Artemis (c-67-169-121-60.hsd1.ca.comcast.net - 67.169.121.60)
| Posted on Saturday, October 06, 2007 - 3:25 am: | |
I am interested in corresponding with people who have entered Peace Corps after being in the workforce 10+ years to hear more about your experiences with the agency and any particular problems or challenges you faced as an older (but not necessarily senior) Volunteer. In particular, I'm wondering: - Did you feel that Placement treated you with respect and did a good job of matching your assignment to your skill set? Did they seem to understand your skill set? - Once you got in the field, did you feel like your skills and knowledge could be well-utilized by the project to which you were assigned? - Do you find the rules you have to follow in the field patronizing? Do you think you have more difficulty with them than you might have had when you were a recent college graduate? Or did you feel very independent once you got to your site? -Have you been able to develop any transferable skills or contacts through your Peace Corps service that helped you transition to a different career? -How well were you able to connect with the older and younger volunteers in your group? I realize that the above questions could be relevant for Volunteers of any age, not just mid-career professionals. Thank you for any input and feel free to contact me directly if you wish. I am a recent applicant (and late-30s mid-career professional) who struggled with the top-down nature of the placement process and also didn't really feel like my work experience was valued or acknowledged. I still want to pursue PC service, but wonder whether I'll be compliant enough to put up with the bureacracy. I've been reading about Senator Dodd's Peace Corps Volunteer Empowerment Act, which would call on the Peace Corps to double the number of Volunteers with five or more years of work experience by the end of 2009. I support the bill but suspect that it may take more than advertising to attract more mid-career professionals; it may require changes to the application and placement process. I would love to hear from some other working adults about their experiences as applicants and/or Volunteers. Thank you! |