the big draw is that if you have student loans, as I understand it, americorps will make a significant pay down on them after your term of service.

I haven’t been an americorps worker, but I have worked with them. they tend to work with very limited resource non profits doing some public service, so the work bends towards being very rewarding.

and I have seen those non-profits eventually hire those americorps workers if they can find sustaining funding to cover the cost, but it isn’t a guarantee. it’s more like the hope of an americorps funded position.

anyway, just knowing that the pay is crap (thought the student loan kick in can mitigate this) and that it may not result in a permanent position at the location is all you need to know. the experience can be invaluable and you will almost certainly get to know and work with a group of people who really give a shit about people, natural resources and community, and you can all be broke together.

that’s how I spent a big chunk of my 20s and 30s and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. it can be very affirming to meet and become friends with people who live simply and try to help others.

that first hand experience with organizations that try to work on helping people is pretty invaluable too, just having a better understanding of how systems and institutions fail us… if you end up going into government service later in life, americorps and the smaller non profits they intersect with provide a great context to public agency work and hiring managers look for it.