You might have gotten involved in volunteering just as a way to pass the time, or to improve your resume, or any other of a thousand reasons, but somewhere along the line, your service experience took on a new meaning. Perhaps you are a student looking ahead, or someone thinking about rejoining the workforce; maybe you are looking for a career change. What matters is that working for a nonprofit organization appeals to you, but you feel unprepared to make the change.
There are a number of programs that help individuals obtain careers in service organizations. The largest of these is the American Humanics program, which prepares students for entry-level positions in youth and human service organizations. "It is a leadership and academic program that can transform you from a willing worker to a productive professional."
Students must take 180 hours of academic coursework (in other words, 5 classes of 3 credits each), including courses like management, finance, fundraising, and grant writing, as well as courses that often fulfill other liberal arts education requirements. To qualify for the certificate of achievement, a student must complete a 300-hour internship, held at one or more service organizations.
The certificate program, traditionally obtained simultaneously with a four-year degree, is offered at over 50 colleges and universities in the United States and Puerto Rico. If you already have a degree, you may find that some of the courses you have taken fulfill part of your American Humanics requirement. Financial assistance is available for eligible students, which your local American Humanics Campus Director can tell you about.
The program is expected to expand rapidly over the next several years, as more people realize the need for professionalism and specialized backgrounds in the nonprofit sector. American Humanics currently has partnerships with seventeen national nonprofit organizations, including:
- American Red Cross
- Junior Achievement, Inc.
- Special Olympics
- United Way of America
- Volunteers of America
The American Humanics program offers students the opportunity to learn valuable skills and gain practical experience. Another benefit of this and similar programs is the chance it gives people to meet and share with likeminded individuals. As Mary Montle Bacon said, "...even the choir needs to rehearse the tunes, to come together every once in a while to re-inspire one another..."
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