As the end of the semester rolls around, I can't help but think what a strange experience the transition from spring semester to summer is. Unlike the summer vacations of my youth, I am now expected to work all summer, to pump up that resume, to attain "real-life" experience. Oy vey. I'm not really sure what a real break looks like, since we're always supposed to be looking out for our future by taking extra courses, finding jobs to finance our education and getting internships in fields of work we're interested in. On top of that, a good college student should always be keeping their eyes open for a good networking opportunity.
Community service often becomes another tactic in the effort to improve one's resume. At my fancy schmancy college prep high school, we were required to complete ten hours of community service per year since it would look great on our college resumes. While I admit that I began volunteering for an urban improvement organization in the summers to fulfill this requirement, I ended up completing much more than ten hours of service per year. It was just so much fun! The ulterior motives involved in students committing themselves to community service work beg the question: does intent matter? As long as good work is getting done, as long as parks are clean, kids are read to and families fed, does it matter why those volunteers are there to improve the lives of others?
This is not to say that all who volunteer are only interested in their resume. There are many students who simply love to immerse themselves in the surrounding community and to help that community any way they can. Furthermore, who is to blame when community service is used to make a person look good; is it the system or the students?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment