How Do I Become a Community Development Officer?

Become a community development officer by having a good grasp on economic policies and excellent interpersonal skills. A community development officer works to coordinate community development programs in the area where he or she lives. This can be a complicated task and requires an individual who is capable of handling many things at one time. An education is required in order to be hired at the position. Experience is also necessary working in community development programs before being able to coordinate them. Knowledge of finance is necessary because budgeting and finance are big parts of the job.

Obtain at least a bachelor's degree in community development or economics in order to become a community development officer. Classes or an additional degree in finance are a requirement for the position in some areas. In certain cases, a business degree with experience working in community development could be substituted. A master's or doctoral degree gives candidates an edge when getting hired for this position.

It is necessary to be able to multitask and direct many operations at one time to become a community development manager. Other important skills include being able to develop business plans, effective decision making, and good communication. A community development officer meets with many people during the course of a workday so in order to get this position, you must have good interpersonal skills. This means being able to listen and show those in the community that their needs are being cared for.

Experience working in community development programs is one of the criteria to become a community development officer. Individuals need to understand how it works to get funding, write business plans, and work on projects within a community. This hands-on approach provides the experience you will need to coordinate these types of activities in the future. It would be best to work for more than one project before attempting to become a community development officer.

An individual working as a community development officer has to be able to prepare budgets, financial statements and accounts. This means that a significant knowledge of finance, accounting and bookkeeping is needed for the job. If you enjoy mathematics and keeping track of budgets, you should continue your journey to become a community development officer. An understanding of local and regional economic policies is also necessary as community development officers need to be aware of these when setting up new projects within a community.