Why AmeriCorps?

I started this blog shortly after I started AmeriCorps, in part to chronicle my year or service and in part to regurgitate what I was learning.  I figured this was important stuff and more people need to know about it.

But let's reflect on my AmeriCorps year itself.  The pay was minimal, the rewards: great.  Good thing I was straight out of college.  I didn't completely notice how poor I was, because the stipend I received was more than I was making in college! Now that I actually make a normal salary, I feel very grateful for my current job and can really appreciate its value.  With that out of the way - I really enjoyed my year of service for many reasons.  Not only did I learn a lot about personal finance at SparkPoint Marin but I made great friends, learned how to live on my own, and came away with it equipped with great transferrable skills and experience.

At SparkPoint Marin I learned how to budget, to save, and to file taxes.  Now I volunteer every year during tax season to help people file their taxes and file my own for free as well!

Here are some of the resources I learned about that could be useful to you too:

• 211 - Call it and they will help you find what you need. 
• Health and Human Services 
• Food Banks
• Women's Initiative 
• Get Money Smart 
• Consumer Credit Counseling Service
• Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program

Since we were a pretty small team I definitely bonded with my co-workers as we all embarked on our own financial planning while developing a program from ground zero that would benefit the larger public.  I also made friends with other AmeriCorps people stationed in organizations around my area.  The great thing was, we could all go out and be cheap together, because none of us could afford anything too fancy! When everyone around you is financially conscious, it makes it really easy to do the same.  It's a great built-in support system. 

Lastly, I finished my year empowered and ready to take on more challenges.  I came away with marketing skills, organizational skills, enhanced customer service skills, confidence in voicing my opinions and sharing ideas, and lastly, the ability to analyze programs, find the inefficiencies, come up with solutions and implement them. 

I definitely recommend it to anyone and everyone.  Not saying it was easier finding a job afterwards, but I did have the skills to actually land one.  Finding a job will almost always take time, effort and lots of motivation.