evaluation is not without its risks.

Some pursuits and programs just don’t make a ton of rational sense. At least rational sense that we can see and measure.

Are you an evaluator? How did you fall into evaluation?

Seriously, I want to know. Do any of these cartoons strike a chord? Let me know in the comments.