Giving Compass' Take:

• The author provides ways that young professionals in higher education can pursue degrees and careers in the nonprofit sector inside and outside of the classroom. 

• How can students benefit from getting an education in degrees related to nonprofit management without actually going into that field? Are there pipelines that currently exist between the nonprofit world and higher education institutions?

•  Read about how community-led nonprofits are grooming the next generation of leaders to help face challenges that metropolitan areas are facing. 

Accounting for 11.4 million jobs across the country, nonprofits make up 10.3 percent of all private sector employment, and with more than 150 million nonprofits in the United States alone, it’s no surprise that these jobs differ vastly from one another.

There are many ways you can prepare for a career in this field and many different paths that can lead you to your dream job

In The Classroom:

1.) What does your school have to offer? Many schools have introduced degrees in Nonprofit Management, but if your school doesn’t offer this program, that doesn’t prevent you from working in the nonprofit sector.Human services, sociology, and business are a few majors that can also prepare you for work in the sector.

2.) Strengthen the skills you already have. If you have a knack for math, don’t shy away from studying finance; you’ll find an organization in need of those skills.

3.) Tailor your coursework. Even if your degree doesn’t indicate a specific nonprofit education, it doesn’t mean you didn’t learn anything about the sector.

Outside The Classroom:

1.) Get involved. Relevant experience is crucial, and jobs and internships aren’t the only “résumé boosters” out there.

2.) Intern. There is so much to learn from hands-on experience, and an internship goes above and beyond the learning you do in school.

3.) Volunteer. It’s free, it’s flexible, and it’s fun.

By utilizing resources on and off campus, you can find one of the many paths that leads to work in the nonprofit sector.

Read the full article about preparing students for the nonprofit sector by Abigail Wade at GuideStar