Guaranteed employment appears to be a tough offer to pass up after the economic downturn has left the American job market in shambles. Student enlistment in alternative graduation routes, such as the military and the Peace Corps, has seen increased popularity recently.
Boston University Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps enrollment increased by 10 percent from fall 2008 to spring 2009, Recruiting Operations Officer Captain William Laase said. The Peace Corps’ annual Top Colleges and Universities list for 2009 ranked BU with the highest number of graduate school alumni.In the list’s large colleges and universities category, BU was also ranked with the 20th largest number of alumni volunteers.’
The Peace Corps, a United States federal agency, annually sends about 4,000 volunteers to 70 countries for service in the health, business, agriculture, education, community development and environmental sectors. ROTC programs at BU, operated by the Army, Navy and Air Force, are meant to prepare students for military service.
Peace Corps New England Regional Recruiter Dan Birdsall said serving with the Peace Corps is a fulfilling experience.’
‘It was a satisfying experience of constantly having new challenges,’ he said. ‘You’re setting up your life there. It’s more than just a trip or a visit.’
The program provides airfare, health care costs and, upon completion, $6,000 pay and job assistance. The application process can take up to a year, Birdsall said, and candidates are required to have specialized skills, ranging from a degree to hands-on experience.
The program requires a certain type of person, Peace Corps New England Regional Recruiter Jennifer Zeisler said. Volunteers are not always sent to their first country preference, and common amenities, such as flushing toilets and mattresses, are not available.
Volunteers in the program leave for three months of in-country training followed by two years of service. Only 70 percent of volunteers finish the two-year commitment, Zeisler said.
ROTC program participants are required to complete four years of active military service followed by four years in the Inactive Ready Reserve, Laase said. All participants leave the program as second lieutenant, he said.
‘[ROTC] gives you discipline, and work ethic, gives you the chance to lead at a young age,’ Laase said.
The program guarantees students employment for at least four years after graduation and increases their attractiveness as job applicants, Laase said.
Army ROTC Cadet Jasper Lo said the experience will be helpful for future employment.
‘I’ll bring to the table something that is unique,’ Lo, a College of Arts and Sciences junior, said.
Navy ROTC Cadet Joshua Cohen said he joined the ROTC in his sophomore year in order to give himself a competitive advantage in the future job market.’
‘The military is not for everyone, but I feel like it’s an awesome opportunity,’ Cohen, a CAS sophomore, said.
CAS sophomore Dan Wood said he has friends in ROTC and supports the program, but would not join himself.
‘Four years of mental trauma is not something I’d look forward to,’ Wood said.
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