Ask the Recruiter

 

I graduated college a year ago with a degree in communications. Since then, I have interned at a newspaper and a magazine, and had a short fellowship. I love journalism and I love being a reporter, but I have always been curious about what it would be like to serve in AmeriCorps.

 

I have been researching positions and found some that have writing components, but it's more like PR than reporting. If I did the AmeriCorps program, it would take me away from the journalism game for a year.

 

My concern is: If I do this program, will I be able to find my way back to reporting? My clips will be old after a year, but the time spent in AmeriCorps will allow me to gain new skills, and live in a city (New York) that I know I couldn't live in as a reporter.

 

What do you think?

 

Aching to Serve

A. Analyze your motivations carefully. Are you looking to serve, to gain skills or to live in New York City? And would journalism satisfy any of those needs?

I want you to think about what you're doing because this type of service could set you back journalistically, but might be one of the best experiences you will ever have and this might be the best time to get it.

Life is about choices. Not everything we do should be about our careers, but when we choose to do something that might make it harder for us to make career moves, we have to make sure the tradeoffs make sense for us. All that said, I know some excellent journalists who had experiences just like this and, though it might have made re-entry to journalism harder, the experience also helped them go further than they might have without it.

The recruiter asks back: Are you a journalist who has been through AmeriCorps, the Peace Corps or Teach for America? Tell us what the experience meant to you and whether you saw it as a help or a setback. Click on "Comments" below.