Comments on: Volunteer work helps your career while you help others

By: Penelope Trunk

Penelope Trunk — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 04:45:15 +0000

Oh, I write about happiness in the workplace all the time. Type happiness into the "search" field on the sidebar. Or, for my pet source on the happiness topic, type in Daniel Gilbert.

By: snand

snand — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 04:03:11 +0000

you are doing great by making so many like us refresh ourselves by going through your messages.
could you write your views on happiness at workplace.
am doing some work on same and will share as it takes shape.

By: Penelope Trunk

Penelope Trunk — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 01:53:05 +0000

Diana, I think you're right that most students volunteer so their college application looks good. But there's a silver lining to that, which is that people learn how good volunteering feels, and how much it can help you in your worklife, as well, so people continue volunteering even after their college applications are done.

By: Paulette

Paulette — Thu, 17 Aug 2006 22:54:24 +0000

I agree that volunteerism is a vital part of society. Non-profits couldn't function as successfully without their army of volunteers. On a personal note, it allows me to play a small part in contributing to society. No matter what you may think it does make a difference. It makes me proud to help in some small way (given that, I too, can't give as much money as I would like).

By birth, I straddle the "baby boom/gen-x" segment. I, too, have realized the importance of "giving back". I volunteer with a couple of organizations and the satisafaction I received was the impetus to a career change. Now I am embarking on a a career (with another degree) in public relations. This will enable me to pursue my goal of working in community relations.

By: Diana

Diana — Thu, 17 Aug 2006 12:03:00 +0000

"90% of college-bound high school students volunteer."

As a recent college grad (class of 2005), I can safely say that most of those 90% of high school students who volunteer do it to get into college. Colleges want to see a broad spectrum of extracurricular activities, and volunteering makes your application look better. Also consider that the impressive-sounding National Honor Society requires volunteer work every semester.

I don't mean to sound cynical, but I doubt that alot of those kids who volunteer in high school continue to do so once they've gone college, started working, etc.

Now that I have that out of the way… I completely agree with you. I started volunteering in college with Habitat for Humanity and another local housing improvement organization. When I graduated and I had less time on my hands, I committed to volunteering once a week at The Habitat Store, whose environmentally and socially responsible mission is something I feel very strongly about. I've been doing that consistently for about a year now, and I've made some really great friends and done some low-key networking.

I did start volunteering because I wanted to help the community, but had a reasonable amount of free time and zero cash to donate. And it makes me feel good about myself, I won't lie. I'm just one of those people who really wants to be helpful. ;) I don't like to brag about it (I hope I don't come off as doing that now!), but it's a personal pride of mine that I've been able to get out and volunteer so consistently.

And of course, where I choose to spend my time volunteering is related to what I want to do with my life. As I mentioned above, The Habitat Store's environmentally and socially responsible mission really appealed to me, and as a (hopeful) future architect, I would focus my studies on sustainable, green, affordable housing.

I hope that I will always be able to make volunteering part of my life… I find it so much more rewarding than cutting a check every year. It's great to actually interact with the people you're helping, know their names, and share the joy of giving their families a better place to live.