What is the peace corp like?

What's the Peace Corp like?

• I'm a 15 year old a boy (I know I cant join till I'm 18 and even then its better to have a degree in some field) but I'm thinking about joining someday. I know this could be considered a pretty naive thought seeing as I don't know much about it so I thought it be best to ask the nice people of yahoo to help me get some clarity.

• Answer:

  It's not "better to have a degree," it's essentially required. 90 percent of volunteers have *at least* their four-year degrees. The rest have decades of real work experience, not just a few summers of work or volunteering. The reason is the first goal of the program is to send skilled individuals to train people in developing countries. 18-year-olds just aren't capable of doing that. Can you imagine advising a 45-year-old man on how to better irrigate a pasture, or explaining to a 34-year-old mother why sometimes breast milk isn't best for a baby? There just aren't any 18-year-olds in Peace Corps anymore. I verified this with a recruiter the other day. The good news for you is you now have plenty of time to research. I'd suggest you start with the blogs indexed at www.peacecorpsjournals.com. (Mine's not on there -- if you want it, click the "L" and email me.) Another good thing to do is read books written by RPCVs. There are tons -- I think three from my group alone have written some. The best, from what I've heard, is called "Living Poor." The best book to read if you're thinking of serving is So You Want to Join the Peace Corps - What to Know Before You Go. It's not about one person's service in particular but is a great overall Q&A about questions you'll have before applying.