Life After AmeriCorps

Alexandria MauristheneParkside Christian Academy

What Are My Options?

• Another Year with AmeriCorps

• Further Education and/or Training

• Secure Employment

Another Year with AmeriCorps

• Return to same program– Must have satisfactorily completed 1st term

• Enroll in another AmeriCorps program– Must find your own position with help of program

coordinators

• Cannot earn 3 educational awards

More Education or Training

• Major component of AmeriCorps to further education of its members– Educational Grant after completed term

• Traditionally, more education = more salary

• Possible Career Change

• Recession– Good Time to Enroll/Stay in School

Post-Secondary Education

• Vocational Schools– Learn a specific trade and or specialty– Funding eligibility through Mass One Stop Career Centers

• Community College– Less Costly Alternative to Four-Year School– Transferrable Credits to a Bachelor’s degree– Local Accessibility

• Four-Year Schools– Often Preferred in Professional Job Search

• Graduate School– Increased Education in Area of Profession

Employment

• Public– Gov’t Jobs such as federal and state employees– Usually very secure, with ideal benefits

• Nonprofit– Break even versus make a profit– Service organizations whose mission is to help others

• Private– Those that create revenue for its shareholders– Often insecure; ie, subject to immediate downsizing

Employment (con’t)

• Self Assessment of Skills– Resume’– Chronological and Functional

• Research and Information Gathering– Internet, Job Fairs, Career Centers, Informational

Interviewing, etc.• Decision Making and Goal Setting– Areas of Focus– Short Term vs. Long Term Planning

Employment (con’t)

• Take Action– Network, Network, Network!– Target Employers– Apply for Work– Practice Interviewing/Interview

• Readjustment to New Transition– Volunteer– Refine any of Job Search Process

Employment (con’t)

• Don’t Give Up!– Average Job Search (now) can take 6 months or

longer– Maintain currency of skills and develop new ones

Life After AmeriCorps

• Another Year with AmeriCorps

• Further Education and/or Training

• Secure Employment

Resources

• AmeriCorps, Next Steps, Life After AmeriCorps• Massachusetts One Stop Career Centers• Three Boston Ones– The Work Place– Boston Career Link– JobNet