Volunteering makes good sense. Read on to find out why even your parents might think it's a good idea:

GAIN REAL WORK EXPERIENCE

It's tough getting a first job. Employers all want to hire people with experience. A year of service can pack your resume with the real job experience you need. Many volunteer agencies actually create a job tailored to what you want because they really need your skills.

DEVELOP NEW AREAS OF EXPERTISE

If you are one of the many people that discovered half-way through college that your major isn't really you, but you stuck with it anyway, a year of service is ideal for you. You will get valuable work experience that can open doors to the area you are really interested in. Even if you love your major, any secondary expertise makes you more attractive to future employers and helps you grow as a person.

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

By doing a year of service, you leave behind the cold study of social problems and meet real people who work to make change happen.  With them, you do more than talk about the problem, you become part of real solutions.  You become food for hungry families, shelter for homeless people, teacher for the uneducated, translator for the international community, etc. Most volunteers also stress how good it feels to "give back" to the community in appreciation of all the blessings they have received.

A NEW ADVENTURE

Maybe you have always wanted to spend a year or two in another country, learning about a new country.  Or maybe you've never lived and worked in the low-income part of town, but feel drawn to experience what that is like.  Whether you end up helping farmers to form a co-op in Tanzania or tutor at-risk children in the south side of Chicago or work at a radio station in a part of Alaska where you have to fly in or out because there are no roads to your little town, you are sure to have an adventure!

LIVE IN COMMUNITY WITH OTHER VOLUNTEERS

Many volunteer programs provide not only housing, but the great kind of community experience students have grown accustomed to in their years at UD: young adults with similar experiences and values coming home in the evening to talk about the highs and lows of their days. A good number of these programs are run by Christian organizations who encourage the community to share prayer together, share meals together, and go on retreat together.

WHEN ELSE WILL YOU DO THIS?

Sure, there are a few people who volunteer in their 30's, 40's, or after they retire, but not many. Family responsibilities, careers, home ownership and other commitments often prevent people from full-time volunteering it later in life. Being in your early 20's, just out of college, is the best time of your life to do something adventurous and rewarding. Because of all the benefits to society and to you, deferments of student loans and graduate/medical/law school acceptance are usually available. So, what are you waiting for?