I love my job.

Now, these critics have a point. If volunteering abroad could be a full-time, financially viable profession, I would jump on that boat in a heartbeat. Currently, I am home working my tail off, specifically so that I can afford to venture back to Central America and volunteer with another non-profit organization.

But working abroad can be a “serious” job too. As a 23-year-old American, I believe that my generation’s conception of a “real” job differs from that of my parents’. When my parents were in their 20s, the professional world existed largely within various office settings and occurred between the hours of 9am and 5pm. Sure, Mad Men, Pleasantville, and I Love Lucy have impressed upon us a generalization of professionalism in the 50’s and 60’s, but that generalization is grounded in truth.

However, in the globalized and tech-savvy world of today, “serious” jobs can have many different forms. While many young adults work the traditional 40 hour weeks in offices (which can be very productive and fulfilling), the advancement of communication technology enables many young professionals to work from home. Likewise, increasing numbers of young adults seek careers as consultants, which allow them to travel throughout the country and work with different companies. For me and many others, the most rewarding jobs are based in developing countries. Nonprofit jobs look very different depending on the country, the organization, the coworkers, etc., but they all require a commitment to development, and a passion for experiencing new lifestyles and cultures.

As fruitless job hunts and the media remind me frequently, the current job market in the US is uninspiring. Nevertheless, I feel so lucky to be part of a generation that has options in the types of jobs available. Any job is a “serious” job, if it supports me and allows me to pursue my passions.

Ginny just finished a thirteen-month commitment as Program Director with Manna Project International-Guatemala. For more on Ginny’s experiences in Guatemala, check out her blog.

As a volunteer we do have to do our research. Just like someone donating (discussed pointedly in Amanda’s recent post “Too Much Charity“) in order to make a difference, we have to do a background check on who we donate our time to. We also must realize that volunteer organizations operating in Latin America under the “do-gooder” guise are not always that transparent or altruistic.

I guess I didn’t do my research.

When I volunteered last year with a foundation in Tena, Ecuador (doing trail maintenance), I felt mislead. After finishing my two-week stay, I was to understand that the organization was in a “transitional phase” during my visit, but even considering this, I was a bit let down.

The facilities were functional but surprisingly run down. The food was good but simple. And more than once during my 2-week stay the “manager” was found in the morning arguing with the kitchen help about buying enough food for the week, and basically telling the cook to make due because there was no money to buy food. This surprised me. Considering the amount of money that the volunteers from the states paid to do the same work I was doing, I was appalled that this site was short on cash.

But the frustrating part was it seemed that the organization had a really successful history. There was evidence of some really productive volunteer projects.  However, it seemed the “transitional phase” really was impacting their work. The new volunteer coordinator seemed more motivated to talk to me about the “monas locas de Guayaquil” than any kind of project. He was open to ideas, but during our Friday meetings, it seemed that he would come up with excuses to not do many of them.

I am not complaining. I still enjoyed myself immensely. We did some useful projects to improve the trail infrastructure in the short time I was there, and I met some great people with whom I am still in contact.

However, if you are going to volunteer in Ecuador, I would follow the same recommendations that Amanda mentions for donations. Mainly, just do your research and try to work directly with the organization where you are going to volunteer.
I realize that these places do need to spend money on marketing to attract their target audience in the US and Europe, but I would like to have seen more of the cost of the program go directly to the site. I left questioning the integrity of these booking agencies that set up the projects from the states and wondering where does the revenue go from the high program costs if not directly into the site?

For more posts on paying (or not paying) to volunteer abroad in Latin America, check out “It Pays To Do Some Research,” “Pesos and centavos: Should you pay to volunteer abroad in Latin America?” by Megan Kaseburg, “Making a Difference While Making a Living – But How?” by Caitlin McHale,  or “From Volunteering to Paid Work: Development Careers in Latin America” by Andrew Wainer. Philip Dixon is an English literature teacher in Ecuador, who has just relocated from Guayaquil to Quito, and a devoted mountain biker. For more information on his experiences, check out his blog.

Overlooking San Antonio de Flores

My journey into the field of international development was bred from a mix of wanting to be like Indiana Jones and a champion for world peace. I also really liked the idea of getting paid to travel around the world and interact with local people. That being said, I didn’t always want to be a Peace Corps Volunteer. It was always an option, but it wasn’t the option for a while.

I got into the Elliott School for International Affairs at George Washington University and was dead set on becoming a global somebody. Then I took a class my sophomore year on the Anthropology of Development and my world got shaken up a bit.

Before that class, I had a very naïve view of international development and foreign aid. Professor Shepherd quickly broke all of that down. As students we were presented with harsh realities and taught to look deeper and question the effectiveness and purpose of development work. The role of aid institutions in the Rwandan Genocide, what? You mean a dam the World Bank built actually damaged the local environment and its inhabitants? Peace Corps Volunteers aren’t the change-makers of the world? So you’re saying that international aid organizations can do more harm than good? Now, it’s not as though Professor Shepard crushed all of my hopes and dreams, but he definitely broke my rose-tinted glasses when it came to development work.

After learning that development work is much more complicated and messier than it seemed, I told myself I did not want to be a PCV. I wanted to create effective change. I wanted to make a real impact. I didn’t want to go to some far off place for 2 years of my life and have the local people resent me for my arrogance and assuming they don’t know better. I didn’t want to be a part of any organization that patronized the people it was claiming to help and empower. Furthermore, two years felt like a long time, a serious commitment. I didn’t want to commit to something that I wasn’t completely confident in. Things that had once been black and white were quickly turning gray.

So what made me change my mind about the Peace Corps?

A couple of things. First, after filling my head with more and more questions and not a whole lot of answers about international development and what working in such a field meant, I decided to do my research and see what this business was all about. Secondly, I realized that many programs like Peace Corps are about experience and perspective, not necessarily saving the world. By sharing experiences, both professional and personal, volunteers can help empower others in their community. It may not be the big impact that many an aspirante expects or hopes for when entering service, but they provide the building blocks for bigger changes that take time to develop. Much more time than two years.

Before deciding to apply to Peace Corps, I went to a number of information sessions. I hounded my local recruiter with questions about his experiences, how volunteers are supported, what the expectations are, etc. I was still hung up on the idea of committing two years of my life to this. My inner thought process was: when I finish I could be 26 and then I need two more years to get my Master’s degree so I’ll be like, 28. And then what if I want to start a family, and I’ll be so old…and down the slippery slope I went. An older, wiser friend knocked some sense into me and I concluded that two years really is not as much time as it seems.

I also went back to talk to Professor Shepherd, also an RPCV (returned Peace Corps volunteer), to get some direct, no-holds-barred advice as well. He told me (to paraphrase), “Look: the Peace Corps is a great experience and you will never have another job like it. But you can’t go into it thinking you are going to save the world and do big, amazing things for your community. If you go into it with such high expectations you are going to be disappointed and it will be much more difficult for you to be an effective volunteer. You need to focus on the little things. If Peace Corps is what you want to do, you will get the most out of it if you don’t expect too much of yourself and keep your mind open to learning everything you can from the experience.”

Armed with plenty of advice and information, I decided that I’d give Peace Corps a shot and now here I am in Honduras. The application process took a little over a year. I started writing my application in February, submitted it in April, was nominated in May (on my birthday as fate would have it), but I didn’t receive an invitation to serve until the following March with my departure date set for mid-June. It is a process that requires some patience.

The author at an HIV/AIDS charla

Now that I am past the halfway mark of my service, the advice I received is all the more relevant. Peace Corps is a great experience. I have never before felt so sure about a decision and what I am doing. However it is not without its challenges. You definitely have to be proactive, you need to maintain confidence, and “flexibility” takes on a whole new meaning. I am also incredibly grateful that Prof. Shepherd always kept it straight and taught his students how to think and question projects, programs, and expectations. Many PCV’s struggle with the harsh reality of their communities and the limits of being one volunteer in a sea of complex issues and systems. It is challenging, invigorating, and no one volunteer’s experience is identical. It is definitely not for everyone, but it is a worthy challenge for those who choose accept it.

Check out two more interesting takes on the life of a PCV: the Official PSA, and So you want to join the Peace Corps? Amanda is currently a Municipal Development Advisor for the Peace Corps in Honduras. For more on her experiences, check out her blog.

What they really wanted to hear from me was a time-frame and a plan. In other words, they still expected me to have an obligation to something. In fact, I had conjured up a response that seemed to please people more — and it included finding a paying job.

These expectations, however, led me to ask: What “real” responsibilities and obligations should I have as a woman in my mid-twenties?

Three young girls in Granada, Nicaragua

In most of Central America, it is common for young women to begin having children at a very early age. I took some awesome one-on-one Spanish lessons at Spanish School Xpress in Granada, Nicaragua and in one lesson we discussed cultural differences about this topic.

In my Spanish teacher’s words, it is “normal”for a young girl to become a mother very young due to various social norms (e.g. religion and tradition). She will take on the responsibilities of supporting a family and this will likely be the role she has for the rest of her life. I will not get too deep into this complex topic here but the main point we discussed was that although my tutor did not want this life for her two young girls, she was not planning to directly discuss with them anything relating to sex or the alternative opportunities they could pursue if they avoided young pregnancy. It is the path she and her mother took and she “would not be surprised,” she said, if her daughters led the same life.

Now, to apply this same mentality to my homeland, I question why parents in the U.S. often silently (sometimes not so silently) encourage their children to take on more responsibility as early as possible. We assume we should rush through college and directly after find a decent job that ties us down to a location, eventually find a mate, buy a home and start a family… all with the approval of our parents. Why don’t the typical American parents express to their children that there are other options and encourage them to break the mold? Especially if what they said to me before I left is now what they know to be true?

Why can’t my obligations lie beyond our borders, rather than in “starting my life” in the U.S. so quickly?

In the next few weeks, I will be interviewing various individuals in the quarter-life age group: those who are traveling and/or working abroad focused on contributing to society and those who are studying and/or working in the U.S. I will be asking them questions about their future plans, relationship with their parents, and exploring the themes of this blog, value and experience.

If you have any suggestions/questions or want to participate in an interview, please let me know!

Texan Whitney Devin is currently traveling around Central America, seeking volunteer opportunities.

What are the skills and abilities that I can offer an organization?

Volunteer candidates often express their enthusiasm about a nonprofit by stating that they are willing to do absolutely anything that is needed, from sweeping floors to leading board meetings. While this offer is honest and admirable, these are not the applications that usually stand out to me. As someone who places volunteers, I appreciate when an applicant is able to clearly identify a few skills that are potential matches with our programmatic or structural needs. The more specifically an applicant can describe his or her skill set, the better we’ll be able to determine the feasibility of a placement. Particularly applicable skills at nonprofits include:

• Translation and interpretation between languages
• Advanced computer skills, including web and database design
• Grant writing or other donor relations skills
• Direct service experience, especially in medicine
• Teaching experience
• Knowledge of carpentry and/or building maintenance

What issues am I most passionate about?

In whichever capacity they’re working, I think volunteers are most fulfilled when they contribute to a mission that they truly believe can produce meaningful changes in a community. If you feel like microfinance is the best angle from which to attack poverty, you can target organizations offering microloans or capacity-building workshops. If you’re passionate about the environment, you might consider supporting a sustainable tourism outfit or a rain forest preservation campaign. Perhaps my point seems obvious, but I receive applications where the candidate appears to be applying just on a positive reference from a friend, or to have a resume-building experience, without considering whether they feel a personal connection to our mission. I look for collaborators who can fully immerse themselves in our work and become zealous spokespeople for our projects.

What do I expect from the organization in return for my contributions?

The most obvious consideration here is economic, ranging from paying an organization to work for them to expecting remuneration for your services. It’s important to figure out what type of arrangement can realistically meet the constraints of your budget and the length of your time commitment. Many organizations can offer you support that will decrease the financial burden of the experience, such as providing reduced-cost housing or access to a group health insurance plan. You might also consider other expectations about the experience, such as the extent of orientation and supervision that you hope to receive.