Season of Giving

Merry Christmas, or whatever winter holiday you celebrate! I think we are finally done celebrating, after nearly four full days of various parties and gatherings. I'm tired, but the kids had a blast and we have tomorrow off to recover.

As you read your local paper this week, you will most likely find a story about an organized charity or just a generous individual who made the difference for someone this holiday season. Whether it was Christmas gift for a child, or a dinner for a hungry family, our papers are filled this week with stories of holiday giving.

Interestingly, many women consider the opportunity to give back to their community an important part of their career aspirations. I am reading "Off-Ramps and On-Ramps" by Sylvia Ann Hewlett which shares data from a study conducted exploring women's work lives. The survey asked women what they really want from a career. High quality colleagues topped the list (82% desired), with the opportunity to "be my self" a close second at 79% and flexibility third at 64%. But, what I found fascinating was that the opportunity to give back to society ranked highly, desired by 56% of respondents, even more important than high income (42%).

While I am suprised to read this statistic, it does make sense. I agree that you must be satisfied with your life in general in order for your work to be satisfying. I think that your work must be integrated into your life, and if you want to give back to your community, then your work arrangement must support that pursuit. Unfortunately, in the push to find time for the basics, such as time with your kids, altruistic intentions often fall to the wayside. But, if giving to the community could be integrated into your work, then you might have an opporutunity to feel more balanced.

One way I have integrated community service into my work is through creating service learning projects for my college courses. I teach part-time at a local college and I have created projects for my business students to help out at local non-profit organizations. It is a win-win-win arrangement. My students learn valuable business skills, the non-profits receive valuable assistance, and I get to do my part to support the community.