When you’ve decided to make a difference in your community, a community development degree could be the ideal educational path for you. This type of degree teaches you the skills you’ll be using to help improve your community. You’ll also learn how to go about making these changes or improvements effectively. No matter what changes you have in mind for making your community a better place, a community development degree can help you succeed. With this degree program, you’ll learn what it takes to enhance your community in these ways:
When you study for your community development degree, you’ll learn a wide range of skills needed for helping your community grow and thrive. Some of the skills you can expect to learn include communication, interpersonal abilities, empathy, and relationship-building. These skills are necessary parts of interacting with others and helping them understand your vision for community improvements. You’ll also be developing teamwork skills that you’ll need to carry out your goals for helping your community.
Community development degree programs also teach practical skills that come in handy for improving your community, such as problem-solving, organization and planning, analytics, adaptability, and flexibility. Self-motivation is another important trait you’ll develop in order to come up with projects to help your community and see them through to completion. Developing all of these skills can help you become a successful part of ensuring that your community provides a safe and fulfilling place for everyone.
When you’re drawn to community development, it’s often due to an awareness that others in your community face certain challenges or issues that could be improved. For example, some community members might have trouble accessing steady supplies of fresh fruits and vegetables to purchase if they’re not near a supermarket or farmer’s market. As a community development worker, you can come up with ways to help these community members, such as creating community gardens.
With your degree, you’ll have the knowledge needed to develop goals aimed at improving the lives of community members in need. Depending on the situation in your community, you’ll be able to help community members in other ways as well, such as holding events that build community spirit. Working in community development allows you to assist others while improving your community as a whole.
Being a community development worker means investing in your community. When you choose this type of work, you’re already a benefit to your community, since you’re one more person who is devoted to making it a better place. You can work with others who share your goals and interests in helping your community. Whether this means joining work on existing projects or developing your own projects, you can build a team that is focused on improving your community.
Investing in your community as a community development worker means that you’re willing to take steps toward making it a better place now and in the future. Your short-term goals and projects can benefit community members now, while your long-term goals and projects can create ongoing change. This change can raise the quality of life for all community members going forward, resulting in long-lasting benefits.
Working in community development allows you to focus on changes you want to make in your community. Your interest in this type of work most likely comes from noticing improvements that could be made in your local area. For example, you might have ideas for tackling community issues, such as inequality or poverty. Having a community development degree means you can work on these specific issues with the skills and knowledge gained from your education.
Instead of waiting on others to make community improvements or watching issues continue to negatively impact community members, you can get started on developing plans for change. Being a community development worker makes it possible for you to decide what you want to work on and what improvements to make in order to create a better community overall.
A career in community development can lead to highly fulfilling work. This type of career lets you have a direct impact on enhancing your community. You’ll also be able to encourage and inspire community members to join you in your community improvement efforts. Having a passion for this type of work and for helping others ensures you’ll enjoy a rewarding career as a community development worker.
Keep in mind that this kind of work isn’t a typical job. Instead of working in an office or attending staff meetings day after day, you’ll most likely be spending your time out in the community or interacting with community members. These efforts can help you bring your vision of a better community to fruition.
If you’re looking for additional information on earning a community development degree, please contact Geneva College. Our faith-based community development degree program offers both real-world experience and academic training to help you enjoy a rewarding career improving your community. Learn more about the skills and courses you can expect to take as part of this degree program.
Opinions expressed in the Geneva Blog are those of its contributors and do not necessarily represent the opinions or official position of the College. The Geneva Blog is a place for faculty and contributing writers to express points of view, academic insights, and contribute to national conversations to spark thought, conversation, and the pursuit of truth, in line with our philosophy as a Christian, liberal arts institution.
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