career change volunteer

Fiona is 28, a college graduate and a single mom on welfare with two young children soon to start school. Faced with the most difficult part of her mothering duties soon to end, Fiona started looking at her options in relation to returning to work.

"I started off my working life teaching," says Fiona, "but I went into teaching more to please my parents than myself. My heart wasn't in it. I don't want to go back to teaching, and besides which I'm far too out of date to go back without having to do a refresher course If I have to do some post-graduate study, then it's got to be targeted to something I'm going to enjoy."

"This time around I want a complete career change - I want to work in the television or movie industry and if that means doing a post-graduate course then I am prepared to make that commitment," says Fiona. "First of all, though, I followed advice about trying out voluntary work as a means of gaining insight into whether or not something is going to be right for me. As it turned out, voluntary work was a great new direction in itself."

"It’s often said of voluntary work that if you find yourself really enjoying the work then it may lead to a real job," says Fiona, "but I've never heard of anybody who gained a paying position from a stint doing voluntary work. But my opinion doesn’t necessarily mean to say that someone, somewhere, hasn't got lucky."

Fiona says that anyone who takes on voluntary work in expectation of gaining a real job is likely to end up being disappointed. Initially, this was her aim, but she soon got real.

For most people, voluntary work is not a means to an end.

"For those who turn to voluntary work to fill some time and hopefully do some good or, like I did, as a means of checking out a new career direction," explains Fiona, "it can be fun - but you need to let the organization know that you are there to check out a new direction - a new paying career - otherwise you risk being left to your own devices and not learning anything new."

"There are some wonderful voluntary organizations out there that offer unique experiences for their voluntary workers," explains Fiona. "The Olympic Games organization, for instance, offers great experiences for an army of voluntary workers, and most of the world's fire fighters and emergency services personnel are volunteers, too."

"Thoroughly check out the voluntary positions available," suggests Fiona. "For instance, if you want to try out nursing as a new career direction and the only voluntary positions available in your neighborhood hospitals are for 'visitors' - ask yourself if this is what you want to do. Doing a stint as a voluntary 'visitor' may get you a look-in at what nurses do all day, and help you decide whether it is the new direction you want to take, but it is unlikely to offer you the real experience of nursing that you need."

"I had no luck trying to get into television or the movie industry via a voluntary job," says Fiona, "but I did try out doing a bit of voluntary work for a community radio broadcasting studio and as luck would have it I fell in love with the work and the whole atmosphere of the place."

"There were no formal job interviews and nobody asked for my job resume - what a blessing!" laughs Fiona. "There was just a brief form to fill in, a cheery welcome and ‘want to have a go’?"

From knowing nobody at the studio, and never considering becoming a broadcaster, Fiona was ‘on air’ and best of friends with everybody at the studio after a few hours.

The community radio station had no paid staff doing the work. It was run entirely by volunteers, some of whom had worked in commercial radio all of their lives. Fiona liked this. They were committed to the work. Fiona soon discovered that enthusiasts are the most delightful people to work with and be around.

"Radio is actually better for me than television or the movie industry," says Fiona, "and I would never have discovered this fact without trying out voluntary work."

"I'm an Aquarian and I'm far more interested in communities and the world at large than I am in personal relationships," explains Fiona. "And, having a good voice and the sort of assertive attitude that most first born kids have, I'm well suited to radio work."

Fiona has yet to gain a real job in commercial radio from her voluntary work, but is working towards achieving her dream.

"I was advised by the 'old hands' in radio that experience is valued far more highly than a post-graduate degree," explains Fiona, "so when I was offered a short permanent slot at the community radio station - for talking about community events - I grabbed it."

"Probably not many people listen to me," laughs Fiona, "but that's not as important to me as gaining the experience I need to apply for a paying job in commercial radio."

"I don’t spend much time ‘on air’, but when I do it's the biggest high for me. Much of the work at a community radio station - as in any voluntary job, or even paid job - involves menial work. There are telephones to answer, coffee cups to wash, errands to run and general tidying up to do. I don’t mind. The studio is now like a second home for me."

Her children think she’s got a real job, and are very proud of their mom, and Fiona is not going to disillusion them. She knows a lot of people doing voluntary work who actually pretend to the world at large that they have a paying job, and she sees nothing wrong with this.

"Being a welfare mom sucks," laughs Fiona, "and a little lie to build up self-esteem is worth it!"

Fiona did not go into voluntary work expecting doors to open. She does it because she wants to do it and enjoys doing it. Becoming a community radio volunteer was an amazing new direction for her, giving her a goal to work towards.

"As for real paying work? Well, I suppose I will have to take whatever I can get until my ship comes in," sighs Fiona. "And if it doesn't, then maybe I will opt to do a post-graduate degree after all. In the meantime, I feel that I'm making a valuable contribution to the community by doing voluntary work."