<p>Frankly, I don’t think most HR departments give a damn what your extracurriculars were, unless they tie into the business. Oh, someone was in the Victorian Poetry Club? So what? Now, if their EC was learning Chinese and the business regularly communicates with a branch in China, that might get some attention. (Or if you were the president or an officer in a club, because that shows leadership.) They’re most useful for filling up white space on a resume.</p>
<p>HOWEVER. Volunteering and work history are a whole different story. These things show that you can WORK. You may be thinking, “But what does a job at McDonald’s really prove?” Well, if you got a good recommendation from your boss as Micky D’s then it means you were punctual, reliable, responsible, didn’t shirk off, were polite to customers, and got along with your coworkers. In short, it shows work ethic and that is something every business wants in its employees. Volunteering shows that you’re giving back to the community and shows that you can and will do something other than sitting on your butt all day–especially important if you’re between jobs.</p>
<p>Your last sentence doesn’t really make sense to me. It’s too much trouble to get a job, so you want to . . . quit school completely and get a job? How is that any better? Especially given that you will have fewer options without a degree?</p>