ALT-1 How Volunteering can Enhance your way of Life
When many decades have been spent in a single field, many people feel that they have lost touch with the world outside of their work. After all, the world for most workers has changed dramatically in that time. You could go back to school and spend a good bit of time and money learning a new field, and in many cases that is essential. However, if you are simply interested in becoming a bit more marketable, volunteering is a great idea.When deciding on volunteer opportunities, you should choose an area that really interests you. Pet lovers might try the Humane Society, book lovers might try the library, and art lovers might look into museum or gallery docent positions. History lovers would be greatly appreciated at a local museum or Historical Society.The first thing that you will learn as a volunteer is the routine of the staff at the location where you are working. Though it may be a bit daunting for you at first to be the newcomer, paid staff are most always grateful for help and many go out of their way to be friendly and make a new person (one who is working for free especially) feel welcome. Often you will find it is a refreshing change to step into a different world than the one that you have become accustomed to.A volunteer will learn new skills such as operating office equipment or learning to follow new instructions and procedures. Making new work friends is another challenging part of volunteering, especially if you have worked with an established group for a long time and have become comfortable within that group.If you are in a position that involves public contact, and your old job did not, you will quickly learn new ways of initiating contact and helping people who are visiting as patrons or customers.Keep in mind that your work not only has the potential to advance your career and provide you with new experiences; it has the ability to make a difference in the world. Perhaps you will help find a good home for a puppy, help recycle, help a child, or otherwise provide some real contribution to the world.Overall, volunteering provides you with skills, added confidence, and new experiences that you can include on your resume. You will also have a sense of having contributed in a meaningful way that is helping others. As a volunteer you can potentially gain a great deal for a few hours of work per week. What are you waiting for? Go find a volunteer position now!
