Unemployment: Volunteering

So approval finally came for me to volunteer at the career and employment agency.  I will be accompanying one of the counsellors to a couple of two-day workshops next week, Monday/Tuesday and Thursday/Friday.  On the Wednesday I will be sitting in on some one-to-one sessions in the office.  I need to add as well that when the manager asked me about how often I would like to volunteer I was fairly open.  If there was something I could do, I had availability four days per week for sure, possibly five if my husband was home (6 has no school on Fridays and I can't afford to pay for care to volunteer).

I stopped by to meet the counsellor I would spend the majority of next week with and we talked about what they would be doing.  She also gave me copies of all handouts and publications she would provide to the participants so I could look them over.  The sessions are for a new group to the agency so she has no experience with the clientele either (which is strangely beneficial for my attendance).

She will give me a ride out to the sessions so I, again, don't have additional costs to volunteer.  I'm really impressed with how thoughtful they've been so far.  Being in the environment has also led to a few interesting tidbits of information.

Apparently they are awaiting funding approval for a new program that will require the creation of a new position.  One of the counsellors told me it was a part-time position but I could work with that.  Full-time is definitely preferable but if I had to take part-time to start working in the career of my choice then I will do that.  I'm still looking into the possibility of returning to school and I think I could do both if I'm part-time. I managed before, I would mange again.

In any case it looks like timing might be on my side here and I'm really looking forward to the workshops next week.  I'm still a little in awe of how easy this was to start and I'm so glad I read "What Color is Your Parachute?" (By Richard N. Bolles) to get some of these ideas.  So far, they're paying off.