Do you feel you are making a positive impact?

Hi, you are correct there are many areas you can explore in this field that are very rewarding. I have a very rewarding career managing philanthropic giving on Dell's Corporate Social Responsibility team. My daily tasks require many of the same skills leveraged in other career areas but at the end of the day, I know that all of my hard work benefits someone else; which is amazing!

I feel like I am making a positive impact through my line of work. I’m currently a philanthropy manager for American Express and my job allows me to make a difference in society through helping the company’s employees engage in CSR initiatives such as volunteering, employee giving, making grants to communities where our employees live and work. So not only is it an exciting job, but its also very rewarding.

I am in a great role at Dell where we all get to make an impact - across the company. My team manages corporate social responsibility so we look at issues from education for underprivileged children to our environmental impact. But, it's not just my team. All jobs can make an impact. For instance, how do you design products for the environment? How do we think about our logistics so that we lower our carbon footprint? How do we make sure that our products can be used by the physically challenged? The opportunities are endless!

Hi Christina,

I also work in the corporate social responsibility field and agree that it gives me purpose and is mission driven. My previous experience is in the nonprofit space and also recommend that as a career. If you don't know where to start with finding a nonprofit whose mission aligns with your interests and values, I would use these sites: idealist.org (specific to nonprofit jobs) and Guidestar.org (this allows you to search for nonprofits based on location, focus area, etc).

I hope this helps!

Hi Christina,

As you can see from the previous answers, there are many ways to make a difference!

I work at a state workforce office, helping people to find jobs. For many of them, they were unjustly fired from companies they had worked at for a very long time. They are totally demoralized, and don't think they have any current skills to be able to get a job in today's workplace. In working with them, I help them to discover what it is they have to offer, and restore their sense of confidence and self-worth. I have done this countless times in the 8 years I have had this job. Will I get public recognition for it? No. Will hundreds of people show up for my funeral? No. But I know. And, they know. And in the end, that is all that really matters. Hopefully they will "pay it forward."