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Volunteering Offers Career Exploration

Volunteering in your community can be fun and rewarding. You can learn a lot and gain real-world skills by working just a few hours a week. As an added bonus, giving your time to those in need may also help you be more competitive for jobs, college admission, and scholarship opportunities.

Dress Rehearsal

Finding a meaningful volunteer job isn’t just good for your soul and community; these jobs can also help you figure out what you want in a career and observe and perhaps try out different job roles. These positions can help you think about the things you might like in a career, and possibly what you might want to avoid.

Find volunteer opportunities in your area
  • Talk to your family, friends, or mentors to see if they know of any organizations where you might enjoy volunteering
  • Visit the website for the Governor’s Commission on Service and Volunteerism (Serve Idaho) to search for volunteer opportunities statewide
  • Visit the United Way website for your region. Local nonprofit organizations can list their volunteer positions on these pages.

When you’re looking for volunteer jobs, remember that they take time and dedication, just like a real job. Be sure to pick one you are interested in and can commit to while still leaving plenty of time for your current job, your studies, and any other activities you have planned.

Remember that employers, colleges, and scholarship funders look at your extracurricular activities in addition to your work experience and academic performance when they’re making decisions. Putting in a little extra effort by volunteering for a nonprofit might help open doors in the future.

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