Would I be a good fit for the Peace Corps?

Question

I'm a recent college graduate with a bachelors degree in Accounting. I have 6 months accounting expirence and as many months of volunteer expirence (1 day a week). I'm curious which countries would need people with business/ accounting backgrounds. I'd consider any location, but I'd jump at the chance to serve in the Caribbean.

Also, despite the fact that I have no background in it what so ever, I'm most interested in serving a health related cause. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Answer 1

Ummm - how far would you get if you applied for a nursing job with your degree in accounting in Chicago? Or did I completely misunderstand your question?

You sound reasonable to me, if you would adjust your sights to teaching people basic accounting / book keeping / business practices. I'm an old PCV, though, not a recruiter. You might be able to work as an accountant or accounting consultant or an auditor for a health related cause; AIDS orphanages have to have balance sheets just like hardware stores do, and they both use the same 10 digits.

Call the 1-800 number or do the "Chat with a recruiter" thing or talk to a recruiter in the nearest big city.

The official web site is graphics-heavy but comprehensive:

http://www.peacecorps.gov

If you are interested, you can read about my time as a PCV in Sarawak, on the island of Borneo, many years ago. I search Y!A for the phrase "Peace Corps" every week. I have a page devoted to the questions that come up the most frequently, too:

http://www.tedpack.org/pchead.html

My page "Peace Corps Links" has a link to the Returned PCV web ring, which has 40+ other RPCV sites.