[shloky]

My first job out of school was at a thinktank. Spent a lot of time in those circles. (Defense, security, energy etc.)

It's a terrible place to actually accomplish anything. Donors exchange money (tax benefits) for furthering ideology. The metric of success is that. Not impact on society.

I got more done as a consultant than as an analyst at a think tank.

To actually do something, consider NGOs like Ushahidi.