Peace Corps

<p>I'm thinking about joining the Peace Corps after getting my B.S. in Biochemistry and possibly teaching Chemistry to high school students in (preferably) an Asian country.</p>

<p>I was just wondering if anyone was planning on doing the same or known anyone who has.</p>

<p>The benefits seem pretty good... <a href="http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn.whyvol%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn.whyvol&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Modest stipend, work experience, chance to live some place different, maybe even placement into fellowships after 27 months...</p>

<p>One thing I'm concerned about is that I'm not to big on altruism/community service, so I'm not sure if it'd be for me. And of course I've only looked at peacecorps.gov so I have no other prospective. Yet, from what I've read so far, looks like something I'd want to do.</p>

<p>Any ideas?</p>

<p>I know someone who went to Peace Corps after college. Went somewhere in Guatemala. Came back, got a law degree, and now he's a millionare. He goes back and visits every year, in spite of the danger that has cropped up in that area.</p>

<p>Definitely give it a try. Not so much for the benefits, but for the once in a lifetime experience. </p>

<p>No problem if you're not into altruism and stuff...
the fact that you're help people doesn't change.</p>

<p>It's great if you do stuff and like it, but it's also great just doing it.</p>

<p>I know two people who participated in the program and I have yet to hear a single (overtly) negative comment. They both say that it was an influential experience for them. Although it is a tool to bolster the United States' image abroad, it is very productive. The only true criticsm is that it does too little to support community development and sustainability. Once the volunteer leaves, things often go downhill.</p>

<p>I am in the same position as mosby. I was planning to get a degree in teaching and help educate people where ever the peace corps places me after college.</p>

<p>I have met people who were Peace Corps volunteers. If you're not into community service/altruism, I don't think it's an option that you'd enjoy. It's not as if you're living a cushy lifestyle in a foreign country where everyone immediately appreciates you. Peace Corps work is hard, and takes dedication. </p>

<p>There are far easier ways to travel and to get fellowships and work experience.</p>

<p>Right on Northstarmom. Its not like you are going to help villagers in Aruba, living on a seculded beach hut with all the amenities. Most places you live probably won't even have electricity, much less a modern sewer system. My brother's friend works for the peace corps and was posted in some Balkan country, and the host family totally abandon the program right before she got there. She tried to contact the peace corp office back home to no avail, so she was forced to live and sleep at her office with no showers or anything. Research this employment option very extensively before you jump in. This means even talk to numerous people who have been in and get both negative and positive reviews of the corps.</p>

<p>When I was in Benin, I visited a Peace Corps worker. She was living in a one-room mud hut with a mud floor, and her toilet was a latrine (with walls around it) that was shared by the village. She had only a few items of clothing, and all were the kind of clothing that the villagers wore. Of course, she had no shower or bathtub. All of her water came from the village's well.</p>

<p>Incidentally, one isn't greeted with hosannas when arriving to do Peace Corps work. One has to earn the people's respect. They don't automatically assume that because one comes from the US and has a college education, that one is able to help them. It's important to have the patience and empathy to get to know the village's culture.</p>