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Will I advance or delay my career by joining the Peace Corps?
Sometimes, when it rains, it pours. Sometimes, opportunities come in pairs or triads, or even bunches. Not a bad problem to have, but a choice is required, which can be hard.
Here’s a scenario: you’ve been invited to serve in the Peace Corps, which is something you’ve been thinking about for a while. But you have a job you love—or an offer for one—and you can’t do both. Now what? If you go on to serve with the Peace Corps, will that decision derail or delay your career plans?
Peace Corps service supports career growth
In truth, the only person who can really answer that question is you, since much depends on the type of career you’re in or looking for, and how desperately you want to keep or accept a job. However, the fact is that Peace Corps, for most careers, is a benefit, not a detriment.
In-person service—either in a traditional two-year assignment or in a short-term Response opportunity—offers a ton of tools that will help you for years and years to come—in a career and in life. You’ll learn the soft skills of flexibility and resilience, making do with less, and learn to come up with out-of-the-box solutions for real-world problems. You’ll learn language skills and gain a intercultural understanding that’s marketable and difficult to earn elsewhere. You’ll also leave your service with other benefits. These include a service award* to help set you up in your post-service life; reduced tuition or stipends for further study, one year of non-competitive eligibility for federal employment, and immediate access to other support and opportunities.
“The Coverdell Fellowship provided a stipend and full-tuition scholarship so I could obtain master’s degrees in Latin American studies and public administration; it also gave me access to an amazing network of fellow RPCVs," said Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Robert A.
*readjustment allowance
Peace Corps offers robust networking opportunities
There are no “former” Peace Corps Volunteers. Peace Corps Volunteers, once they finish service, are called “Returned Peace Corps Volunteers” (RPCVs). This is a nod to the notion that Peace Corps service, once successfully completed, is an experience that keeps on giving—both to you and through you. Upon completion of your service, you’ll be given access to the “RPCV portal,” which you’ll be able to access indefinitely. Read more about post-service benefits here. You’ll also be able to connect with the almost 240,000 other RPCVs though the National Peace Corps Association (NPCA), which is a nationwide organization and network of affiliate and country-of-service groups.
"The Returned Volunteer (RPCV) network is extensive across the world. When I travel or look for potential work connections, there is almost always a RPCV somewhere. There is an inherent trust among RPCVs, having all gone through a similar experience—across different countries, decades, and sectors," says RPCV Daniel F.
You’ll be able to find support for sharing your story, networking with other RPCVs in your career or industry, and even access opportunities for going into business via a venture capital firm created by and specifically for RPCVS.
Peace Corps is much more than a job
Peace Corps is more than a job. It’s training for life and a means of gathering skills you’ll use forever, in all parts of your life. You’ll create lasting connections with people in your host community and with the other Volunteers you’ll serve beside. You’ll come back home as a different and better version of yourself—a version who has created a life for yourself in a place you may never have even heard of before. You’ll come back having earned the service award that will position you well to reenter the job market, and with a full array of benefits and support. You'll come back more confident in facing the unknown and embracing whatever comes your way. That's why so many RPCVs will tell anyone considering service to “just do it.” Many faced the same decision you do, and are thankful they chose to serve.
Still unsure? Read the stories of other people like you who served and then shaped a path for their own success after service. You can also serve online on a part-time basis while maintaining a fulltime job through Virtual Service. This can buy you a bit more time to see if service or a fulltime job is right for you.
