I just heard from the Peace Corps today. They’re now planning to have me depart for The Gambia to begin training in June of 2021 — one year after my departure was initially planned. They gave me the option of planning to leave then, or withdrawing my application with the option to reapply with an expedited process as long as I do so by April of 2021. The first thing I did was phone my mother in Ohio and make sure she was OK with me staying with her for so long; she was. Then I told the Peace Corps that I’ll plan to leave for The Gambia in June of 2021.
So, what will I do to keep busy while in Ohio? Initially, I had thought about looking for a job, but with unemployment this high, there are two concerns. One is that I might have trouble finding work. The other is that I’m not sure if it’s ethical for me to accept a job that I don’t need to support myself at a time of high unemployment.
So most likely what I’ll do is work on completing my bachelor’s degree. I dropped out of college to accept a job as a newspaper reporter in rural Nevada in 1996; I never looked back on academia. But I might as well take this time to finish up my degree. (Fun fact: Most employers will assume you have a degree if you’ve been employed in jobs that usually require a degree. I never lied about it, but I didn’t bring it up in job interviews unless the employer asked.)
Also, it’s worth noting that the Peace Corps doesn’t require its volunteers to have degrees. For most assignments, they require either a bachelor’s degree or five years of professional work experience. I’m not sure what they mean by “professional,” but apparently journalism counts. But since most people who have put five years into building a career aren’t willing to uproot themselves for Peace Corps service, it’s pretty unusual for them to get applications from people without degrees.