Steven Parker
AmeriCorps VISTA Grant Writer
PBS SoCaL
Milestones
My road in life took a while to figure out.
Majored in Communications because it was generic and I didn't know what I wanted to study.
Learned about technical writing (writing instructions and proposals).
Tried proofreading and hated the lack of fulfillment.
Learned about AmeriCorps and became a VISTA writing grants for PBS SoCaL.
Discovered a passion for helping nonprofit organizations who focus on education.
Education
High School
Marina High School
Marina High School
Career
AmeriCorps VISTA Grant Writer
I research and write grants to support educational initiatives.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Non-Profit Organizations
Education
Problem Solving
Day to Day
A typical day consists of researching foundations and companies who could become potential donors, looking at their granting guidelines, and figuring out a way to show them how our programming meets their needs. Then I work on filling out the applications and making sure that everything gets completed and submitted before the deadline.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for college students
Look for internships and volunteering opportunities to figure out what types of nonprofit organizations you want to work for. Are you interested in education, medicine, nature / wildlife, social services, etc. This will also give you a better idea of what you like and dislike in a job which can take you a long way.
Recommended Education
My career is not related to what I studied. I'd recommend this path instead:
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Society in General:
"Why do you want to work in nonprofits? You won't make any money. You should work for (insert big company here)."
