PeaceCorps/Americorps and lack of satisfaction with College

[Amphorian]

Okay in the last few years I haven't really decided on what I want to do. I choose Graphic Design and in particular of that field Web Design. Thing is I realize going to college for this career doesn't feel rewarding or that I'm doing something worthwhile with my life. College is a drag. I do things at the last minute and still getting high grades, even at times when I turn in things late! I'm going to a community college yes that's true, but would even a "better (expensive as shit)" college really give me the challenge I need? I wonder about that. I already know my comprehension levels are high enough to where I can succeed at almost anything I want to do.

Thing is I don't want a desk job. I don't want a mundane, commute, work at an office, go back home, boring life. I want to live! I want to see the world! I want to help at the greater things in life (mainly education, environment and protecting against domestic abuse). I don't want to sit on my ass all day even if the field is interesting, innovative and growing. It's not appealling. I'm idealist by nature (no I'm not an INFJ or INFP. I am an INTJ believe it or not =p).

But I already started on this path called "college" and the govenment is funding it 100% to boot (because of family's low income).

So what I really want to know from other users on this forum is how you view higher level education. Did it help you? Do you feel satisfied with your job and life? Did you ever volunteer for any community service or organizations? Do you know anything or were involved with the Peacecorps or Americorps? If so please go indepth. Thank you. Do you know of any other organizations (secular) that you believe to be beneficial to the community and are active? Any suggestions or comments towards life in general (viewpoints about careers, community services, etc.) that would be helpful to this conversation?

[khadi]

I think we have a lot in common.

I have a degree in Environmental Studies (and Anthropology minus 1 class). It hasn't done much for me. Graduated Jun 08. Now I'm unemployed (by choice mostly) and teaching myself web design and graphic design. They are things I can freelance with, anywhere. I plan to travel, and realized that it would be best to have a job that I can take with me. I'll be doing environmental and social justice work wherever I am, hopefully, but I can't expect to get paid for it.

Sticking with design sounds like a good idea considering that you want relative freedom. You'll have options other than a desk job. I mean, you might want to sit at a desk, sometimes. But you'll be able to make your own schedule, work as much or as little as you want, and live anywhere.

P.S. I'm applying for Americorps but haven't hear much about what it's actually like.

[Nikita]

heh

I am currently in the Peace Corps, but before joining, I earned a Juris Doctorate and a law license. Peace Corps is turning out to be the craziest time of my life, thus far, and is completely worth it. I work in an NGO doing health promotion and sustainable development. Though the administrative...stuff...can be frustrating to deal with, and the restrictions very confining, ultimately, it's totally worth it.

In school, law school especially, I just saw the beginnings of what I would never want to be the remainder of my life. It has never been my goal to get the big house on the golf course, the wall street savvy husband, and the 2.5 kids chasing after Rover. Peace Corps is a definitive departure from that lifestyle. It's not that it's wrong to earn a good living, but for me, work should have a deeper purpose. For some, that is fulfilled through building and investing. We all have different paths, but what really matters is your goal.

I'll tell you some of what PC is like, at least in my region of the world (Central Asia). You send in an application (they prefer you to do this online) detailing everything from the basic personal information to financial obligations, any potential intelligence ties (if you've ever applied to an intel agency, you have to disclose it, and then write to that/those agency/ies to have your application immediately withdrawn from consideration; if any immediate family members have worked for any such agencies, they have to detail their work and this could affect your eligibility b/c PC is invited by the foreign nation to place volunteers and it cannot look like volunteers are there for any reason other than PC work), work and volunteer experience, 3 letters of recommendation from different categories of sources, and you have to write a Personal Motivation Statement and a Cross-Cultural Experience Essay.

After the app is processed, you are called in for a nomination interview at a recruiting site near you. They ask form questions and type your answers verbatim, so it takes a little time. Then, at the end of the interview, they tell you whether you're nominated and for which program you're nominated, specifying only the job type (Ag, Enviro, SOCD, Health, English, Youth Development, etc.) and the region of nomination (not sure of all regions, but I think they are: Eastern Europe/Central Asia (my region), North Africa/Middle East (the region to which I was initially nominated), Sub-Saharan Africa, South Pacific, Asia, Caribbean, South America, Central America). The region, as indicated, as well as the job type can change depending on need and availability. You are told about the timeline of the remaining process, and told to wait for your medical and dental packet to arrive.

Then you get the fun of dealing with medical and dental clearance. They point you to dentists and medical facilities who are willing to do most of the work for free, if you don't have insurance, which I didn't. I got my stuff done at a dentist from their website and the local VA hospital. But, I couldn't get most of the bloodwork done at the hospital, so I asked friends for doctors and went to a private office and paid out of pocket for the bloodwork. PC reimburses like $150 or something of that cost, and I actually got that first round of bloodwork paid for by PC. I did everything by the book, but it still took 3 or 4 months to get that paperwork done due to delays at the VA (even getting the appointment took almost 2 months). I eventually sent in my paperwork, but PC sent me another round of medical paperwork saying that I didn't have all of the bloodwork in, though I did everything the forms initially told me to do. I did the next round, paying entirely out of pocket that time, and sent it in again. Then right before I left town to see family, got yet another round of medical paperwork. I had to wait until I got back 3 weeks later to complete it. I did, and sent it in. I had to go to an ortho doc, too, who was very nice and didn't charge me for the visit, even the private physician only charged for the lab fees and waived his doctor's fee. Tell them it's for PC and they help you out. I got a call from PC medical stating that they didn't want to clear me due to injuries from a car accident, so I rushed to get my physical therapist and ortho to write letters clarifying my injuries and wrote a personal letter explaining my drive to do PC. They cleared me the last day of the program I was accepted into. I had been on the phone with the program's coordinator and had him on the lookout for clearance from medical. All in all, the process from application to invitation took 14 months for me, though for most people it's more like 6-9 (if you don't count the current 2 year waiting list).

I got my invitation packet in the mail, called to accept, and started learning as much as possible about my new country and filling out the paperwork in the packet. Within 2 weeks, I quit my job, sold my car, and moved to my mom's house so I could use her car to get everything I needed to go. I had less than a month to prepare, but most people have many months. Using the ticket PC sent, I flew out to my staging city.

At staging (in a large American city), you turn in all of the final paperwork such as student loan deferrals, life insurance, property insurance, EFT info, etc. That's the first time you meet the other volunteers going with you. They set you up in a hotel where you share a room with another trainee (you're only a trainee for the first 3 months), but everyone is together in a big banquet hall where they do team building exercises (really made me uncomfortable) and go over PC policies and procedures. After, most people went to clubs and got drunk to celebrate the last night in America. The next day, we piled into a bus and drove to the city we were flying out of, and had about a 4 hour wait at the airport, after the 2 hours or so it took to check the bags. No PC employees were with us from the time we left the hotel.

At the next airport, in Eastern Europe, we had a long layover, but were able to get day visas to go into the city, which was fun. But once we got to our country of service, it was nighttime, we were all exhausted, and were bussed to a hotel that looked like it was straight out of The Shining, only with less electricity and no heating/ac. Most people shared with 2 or 3 to a room, but I managed a private since I dawdled on getting a roommate :evil:. The bed was like a wooden board covered with a blanket, and the toilet paper was like scratchy crepe paper. We had the first 3 days of training there, and were told them which language we would learn and where we would be living for the next few months. Did I mention that my luggage was lost en route, and I didn't get it back until right before we went to live with the host families? I was in those clothes for about 5 days, from the time we left the staging hotel until I moved in with the family.

Then, we moved in with host families and immediately missed our hotel rooms. Outhouses were a harsh reality, as was the fun bacteria in the food. When we started meeting at a central site for group meetings, the port-o-potties shipped in were like a godsend, if that tells you anything. During those training months, we had cross-culture trainings, technical trainings, and intensive language training. The people sharing your village are like your little family, and you go everywhere and do everything with them. Oh, gross fact, volunteers don't consider you a volunteer until you've crapped in your pants, but I'm grateful not to be a volunteer by those standards, lol. However, I was sick almost those entire first 3 months. I refused to miss any sessions, but I would just sleep during lunch instead of walking home. I should mention here that you are not allowed to operate any sort of motorized vehicle while in PC. You walk or bike with a helmet, but we weren't allowed to get bikes in training. The roads are dirt and stone, and when paved, often filled with potholes. The way people drive here, though, you don't want to be driving!

We had site placement interviews and progress interviews with various people. After the site placement ceremony, we then went for site visits (to the cities/villages where we would be permanently stationed for the remaining 2 years). We stayed with our new host families during the site visit, and some people's rooms weren't really ready yet. My host family attached the door while I waited downstairs for hours attempting to talk to their daughter's friends...in Russian...after less than 2 months study. It was overwhelming.

It was also hard to return to training b/c I loved my site so much. We had language tests during this time, too, one before site visit, and then another before moving to site for good. They are nerve-racking and entirely verbal/conversational. If you enjoy monopolizing conversations and talking out of your ass, you do very well, but if you're not very talkative, it's harder to score well, even if your grammar is much stronger than others' (like my experience with it). Very few people failed. I passed. (For those who failed, they had to sign a new contract with PC. They had 3 months at site to get language to passing, but if they didn't, they were sent home.) Then we had a swearing-in ceremony followed by a reception at the Ambassador's house, and moved to site the next day.

At site, you go to work every day (or almost every day, it depends on the job placement and the organization), and you also have to do secondary projects, as you're not just placed in that org, but are there to do general community development, too. That's what a lot of people don't realize. Being a PCV is being a grassroots development worker. There are reports you have to write, people you're constantly accountable to, and restrictions and regulations for everything you do. If you want to go away for the weekend, you have to call the Duty Officer and let him know when and where you will be going with a full itinerary and lodging information. You call him when you get to your destination, and after returning home. If you forget, you get up to 3 warnings, then you're on probation and can't go anywhere for 3 months. After that, if it happens again, you're sent home. After a few months at site, you can move out of your host family's house, but prior to that, living with host family is mandatory, at least in Central Asia. In most placements in my country, volunteers have to stay with a family the entire time. But I have an apartment. ;D

I can try to answer questions if you have or anyone else has any.

If you're not sure an organization like PC is right for you - and believe me it's not right for everyone, the drop-out rate is pretty high - you can look for work with a similar format. Find NGOs or small businesses and help them grow. A lot of development work is just helping to generate ideas for not only projects to implement, but for how to implement project ideas the organization already has in mind. If there's a cause you believe in, find a way to support it as a graphic designer, if you can. NGOs are the simplest way to go for the kind of work most people who seem to be interested in PC want to do.

[XFire35]

I can't think of what to say, suffice to say, that it sounds really interesting and something else...

[Amphorian]

@khadi: I know Americorps is home based while Peacecorps is international. Basically you choose what to do with Americorps (applying for a certain section) while Peacecorps does more of placing you. Other then that all I know is that modern stuff is not quite available all the time. O_O;

@Nikita: That sounds like a tedious process. I was thinking for myself to start out with Americorps and do Peacecorp missions later on in life. So are you allowed to tell about your life in Central Aisa (what goes on during a daily basis) or are you forbidden?

[Malkavia]

nice Post Nikita :)

Honestly, I would really check to see if the PC is right for you because I was interested in it and it did not work out for me at all. I went to several informationals and talked to a lot of members who were in the Peacecorps and it just didn't seem right for me. The application process is very long and I do not like the amount of open-endness they have. It is way too extreme for me. There are of course other reasons, the biggest one being there are no places where I could use my Arabic language skills. I'm not going to graduate college with 4 years of arabic, then forget because I spent 2 years in the PC.

If you really want to "impact society" work for someplace like the Red Cross. Are you at least 25? Look at the ICRC (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.) It's pretty intense, but it's a beautiful organization.

[KeithIndy]

Amphorian - I would use the opportunity you have with college to learn more then just the field of study you're interested in. You can learn about languages, cultures, politics, management, etc. The more varied your education, the more useful you'd be in situations you're likely to run into in Americorp or the Peace Corp.

[karenann33]

Ok I have no experience with PC or anything like that. My thing is I felt college was a total waste but it was useful in getting on with my life. Had my life gone differently I would have loved to join the Peace Corp. Sounds like a wonderful, fullfilling challenge and I wish you luck with that.

[Nikita]

@Nikita: That sounds like a tedious process. I was thinking for myself to start out with Americorps and do Peacecorp missions later on in life. So are you allowed to tell about your life in Central Aisa (what goes on during a daily basis) or are you forbidden?

It is tedious. Most people get blinded by adventure and forget that at the end of the day, PC is about doing a job. It's just that instead of getting acclimated to an office, you're learning a new language and culture and then figuring out your workplace while you're still communicating at the level of a toddler. I can give you a basic day schedule...I'll do one for training and one for work life.

During Training:
6:45 or 7am - Wake up, walk outside to put on my shoes, use the outhouse, go back inside and wash my hands and brush my teeth with only distilled water, get dressed and get my stuff for the day together.

7:15ish - Have breakfast which is cooked by my host mom (a fried egg with homemade cheese and homemade bread, or a bowl of plain oatmeal, with hot boiling water to drink).

7:30 - Walk 30 mins to another house in the village for language training (all of the houses have only outhouses). You get used to the sight and smell of cow, sheep, dog, goat, etc. poop.

8-10 - Language

10-10:30 - Tea Break

10:30-12 - Language

12-1 - Lunch (but don't forget the 30 minute walk to my house, and 30 minutes back...heh) (plate of cabbage with oil, or fried potatoes, or noodles with onion, drinking hot boiling water)

1-5 - Language

5 - Walk home and study...did I mention the 6pm curfew (it eventually became 9pm, but not until the very end...curfew means in the house, not in the street in front of the house)?

7ish - Dinner (usually same thing you had for lunch)

2 or 3amish - I'd sometimes have to go to the outhouse in the middle of the night, which is dangerous b/c a lot of rapes happen that way, but the dog that wanted to kill me was at least good warning of any company.

On some days, we'd have culture or tech sessions, so the last section of "Language" would involve transporting to a culture or tech site instead (culture sites were always another village where we met up with another group of volunteers, tech sites were either that or different types of organizations).

General Life outside of Training:
8am - Wake up, have yogurt, fruit, and nuts for breakfast with all natural fruit juice (it's cheaper than the stuff with sugar added, go figure), brush teeth leaning over my bathtub

8:35am - Take public transportation to work

9am-2pm - Work (as we often lack electricity there, and the computer works maybe 2 days/wk and is dial up (it's a colleague's computer, I don't have one at my desk), I mainly talk to the people there in broken Russian or study Russian or try to plan my projects...I do have a couple underway.

2pm - Take public transportation to my area of town and grab lunch (at a cafe if I have money, or I just go home for it), if home, I usually just have a couple of slices of whole grain bread (it's expensive, but you can find it) with peanut butter that's been shipped from home, and filtered water.

Late Afternoon/Early Evening - I have secondary projects I do that differ from day to day, and Russian lessons for at least 2 hours every week, but I'm always done by 6pm.

7pmish - Dinner (sometimes out with volunteers, sometimes out alone, sometimes just in the apt...if out, I have a semi-normal meal...at home it's usually yogurt or some kind of vegetable, drinking filtered water, of course)

After Dinner - unless the vols get together, I usually just read at home or listen to music...sometimes I plan projects or lesson plan for secondaries, but the secondaries are easy, and I've already figured out what I want to do for my major projects...so I write materials to assess the community. I'll be administering them soon and will start coordinating with the appropriate partners.

Honestly, I would really check to see if the PC is right for you because I was interested in it and it did not work out for me at all. I went to several informationals and talked to a lot of members who were in the Peacecorps and it just didn't seem right for me. The application process is very long and I do not like the amount of open-endness they have. It is way too extreme for me. There are of course other reasons, the biggest one being there are no places where I could use my Arabic language skills. I'm not going to graduate college with 4 years of arabic, then forget because I spent 2 years in the PC.

The application process can be quite insane, though some people have an easy time of it. It is most certainly not for everyone, though. People are dropping out left and right, though some locations have better retention rates than others. We have a 50% drop out rate where I am, I think, but that's just my personal estimate based on the numbers I know about from observation.

There are two posts, though, that use Arabic: Morocco and Jordan, both in the North Africa/Middle East region. You could apply very narrowly and tell them you'd only be willing to go to one of those countries and only want to speak Arabic (in Morocco there's a chance you'd be put into a Berber (Tamazight, sp?) language group).

[TigerL]

That was a great description, Nikita!

Amphorian, I had two classmates who were in Peace Corps before grad school. They both enjoyed it very much. If you're in university, there might be a local Peace Corps branch that holds occasional meetings where alumni speak or they can connect you with alumni.

BTW, I believe PC accepts older people in certain positions as well -- I recall reading some article about retired seniors in the PC.

Americorps is domestic and I believe, for VISTA, a shorter time, one year. My brother was involved in admin for Americorps on the East coast a few years ago and is still connected with their alumni group.

When I was younger, I was interested in working for international medical groups like Doctors Without Borders or the World Health Organization but as I volunteered among local US medical agencies, I saw that there were (and are) many areas of need domestically. I've also spent time in central China's medical system. I'm not saying to take an isolationist stand here but domestic volunteering, while not sounding as glamorous as international volunteering, is just as important and needed.

Life and work is what you make of it. Many jobs that seem glamorous have mundane parts and many jobs that are important for society's progress are mundane in their day-to-day components. Volunteermatch.org is one site to find volunteering opportunities; another good site, esp. for those interested in non-profits, is idealist.org.

[lamplighter]

Geesh, I had thought about joining the PC before, but the application process sounds way too tedious for me. I knew it would require some hard labor, and that you were trying to bring a 3rd world area into modern civilization. I just don't know if I'd have the patience for all the crap you went through Nikita, and I have scoliosis so it sounds like I'd eventually be rejected anyway. It seems like you earn some cash here and there, or do you get all your money from home Nikita?

[Malkavia]

There are two posts, though, that use Arabic: Morocco and Jordan, both in the North Africa/Middle East region. You could apply very narrowly and tell them you'd only be willing to go to one of those countries and only want to speak Arabic (in Morocco there's a chance you'd be put into a Berber (Tamazight, sp?) language group).

In order to do Jordan you have to have 2-3 years of profesional youth experience. They told me Morocco wants people who speak French, not Arabic.

I mean it's ok, Im not hurt or anything. It actually worked out quite well for me with a fullbright grant and going to do research on Palestinian Refugees in Syria. :)

EDIT: To also add on to a couple posts above me - those are GREAT websites. Idealist.org (even if it sounds stupid) has great opportunities with non-profits.

[timetraveler]

heh

I am currently in the Peace Corps, but before joining, I earned a Juris Doctorate and a law license. Peace Corps is turning out to be the craziest time of my life, thus far, and is completely worth it. I work in an NGO doing health promotion and sustainable development. Though the administrative...stuff...can be frustrating to deal with, and the restrictions very confining, ultimately, it's totally worth it.

<snip>

I can try to answer questions if you have or anyone else has any.

If you're not sure an organization like PC is right for you - and believe me it's not right for everyone, the drop-out rate is pretty high - you can look for work with a similar format. Find NGOs or small businesses and help them grow. A lot of development work is just helping to generate ideas for not only projects to implement, but for how to implement project ideas the organization already has in mind. If there's a cause you believe in, find a way to support it as a graphic designer, if you can. NGOs are the simplest way to go for the kind of work most people who seem to be interested in PC want to do.



1. Will I need a Juris Doctorate and law license to join the Peacecorps?
2. What qualifications would I need besides just a degree?
3. What kinda volunteer work do you do?


The main problem I and others face is we have degrees but we don't have experience because theres no entry level jobs to provide any kind of experience. The Peacecorps is volunteer work and it also provides training in foreign languages, and cultural education. But from what you describe it's very difficult to get accepted into.

[Amphorian]

My situation has nothing to do with the economy. Graphic Design and in particular Web Design is a growing field and full of oppurtunities.

Also the requirements are listed on peacecorps.gov for joining.

[timetraveler]

My situation has nothing to do with the economy. Graphic Design and in particular Web Design is a growing field and full of oppurtunities.

If that is the case why not accept a job and work a 9-5 for a while? My situation is unfortunate because there are no job openings. A 9-5 life I agree is very mundane, boring and I never really found that life interesting, but its better than being broke.

[Amphorian]

If that is the case why not accept a job and work a 9-5 for a while?

Because it is unsatisfactorty and that's what I started this thread. Did you not read my original post?

[timetraveler]

In order to do Jordan you have to have 2-3 years of profesional youth experience. They told me Morocco wants people who speak French, not Arabic.

I mean it's ok, Im not hurt or anything. It actually worked out quite well for me with a fullbright grant and going to do research on Palestinian Refugees in Syria. :)

EDIT: To also add on to a couple posts above me - those are GREAT websites. Idealist.org (even if it sounds stupid) has great opportunities with non-profits.

If any of those sites have entry level opportunities I'd be interested. If they all require you to have 2-3 years of experience thats sort of a catch 22.

[Nikita]

I just don't know if I'd have the patience for all the crap you went through Nikita, and I have scoliosis so it sounds like I'd eventually be rejected anyway. It seems like you earn some cash here and there, or do you get all your money from home Nikita?

As long as the condition is manageable without access to good medical care, it shouldn't stop you from getting accepted, though there may be restrictions on which countries you can go to.

Peace Corps gives you enough money to pay for rent, utilities, food, and transportation allowing you to live at the same level as the people you're helping. (The locals I've met don't understand why my rent is so low, until they hear about the size of my tiny apartment, lol, most have better homes than us volunteers do.) They will also reimburse language tutoring. We're actually asked not to supplement our incomes, and I don't. I find that I have enough money to pay for internet b/c it's important to me, lol. And we are absolutely not allowed to earn any money while in Peace Corps. If we tutor people, we do it for free. If we help with business development, we do it for free. Everything we do is done for free. If you accept money for anything, you can be kicked out.

In order to do Jordan you have to have 2-3 years of profesional youth experience. They told me Morocco wants people who speak French, not Arabic.

I was told I'd be learning Arabic when I was originally supposed to go to Morocco because French is only spoken by the business class. But maybe your program would be different. I was nominated for Health work in isolated locations.

I mean it's ok, Im not hurt or anything. It actually worked out quite well for me with a fullbright grant and going to do research on Palestinian Refugees in Syria. :)

That's great! Congratulations!

1. Will I need a Juris Doctorate and law license to join the Peacecorps?
2. What qualifications would I need besides just a degree?
3. What kinda volunteer work do you do?


The main problem I and others face is we have degrees but we don't have experience because theres no entry level jobs to provide any kind of experience. The Peacecorps is volunteer work and it also provides training in foreign languages, and cultural education. But from what you describe it's very difficult to get accepted into.

1. No. It can actually be a hindrance. You just need a bachelor's degree or years of relevant experience. It depends on the job type you're seeking. More info can be found at To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

2. Volunteer experience and interest in other cultures and learning a language.

3. Health work with HIV/AIDS, primarily.

Honestly, you don't need all kinds of experience to do this. It can be helpful, but mostly, I think people are accepted as long as they are tenacious as the process is long and tedious. I took HIV classes after my nomination, and hadn't done volunteer work until a few months before I applied in the first place. I did get recertified in CPR and First AID and some other stuff from Red Cross after the nomination, too, at the suggestion of the recruiting officer, but these are inexpensive and simple courses. PC will train you for whatever work you end up doing. The language training alone is worth it if you get a language you think you might want to use after PC. For me, PC IS the experience I want and need. It is 2 years of international project management and design experience, as well as experience writing grants. It is 2 years of living and working in another culture and speaking another language. Before PC, I tried to look for international jobs, but to get them, you needed international experience. For PC, you don't need any prior international experience, but you get a ton of it by doing PC.

[Paul Siraisi]

I joined the Peace Corps after college, where I was a studio art major (sculpture). The sculpture experience got me into the water program (concrete & masonry work).

That was a mindblowing, life-altering experience. I highly recommend it if you are physically tough. Not if you're not.

[Malkavia]

If any of those sites have entry level opportunities I'd be interested. If they all require you to have 2-3 years of experience thats sort of a catch 22.

They do not. Most you do not need prior experience. You will be trained accordingly from what i can tell.

I can see why the youth program needed experience though, because you would be dealing with some heavy stuff working with inner city kids in the Middle East.

If my above post made it seem like I do not the Peace Corps then I made a mistake. I think the PC is a great program if you currently dont have real direction and want to help out people in a true sense. However in my opinion you need to be highly creative, intelligent, and an initiator if you want to do anything or else you would just be a burden. Much of it is extremely open ended and it is your responsibility to do your job.

[Nikita]

However in my opinion you need to be highly creative, intelligent, and an initiator if you want to do anything or else you would just be a burden. Much of it is extremely open ended and it is your responsibility to do your job.

There are plenty of average people in PC, but you do need to be a self-starter if you want to have any big successful projects, especially as most cultures are very laid back and not as go-go-go as to productivity the way Americans interpret it. A popular PC saying: "Type A personalities go crazy, and Type B personalities become Type A personalities."

[phej]

There are plenty of average people in PC, but you do need to be a self-starter if you want to have any big successful projects, especially as most cultures are very laid back and not as go-go-go as to productivity the way Americans interpret it. A popular PC saying: "Type A personalities go crazy, and Type B personalities become Type A personalities."

Hrmm... Do the Type-A's go crazy in a good way?

[timetraveler]

They do not. Most you do not need prior experience. You will be trained accordingly from what i can tell.

I can see why the youth program needed experience though, because you would be dealing with some heavy stuff working with inner city kids in the Middle East.

If my above post made it seem like I do not the Peace Corps then I made a mistake. I think the PC is a great program if you currently dont have real direction and want to help out people in a true sense. However in my opinion you need to be highly creative, intelligent, and an initiator if you want to do anything or else you would just be a burden. Much of it is extremely open ended and it is your responsibility to do your job.

If thats the case I will probably do it. It's not a guarantee they'll accept me so what tips can you give me to get me accepted?

[lamplighter]

Well I have to give the Peace Corps some thought again when I finish school. So what are some of the bigger projects you can expect to be involved in with the Peace corps?