Sunday, November 16, 2008

Why Not Volunteer?


With the sounds of current economic troubles ringing in their ears, quite a few members of Generation Y are faced with quite a dilemma. Recent college graduates, specifically, are feeling the hit. At a time when these individuals usually leave academia behind in favor of a stable career, Gen Y grads are finding that more doors are being closed in their faces than are being opened.

With job competition on the rise, Gen Yers are finding themselves in need of ways to occupy their time while the economy re-stabilizes. Traditional options, such as traveling abroad or going back to school now seem too costly. So, what's a college grad to do-volunteering seems to be the answer.

Groups like Teach for America are reporting a rise in volunteering amisdt the current economic unsteadiness. According to an article by USA Today "[Teach for America] saw applications jump by more than a third this year from about 18,000 to nearly 25,000." The article maintains that this is because teaching is a stable career, as children need to learn no matter what's going on economically. It also notes that the economy is not the only motivation for the rise in applications. It cites the program's growing prestige as attractive to applicants.


Still, motivation to join based on the economy cannot be ignored. With current exchannge rates, travel (a formerly popular option) is simply too expensive for most Gen Y grads and without jobs, more college is practically unaffordable (forget about loans-those wont be so easy for jobless students to get).


If you find this rings true for you, why not take some time off to volunter. Here are some sites to help you get started:


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