<p>Is it better to volunteer or to get a paid job? Money isn't an issue for me, so which one should I do? Would colleges like it if I got a job? Or would they think I should be helping others?</p>
<p>I think that working shows more responsibility. Holding a part time job and balancing school work is much harder than going to school and volunteering on the side.</p>
<p>Don’t worry about what colleges want, just choose the one that you want to do more and everything will work out.</p>
<p>Both have their positives and negatives; you need to think about what means more to you.
While volunteering shows that you are a generous contributor to your community, it is on a volunteer basis with less comittment than a job which demands specific, given hours.
Getting a job shows responsibility and depth of skill but it also is indicative of mainly self-interest since you are getting paid.
If you find either a job or volunteer work in something that really interests you and shows admissions officers another side of you, do it, disregard whether that means it is public service or a paid job because if you, for example, are interested in science and find a minor job/internship in a research lab, it’s better than serving lunch at a soup kitchen when you are not even interested in food, and may also land you connections for other interesting science opportunities,</p>
<p>in my opinion, volunteering says more than a job. I volunteer at the local nursing home and hospital because i love to help people and help my community. The reasons why i never had a job was because i was more interested in helping the community, and i couldn’t find a job. but volunteering shows that you have dedication, and responsibility. But please, don’t do it for the college admissions sake, do it for you.</p>
<p>^ I agree with Stacks101.
If you volunteer just to have it on your college apps, the people at the place where you volunteer will probably be able to tell that you don’t truly care about it, don’t want to be there, etc. And that would NOT be a good thing at all. Follow your heart and don’t worry about what colleges want.</p>
<p>stacks: you speak from the perspective of someone who doesn’t HAVE to work a job to help his/her family make ends meet. And admissions officers know this. Volunteer or job: is equal to them. Your voluntarism isn’t better per se, than the rural kid’s need to work 10hrs/wk at Walmart because she’s from a single parent home.</p>
<p>^
Well said. Volunteering, for many, comes from privilege while working is often a necessity.</p>
<p>Yeah both can be seen with pos and cons, so select which works better for you.</p>
<p>Since the economy is falling apart right now, you’ll probably have more luck volunteering than getting a paid job. Just make sure that it’s something substantive and also that you’ll like it; don’t help at an animal shelter if you hate animals, for instance. If you do get a part-time job, you can also always do one-off volunteering, like spending a few hours a month at a soup kitchen or reading to kids at the library.</p>
<p>I chose volunteering over a job because:
- The extra income would be taxed heavily and leave me with little real gain
- I could use my hours for honors recognition at school through CSF or another group
- I was able to find opportunities for volunteer work that inspired me</p>
<p>As a volunteer, I received some rather prestigious honors on the school, district, and regional level. That would never have happened had I merely had a job. </p>
<p>At first, I found it difficult to find a volunteer job that accepted teens and that could provide a great number of hours. I had to create my own opportunity. </p>
<p>I feel that I grew more in my 500+ hours of volunteer work than I would have in an entry-level job. </p>
<p>Since money is not an issue for you, I suggest volunteering.</p>
<p>The advantage of working in a job over volunteering is when you go to find another job.</p>
<p>I don’t know whether admissions people look at one above the other but employers certainly do and the job should give you an advantage when applying for internships and real jobs down the road.</p>