[gdfer]

Volunteering has taught me a lot about being a servant and a leader.

I've spent a lot of time -probably thousands of hours- volunteering, so it has been a significant investment of my time, but I'd do it all over again. Not only is it very rewarding, but it can develop your character and leadership abilities in all kinds of positive ways.

I started my volunteer experience at a homeless shelter in the Chicago area. It got me out of my comfort zone and challenged me to face difficult, often confusing situations that I was very unprepared for. At the end of the day, it constantly challenged me to simply be a servant of others without expecting much of anything in return.

Since then I have volunteered a lot at churches, in the foster care system, crisis pregnancy centers at and other non-profits in my community. This has given me a ton of experience working with people and dealing with people issues. I'm a programmer by trade, but a people person at the end of the day. I have found this invaluable in the business world. Most of my leadership experience has come from volunteering in non-profits. Much of my leadership style has also been developed from that experience. I've been recognized as a very uniquely skilled leader at my company and there's no doubt I owe it to my volunteer experience, so I'm thankful for that and would highly recommend finding meaningful ways to give back to your community.