Type of work experience?

[pnwandcoffee]

Hi all,

This is my first post. After searching a bit through the forum, I haven't really found an answer to the questions I am asking. While some types of work experience definitely seem to be more valuable than others, I was just hoping for any information about how volunteer work and community/grassroots organizing is valued for MPA/MPP students? My ideal career is hopefully gonna combine policy, communications, and outreach. I have worked as a community organizer for a non-profit dealing with reproductive rights for about a year. Additionally, I also have six years of volunteer experience for a local arts/culture non-profit and another year of volunteer experience for a non-partisan voter education organization. Basically, should I wait awhile longer before applying (and get a different job) or will this been seen as valuable work experience? My apologies if this question seems obvious- I can't really find any information on it.

Thanks!

[chocolatecheesecake]

Definitely suggest you post your whole profile in the "Am I Competitive" thread, because this kind of question can't be answered by itself. Very few questions about MPP/MPA applications can be answered like this, because admissions committees look at your whole candidacy, and weigh your strengths and weaknesses overall. So maybe less volunteer experience isn't a problem because you've got a lot of work experience. But it's hard to answer without looking at your whole profile. Forum regulars comb the aforementioned thread a lot more often than looking at one-off threads here. Good luck.