The Reasons Why Students Should Volunteer/Intern This Summer
As
summer kicks into full gear, most students are looking for
work - for good
reason.
The bad news:
Jobs for teens and college students are very
scarce this summer.
You could look for a job all summer and maybe not find
one.
Without knowing a hiring manager or connecting repeatedly with
one,
getting hired is very difficult. $6/hour is still the average hourly rate for
service economy and restaurant jobs common to teens.
The good
news:
The more value you provide to an organization, the better
your
chances of being hired.
Jobs do exist, but many are looking for them,
and in the same
places - supply currently outweighs demand in the young adult
job
market.
Alternatives exist to a paid position which may benefit you
more
in the long-run.
Volunteering is an option many should consider,
some call it
interning.
If you absolutely must make some dough this
summer, then don't
volunteer, at least not full-time. But if you can
forego quite a
few luxuries and maybe some necessities (or have a
decent
savings), volunteering this summer has many benefits.
You
gain resume-able experience
It's a little known secret that volunteer
opportunities often
require more skills than the service and restaurant
jobs
available. Depending on the organization and how well
you
establish trust with your boss, you may be given authority for a
one
month summer project that impacts the organization you're
volunteering
with.
Your contributions are really valued
Because an
organization knows you're not getting paid they may be
more apt to give you a
little bit more responsibility. And more
honest work, rather than just
busy work. In addition, because
you're not getting paid, you can
leverage this into focusing on
just 2-3 projects in which you can really make
an impact.
Oftentimes, volunteers are given work that others have not
had
the time to do and once the task is completed, it takes a big
burden
off of everyone's shoulders.
You build up your resume in a serious
way
Having Salvation Army or City Hospital or City Hall on your
resume
looks different than Burger King, Old Navy, or the local
pool - not better
necessarily, but different. Most likely
you'll be working with
adults rather than solely with your peers.
These will be people who can give
you a good recommendation.
They will also respect someone willing to
volunteer their time,
even if you do it for just ten hours a week while you
hold down
another part-time job.
You'll get way more out of it
than the pay you're losing
Volunteering has a way of really opening us up
to the needs of
the world. By not being paid for our labor, we have to
find
intrinsic value in the work we're doing. If you ask adults,
many
will say volunteering exposed them to a career passion and
showed
them the immense ability of people to help others.
You may
find a passion or budding interest
Instead of banging your head against
the wall for a few weeks or
months this summer looking for work or making
minimum wage, take
a risk and do something you really want to do.
Volunteer at an
animal hospital, assist a lawyer in preparing documents
for
cases, aid the local Red Cross, or support your local church
or
community organization in the backlog of work they need done.
Exposure
to new people and places will naturally open you up to
other possibilities
for your life.
How to find volunteer opportunities
How you
find these volunteer opportunities is much easier once
you know why. Go
down to your local library, church, hospital,
community center, or city hall
and express your interest to
someone in authority there. Call your
Mayor's office or the
Director of Human Resources for a large local
non-profit. Think
of a need you see around you and fill it. Try
to match up your
current skills and long-term career interests with something
that
could occupy your time and give you great exposure to a possible
new
industry.
Volunteering is not for everyone. But this summer,
with the
economy the way it is, it could be the best way to make use
of
your skills, benefit the lives of others, have fun, and maybe
find a
career passion along the way.
Dave Lloyd has volunteered his time
throughout California,
in Mexico, and in his current hometown of San
Jose. He is the
author of Graduation Secrets - a guidebook for 18-24
year olds
(and their parents) interested in getting the most from life.
Visit
www.graduationsecrets.com to
subscribe to his newsletter.
