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Job hunting: The following interview with EcoCity Cleveland's Manda Gillespie appeared in The Plain Dealer on June 12, 2002. Manda suggests that following your heart can be more rewarding than following the big bucks. By Bob Sperna While there are many good reasons to pursue a career in the nonprofit or social services sector, financial reward is seldom high on the list. But for those individuals who have a desire to help others, the nonprofit workplace can offer a tremendous amount of satisfaction and recognition. "If your only career goal is to get rich, you probably don't want a job in the nonprofit field," notes Manda Gillespie, program manager at EcoCity Cleveland, a nonprofit environmental organization that promotes the development of cities in balance with nature. "But if you are sincerely interested in helping your community, you shouldn't be dissuaded from taking a nonprofit position in the for-profit marketplace." According to Gillespie, many recent college graduates choose to enter the for-profit sector because they believe it's the only way they can achieve success. "But times have changed to the point that you can combine your educaton with your passion to make a difference in people's lives," she says. "For example, if you start out with a business degree, perhaps you can use that knowledge to become a venture capitalist and fund a film commission or raise startup money for a soccer club in the inner city." Gillespie, an Oberlin College graduate, says that most young people who enter the corporate arena are going to start out at low paying, entry-level positions. "During your first few years in a corporate job, you probably won't have the satisfaction of owning your own project," she says. "And you're probably not going to get much outside recognition. At the end of the day, you're tired and you may ask yourself, 'for what?" If you're going to work long hours for low pay, you might as well work for a nonprofit, says Gillespie. Because she herself works in the nonprofit field, Gillespie says some of her peers in the corporate world are envious that she is able to further her beliefs every day. "I'm doing what I love. It's important that people follow their hearts. Do the work that is really meaningful to you."
EcoCity Cleveland |
"During your first few years in a corporate job, you probably won't have the satisfaction of owning your own project," she says. "And you're probably not going to get much outside recognition. At the end of the day, you're tired and you may ask yourself, 'for what?"
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