Volunteering

[mikebird]

Who does this?

When there's no soul left of you, for no reward?

It's a new concept for me. Sacrifice? I've always ignored it so far.

Like giving blood? Organ donation.

When you feel unworthy of anything? :crying:
What's good about it?

I have two slots for interview this week.
I feel a way to prove myself by offering what I'm capable of, by digging deeper into personal resources

 

[EscapeArtist]

yeah I was wondering the same thing today when my counselor suggested I volunteer, at a place that would resemble the environment of my last job almost.... Which was hellish, and that was WITH pay

I don't get how a person can do it with, as you put it, "little soul left" unless the word is especially rewarding to you. But making flower arrangements for a store (which was this volunteer job) does not sound rewarding...ha

 

[mikebird]

yeah I was wondering the same thing today when my counselor suggested I volunteer, at a place that would resemble the environment of my last job almost.... Which was hellish, and that was WITH pay

I don't get how a person can do it with, as you put it, "little soul left" unless the word is especially rewarding to you. But making flower arrangements for a store (which was this volunteer job) does not sound rewarding...ha

:brindis:

 

[vanillabear]

In high school we had a requirement to do some amount of hours for volunteering.. I did a few volunteer positions for that..

I think the most rewarding experiences was planting trees and tutoring math.
Planting trees and helping with the community garden was an interesting experience.. I'm a couch potato so that was a really rough experience (yeah, you can laugh ) I had callouses all over my hands and my back was killing afterwards from wheelbarrowing soil and stuff, but I would volunteer all over again if I had the chance.. it really helped me fix my perspective and also felt good to finally be able to contribute something to society. Tutoring math was awesome too.. from that I found out that I really like one-on-one teaching.

So I guess I'd say go for it, it really helped me feel more a part of a community which was a foreign feeling to me especially in high school.

 

[jaim38]

I'm currently volunteering at a nonprofit. I don't have a job currently but want to gain experience (and avoid having an employment gap on my resume that I will have to explain) so I decided to volunteer. I admit, it was purely for selfish purposes at first, but now I'm starting to realize the importance of giving and helping others. I am very grateful my boss gave me this volunteer position when no one else would (I applied elsewhere but received no replies). My role is pretty social because part of it entails recruiting and speaking with strangers, which scares the h*** out of me. But, something inside tells me to keep going, keep doing what I'm doing, stop quitting like before.

 

[LoyalXenite]

If i was financially ok and had the time i would love to volunteer with animals but that is because i adore them and would not see it as a job or a duty.

I have done volunteer work overseas when i was younger (12,13) and it is very rewarding in its own way, to see the difference you make in someones life, even for a moment actually made me feel like my life had been worth something. It gives me some sort of purpose and makes me feel like im a decent person (something i question regularly).

 

[mikebird]

I'll meet these people tomorrow in the garden of an old folks' home, I think. Some gardening needed, which I liked doing at my parents' several properties as I grew. Favourites are the smell of fresh cut grass which I don't quite remember as it's been so many years, and the smell of petrol in the mower tank.

I hope some (PR and IT) will be involved and I hope that there'll be some toleration and compromise and they won't be so tight on rejection

Yep - my main reason is to bridge big gaps on the CV, which I've had to paint over a lot by extending the periods, and get a reference; wondering if I can be worth to have around - pursuing real job applications, which is a tedious all-day long activity with nothing else to do.

Volunteering might not make a good impression on corporate private business hiring managers

 

[twiggle]

It's worth doing for a lot of the reasons mentioned.
It was only through volunteering in it that I finally got a job in the sector I wanted to work in, because the paid job required experience.
I would highly recommend anybody do it if you have the time to.
Plus it keeps you in the working mode.
When I did my volunteering I was going through a phase of depression and found the work gave me something else to think about, and that sidetracking really helped.

 

[EscapeArtist]

It's worth doing for a lot of the reasons mentioned.
It was only through volunteering in it that I finally got a job in the sector I wanted to work in, because the paid job required experience.
I would highly recommend anybody do it if you have the time to.
Plus it keeps you in the working mode.
When I did my volunteering I was going through a phase of depression and found the work gave me something else to think about, and that sidetracking really helped.

This seems like a very good reason. Makes volunteer work sound like a potentially extremely important part of life for anybody who is unemployed or with self esteem problems

 

[mikebird]

Wow! That's good to know that age UK is worth it!

I'm now in the hands of Action 4 Employment - who deeply criticised me for not having an appropriate office manner / etiquette / approach / outlook

Given the chance, I'd want to take part in a research walk / climb up a mountain in.. Alps.. Antarctic, or skipper a Greenpeace ship, if is was funded.
Or repair mechanicals & control electronics of escalators, elevators, railways, oil / gas rigs or wind farm or National Grid or telecomms systems on £0

I want something to do

I applied to the MET Office yesterday

 

[razzle dazzle rose]

When I did my volunteering I was going through a phase of depression and found the work gave me something else to think about, and that sidetracking really helped.

...but most importantly, I'm forced to meet people and it gets me away from the house. Sitting in my room all day everyday was driving me insane and as much as I'd like a paid job, having to interact with other humans is far more important.

I want to get a volunteering position for these very reasons. It is also a way to gain experience and get contacts. And yeah, just to have a reason to get out of the house. I have just been procrastinating like crazy and don't get around to researching for places. There are also applications and interviews that are done for those which make me nervous. It is one of my April goals though.

 

[daisydaydreamz]

This is my real life: I have three part time jobs and therefore barely any spare time. I have a large house and two teenagers and a car, (all of these expensive to run)
This is my dream life: I would live in a quiet place on or near water, a narrowboat perhaps. I would spend my days volunteering for an animal shelter and just do one part time job to bring in enough income to live.

 

[mikebird]

I spent Saturday 1st time volunteering onsite clearing up after sawdust and removing unused timber, paint, household waste, etc driving to the recycling facility. I asked the guy what he did in a usual day. He said he was retired and was a lawyer. I loved the building, investigating each room carefully, having a kitchenette installed by a carpenter with saws, drills and screwers with the sound of a jackhammer. I watched. All the lights were being fitted, with me holding cables and snapping duct covers.

I helped a lady with brushing and vacuuming to clear the floor mess to have underlay and lino fitted on another day.

I was received much better than usual office environments. There were moments of silence and people's eyes all over the room :thinking: mg:
during coffee, but I seemed to get most things right. I managed not to bring up the subject of SA as the reason I was there. I struggled to get people's names, which I can never ask, after being introduced :shyness:

I felt back with my student mates. I want to understand what's happened to me during my rejection in offices

 

[tonicobastos]

I've done some volunteering at a children's hospital but didn't like it.
The volunteers were supposed to interact with the kids to alleviate their stress but the last time I had any contact with children I was still one so I didn't know how to entertain them.
I volunteered because my college demands that students do some kind of voluntary service and also because my psychologist said I should.It was supposed to help me with developing social skills and make me feel useful but I didn't enjoy any of these benefits, maybe I didn't care that much about the kids.:thinking::thinking:

 

[Onimaru]

I did 120 hours of volunteer work at an after school program but that was because i had to to graduate, counted as two credits in Charter school...i hated it but got an A

currently i volunteer a few times a month at the Humane society...i do it because i love animals and what's a few hours anyways??? i get to take them out and play with them. also i want a job at the petco and i'm hoping this looks good on the resume <w<

 

[Kiwong]

I volunteered before I got a permanent job. Good experience and looks good on the resume.

 

[mikebird]

My chance burned out 100% on the first day

I left site to screams and applause as what a 1-year-old would expect blowing out the candles

That's too much for me. It's a clear signal of rejection, after waiting a few months for an invite to return.

Maybe they don't want anyone who can't do the outgoing bubble. I think they need someone with 50 years of TV Presenter juice, or a budding 5-year-old Hollywood star

Closed book. I see how it is. I thought it was enough to bow down low with no reward at all (the void of space vacuum) to do as required. I coped with their obvious head-in-heads expression, as they acted up pleasantly. A pair of hands is not enough. Energy vampire

 

[jaim38]

Yeah, volunteer work is not as fulfilling as I thought. I should have done some more research about the organization before I registered to volunteer. The high attrition rate and the dissatisfaction from new volunteers should have been a sign. Plus the boss seemed adle-brained and many times, sent out confusing emails that don't make much sense at all. And get this: there's a CEO AND an Executive Director! It's crazy! You either have a CEO or an executive director, not both! In this organization, the executive director reports to the CEO who is authoritarian.

 

[corranhorn]

I have never liked volunteering, and I'm still not fond if it. I took the plunge and was a volunteer firefighter for a while and it was one of the greatest experiences of my life, although I didn't think so some nights

 

[mikebird]

Never do it!!!

Outgoing, jumpy, frenzy, bubbling with high esteem, big family generated, at least 16 and prabably 5 marriages
and those having 6 long holidays per year are required

and the qualities and training of a BBC TV presenter
and 50 years' experience as a fundraiser