Whether to gain experience in a field, to get to know a company from the inside, or just to help others, volunteering is a great option. Even though you are working without being paid, the benefits and contacts make it worthwhile.

What better way to see if you would enjoy working with seniors than to volunteer in a seniors’ home. Or to see whether your love for horses could translate into a career with the disabled.

Often, we think that we’d love working in a specific field until we try it for a while. Then we find it wasn’t quite what we thought. For instance, working in retail involves dealing with people – but what about when those people are crabby? Or what about the times when there are no customers and you have to sit alone and wait for someone to come. Would you still like the job as much then?

Volunteering offers a way to find out how you might like a career without spending the time, energy, and money required to pursue a job that isn’t quite what you thought it would be. For instance, volunteering has helped me realize I enjoy teaching groups rather than individuals.

While volunteering is helpful to the organization you work with, you are still expected to treat it as you would a paid job placement. Set hours are required, often a years commitment, and you will still have supervisors to tell you what to do. An attitude of ‘I can do what I like because I’m an unpaid helper’ won’t do.

By showing up on time and working to the best of your ability, you may well be noticed by management and offered a paid position within the company. But even if you don’t, the experience will be be beneficial. And the appreciation shown by those you’ve helped will warm your heart.

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