Peace Corps Options

[Aaron]

Any of ya'll have any experience in or with the Peace Corps? Seriously thinking about applying.

[Mommy]

I've always heard about the peace corps stuff but I really know nothing at all about it. Everything I think I know about it are just assumptions. What are the benefits? Are they simply humanitarian?

[Aaron]

I've always heard about the peace corps stuff but I really know nothing at all about it. Everything I think I know about it are just assumptions. What are the benefits? Are they simply humanitarian?

Nothing Earth shattering, certainly. You get the opportunity to defer your Federal student loans (Stafford, etc.), receive some type of weekly or monthly stipend commensurate with the average person in your assigned area (i.e. whatever the locals make, you make) and $6,000 upon completion of your tour.

I would suspect that for most people who end up doing this sort of thing, the intangible benefits greatly outweigh the tangible... though I'm sure those vary widely from person to person.

What initially attracts me to the possibility of joining the Peace Corps: immersing myself in another culture, learning another language and seeing more of the world.

I mean, I'd lose two years of income and career development (which is not something that I'm too terribly concerned about), not to mention two years away from family, etc... but if I end up going through with it (big if at this point, obviously) I can't imagine I would look back on it 20 years later and regret joining up.