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I want to second this -- but on a more serious note. A great way to explore different careers is through volunteering. NetAid Online Volunteering has a database of organizations working in or for developing countries that are recruiting online volunteers. Local online (and offline) volunteering opportunities can be found at VolunteerMatch.

Volunteering is a great way not only to explore potential new career paths, but to also have something to put on your resume in employment gap years. Just remember that, like job searches, you have probably have to apply for several positions before you will find a volunteering opportunity.

What do you want to do? What topics or tasks are interesting to you? I'm a big believer in following your heart when it comes to pursuing a career, or thinking about a particular education path. A career counselor can help.

A great way to explore different careers is through volunteering, and if mobility is an issue for you as far as getting onsite to locations, then think about online volunteering. There are organizations that have opportunities for online volunteers that are totally tech related -- building an e-commerce site, constructing a database -- and that have very little to do with tech (researching topics, writing stories for newsletters, editing proposals, mentoring young people, translating documents, consulting, etc.).

NetAid Online Volunteering has a database of organizations working in or for developing countries that are recruiting online volunteers. Local online (and offline) volunteering opportunities can be found at VolunteerMatch.

Volunteering is a great way not only to explore potential new career paths, but to also have something to put on your resume in employment gap years. Just remember that, like job searches, you have probably have to apply for several positions before you will find a volunteering opportunity.

The UN actuall postivly encourage it. Via Netaid the UN setup a group of voulenteers who provide OSS based advice on people out in the field. Its worth looking over there just to see what you can offer

Rus

If you would like to help the developing world as a volunteer but not have to travel, UNV also has an online volunteering service through NetAid. Online assignments are both "techie" (build a web site, build a database, trouble-shoot tech issues) and non "techie" (translate a document from one language to another, design a logo, mentor a student, write an article, etc.).

I'm glad that two people noted that they are volunteering -- it's a great way to keep yourself busy in the time you aren't looking for a job, to make connections that could possibly lead to a job (or a spouse, who knows), and most importantly, it's a way to do something positive with your time. If anyone else is interested in exploring volunteering, contact your local volunteer center, search through www.volunteermatch.org and, if you want to volunteer from your home or work computer, check out www.netaid.org/ov.

The United Nations Information Technology Service (UNITeS), an initiative managed by (UN Volunteers, has placed and supported more than 150 volunteers in developing countries doing just this kind of service, and more. Hope they can get together with the Peace Corps and leverage resources even more. And as someone mentioned. UNV manages the (NetAid Online Volunteering service, which allows online volunteers to provide service to organizations serving developing countries.

In a similar vain people might be interested in NetAid which apart of the UN in helping out online less developed countries

Rus

IdeaList is globally-focused, and has an expanded mission to provide information beyond volunteering -- there's a database of events, a database of skills offered by volunteers, information for paid work, etc. It's a little harder to find online volunteering opportunities, but they are there, and the number of them grows regularly. I'm not sure how much screening of organizations or opportunities there are.

NetAid offers an online volunteering service, managed by the UN Volunteers program, and its focus is international: all opportunities are in support of organizations working in or for communities in developing countries, and volunteers are recruited from all over the world. Also, all organizations and opportunities are pre-screened, to ensure that the organizations are legitimate and that the opportunities are appropriate.

There are other volunteer matching services serving single countries -- Canada, the U.K., Australia, Spain, Chile... a google search should lead you to these relatively easily.

One of the best online volunteering services is by NetAid , and is managed by the UN Volunteers program . This service is devoted exclusively to supporting organizations working in and for communities in developing countries. Yes, that's right -- online volunteers are making a difference in the lives of people in the third world. And have been for about two years via NetAid. NetAid is also more than a matching service -- organizations can use this free service to manage and communicate with online volunteers, and individuals can use it to report on organizations they support. There's extensive information to help both organizations and individuals during online volunteering. And there are LOTS of testimonials from both individuals and organizations about why online volunteering is worth doing.

Some of you have questioned why volunteer at all. A good place to explore this issue is at Serviceleader.org. Enjoy. But for a personal testimonial -- some activities that I do as a volunteer are things that are applications of my professional skills to mission-based organizations. Other volunteer gigs involve activities which are new things I don't get to do (and sometimes don't want to do -- or, would like to do) in my job. As a volunteer, I feel more free to experiment. My approach to my volunteer activities is quite different than my approach to paid work. I feel more like an investor when I'm a volunteer, and more independent. I feel like I can take greater risks in my work "style." And I feel valued in a different way, a more emotional way, as a volunteer by organizations I help, than as a paid staff member. I wouldn't choose one over the other, but I wouldn't have one without the other.

I've been an evangelist for Virtual Volunteering since 1996 -- really glad to see it being discussed here, and I'm happy to answer any questions offlist for Slashdot users. Feel free to email me on the subject.

Netaid.org

Pearls of Africa is run entirely by online volunteers who research and develop programs, solicit donations, and run a children's resource library in Uganda geared toward disabilities. Moy traveled to Uganda in November 2001 with the United Nations to open the library.

World Computer Exchange , based in Massachusetts, relies on virtual volunteers in its mission to bring computers to schools in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Since it was founded in October 1999, the organization has helped 676 schools and almost 256,000 students go online, says Tim Anderson, president and founder.

VolunteerMatch , which links volunteers with more than 23,000 organizations offering about 40,000 volunteer opportunities, is helping that cause, says Jason Willett, director of communications. Since 1998, nearly one million people signed up for an opportunity through VolunteerMatch.

As well, there are online mentors like NetMentors , which offers online career development for teenagers. It serves as a virtual career counselor with expertise on 70 different careers. With about 800 mentors, the group has counseled 1000 students entirely through its Web site.

They already have the concept of online volonteering:

Which they say is connected to this site: netaid on this page about example assignments there are a couple of IT related ones. Those listed:
Database / Information System Development
Web Design
Online Educational Tutor
Online Research
/Mayar with trying to find a volonteer position herself.

They already have the concept of online volonteering:

Which they say is connected to this site: netaid on this page about example assignments there are a couple of IT related ones. Those listed:
Database / Information System Development
Web Design
Online Educational Tutor
Online Research
/Mayar with trying to find a volonteer position herself.

Anyone who has the time and the desire to contribute to development causes; has regular, reliable access to a computer and the Internet; and has skills and experience that would be of value to a volunteer hosting organization is a great candidate for Online Volunteering. Skills could be a programming knowledge, good writing ability, experience in project management, knowledge of another language, expertise in law or education or another profession, or simply the time to offer expert advice or answer email for that organization.

if he can't READ that they are already doing this:
http://www.unites.org/html/unites/faq.htm#online
http://www.netaid.org/OV/
http://www.unites.org/html/news/n220502.htm

If you can't leave home, but still want to lend a hand in solving the world's problems, the United Nations Volunteer program sponsors the NetAid.org site. It maintains a database of jobs that can be done from your own home or acrosss the Internet, including things like DBAing for a hospital in Kenya, online fundraising for various causes, speech writing for the heads of a non-profits, copy-editing, online technical support, what have you. You can search on criteria based on your skill and interest set, nations that you would like to help, project times, and amount of time that you can commit each week. Check it out and make a difference.

Netaid, part of the UN Development Programme doesn't offer work abroad, but uses the Net so you can work locally to help those abroad. A lot of the assignments are more oreinted toward research/advocacy/education, but there are tech needs associated with those things too: sysadmins, DBAs, Web developers, etc. This is part of the UNDP's Information and Communications Technology division.

Global Technology Corps is run by the US Department of State and sends people abroad to build LANs and such.

Trust For The Americas sends folks abroad to teach tech, and also to setup the infrastructure -- building networks, etc.

"If you are you forced (as I am) to get your fun on the side what are some good projects to get involved in?" Many, many tech folks volunteer their skills on the side to nonprofit organizations. They like the feeling that their experience and knowledge can be applied to helping their communities, the environment, etc. Think about what causes you care about, contact organizations in your area that address those causes, and offer your services as a volunteer. It's worth noting that a poster to the Her Domain discussion group said that her sister got hired because the interviewer was impressed that, while she was unemployed, she volunteered -- and had noted it on her resume.

You can even look into volunteering online. NetAid Online Volunteering is focused on organizations that work in developing countries. Also see the Virtual Volunteering Project.

I was involved in building large portions of that site. (actually it's running on OSS - RedHat, MySQL, Apache, Zope)

It does have some good ways to be helpful. Non-Profit Organizations post things the need people to volunteer for and you can go on there and search for things that interest you (say, something computer related) and apply.

But, yeah checkit netaid.org

Rob Young, love him or hate him, has also made a notable contribution to the net this year, for it was his company, Red Hat, that first demonstrated to the larger world that you can build a successful company by pursuing your dreams. He's a good orator and promoter of Linux, and a lot of people bought into the belief that Linux really is the future of computing on the Internet. While some (many) disdain the fact that people refer to "Linux" and "Red Hat" interchangably, we should all be happy that they're here with us, supporting the Linux community.

Another name of my list, equally important in a different fashion, is David Bowie (whose website is here). No, he's not a tie-dyed Linux boy, but have you seen the extent of what this guy has done this year? He practically concocted the first major "aid" event that had its roots in the Internet community (that's NetAid). It's so important that, in today's high-paced, high-technology world, the people who need our help the most aren't the mindless goobers who live and breathe Microsoft products, it's the children and families who are destitute in so many areas around the world.

It's easy to forget, but suffering takes many forms in this world. It's highly commendable that people like him (and U2's Bono), who are in a position that they don't have to give a damn, are trying to make a difference. The net is a great way to communicate this message, since so many people (with money) are here, online.

Daltorak.