Cultivating outside satisfaction

In AmeriCorps, more than Peace Corps, it is extremely important to be working at something that gives you fulfillment outside of your position. Peace Corps has ways of accomplishing this as well, although this post will focus mostly on Vista life.

In Peace Corps, there are extracurricular opportunities for volunteers in the form of PCV committees. These committees are formed around issues like diversity, women and HIV/AIDS. Committees are purposed with helping PCVs increase their effectiveness in-country through all-vol programming, whether training or sports camps or even resource/fundraising. While committees can be refreshing because you’re working with other PCVs in which there is a common cultural literacy (your own and the host country’s), PCVs must ultimately learn how to derive the majority of their satisfaction from the communities they work for. Committees are only to be a supplement or enhancement to your tour.

For vistas, this is particularly important because the service corps is not meant to be an all-encompassing experience. It is a full experience in that some learn what living in poverty means for the first time, but the work itself is limited to 40 hours a week. As a rule of thumb, I believe it’s a good idea for vistas to invest heavily in something outside of their work, be it hobbies or volunteering with another organization. Although there are many vistas who are having a kick-ass time at their organizations, there are just as many who are wading through bureaucratic red tape, company culture and nonprofit identity crises (especially relevant in light of the economic downturn). At the end of the day, trying to sort out work issues at home is not only hard on you but also on friends and family–especially if they are ongoing, metastasizing issues. In a situation like any (and more) listed above, your satisfaction and validation is dependent on those you work with and under rather than being rooted in the mission and a shared approach toward that mission. This has the potential of being a roller coaster of a year.

Over the last several years, I’ve cobbled together my own declaration of what I want from work:

I want to work at a place where personal development is just as important as professional development. Where part of my take-home is satisfaction because let’s face it: No matter what people say, when you devote that much time to one thing, work becomes an integral part of your identity.

I still believe this and continue to work toward it. In the meantime, however, I’ve learned the importance of having something on the side because even when things are fantastic, we all need something to remind us that there are more flowers to smell than just roses.