Peace Corp Anyone?

[Roamer]

Let me start by saying I have never been in the Peace Corp but I am curious about them. I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with them and could offer some insight? Basically here is the gist:

 

I'm 26 years old - turning 27 next year in late January. I have no wife, no kids, and currently no girlfriend. I also don't have much of a career - I have been unemployed for the past 8 months (voluntarily and living off money I saved up) and am currently working on getting my real estate license for my state and becoming a real estate agent. I'm also going to pick up a part time job in town too to help pay the bills and expenses of being a real estate agent. However, one of my dreams is to travel! Like I seriously want to see what else is out there - I'm a curious person and I HATE doing unfilling work (Which is why I left my last job - I was a semi truck driver and just got tired of doing it). I decided I wanted to try Real Estate sales but I also might consider a stint in the peace corp next year. I enjoy helping people and generally trying to do good, but here are my concerns:

 

1. Safety - I don't want to get sent to a 3rd world country and get held for ransom by a group of 'bad' rebels looking to make a profit off a USA hostage.

 

2. Commitment - I don't want to sign my life away to something for the next x number of years. If it is a solid number, that is fine, but preferably nothing more than 2 years.

 

3. Individuality - If it is anything like the army, I don't do well being barked at, being told how to dress, and being forced to do stuff I don't want to do and getting punished for not doing it. I understand there are procedures I may have to follow - that is perfectly fine and to be expected, I just don't want strict ones or something that will give me an anuerism for holding my tongue.

 

Really those are my top three concerns. Anyone who has had any experience or knows something about please give me some advice. Much appreciated in advance.

[CallunaTook]

Well, I hope someone who has actually been in Peace Corps will reply, but seeing as it's been a few weeks... and with the caveat that I applied for the Peace Corps just a little over 10 years ago, went all the way through the application process, got tentatively placed, and was denied last minute for medical reasons... my information is a little bit outdated. BUT. 

 

1. Safety - the Peace Corps does the best they can to prepare you for and protect you from danger. 3rd world countries is kinda what they do, so you can't avoid that. Out of all of the thousands of Peace Corps volunteers, very few of them, percentage wise, have died overseas, but it has happened and you can look those statistics up. When I applied, I was able to list places that I was not willing to go. My application said that I would not go to Africa - at the time I applied, death rates due to disease in Africa were very high, and I did not think I could emotionally handle that. You could also list places that you are not comfortable going, but if you list too many, you may limit your chances of being selected.

 

2. X number of years - Signing up for the Peace Corps is signing up for X number of years. I think it is 2 years, plus a few months of training. When you are there, you're there - you don't get sent home unless there is a very serious emergency; you don't get to just decide you'd rather be in America and go home. You are signing those years away, pretty much. After that, you go home, unless you choose to sign back up again, and some people do. So it's up to whether you want to spend 2 years doing that with your life. 

 

3. Like with any job, there are tasks you are supposed to accomplish. However, unlike regular jobs, there are also going to be new cultural norms that you may be expected to comply with. For example, as a woman, if I were to be sent to a country where women had to cover up, I would need to cover up, too. It's not only a social and cultural issue, but also a safety issue. You can't expect to do whatever you want, whenever and wherever you want, especially in a new culture, not if you want to get the required work done... but also, this is not the military, so no one is going to see if you made your bed in the morning or polished your shoes or whatever. From what I understand the reality is partly between what you expect of military life and what you might have experienced in the freedom of college life. But then again, regular employment is usually somewhere between also so I may not be providing you with any extra information.

 

That being said, I would encourage you to contact a recruiter and ask them all of your questions. The recruiters have been through the Peace Corps themselves and are in touch with current conditions in the Corps. They know where you are more likely to be assigned, what skills they are most in need of, and what duties you'd be most likely asked to fill. The recruiter I had was very knowledgeable, not pushy, fun to talk to, and advocated for me during my application process.  They have the scoop. Why not ask.

 

I still deeply regret that I wasn't able to go; it had seriously been my lifelong goal at that point in my life. If you have an interest, I suggest you at least investigate it as fully as you can because the older you get, the more difficult it can be to escape for 2 years to join the Corps overseas, not just for medical reasons but for normal life reasons as well. You won't be in your 20s forever. And while the Peace Corps accepts people at all ages, it's harder to disengage when you are tangled in the typical throws of midlife.  After college and after retirement are their biggest age groups for that exact reason.

 

Best of luck.