AQ16502

Enjoy your time in public service. It may well be one of the most interesting and
challenging times of your life Donald Rumsfeld. Public service is a privilege and an honor in
every young Americans life. This could involve joining the Peace Corps, the voluntary fire
department, volunteering at a hospital or in the community. These types of services not only
benefit others but they benefit the person accessing these services. They give a person
experiences and allow them to be put in the lives of others. Some friends that have volunteered
state that it was a life changing experience and that if possible, everyone should do it. Not all
people may be able to do these services because of their job, school, monetary dilemmas or even
because of their personal interests. It is very true that these services may interfere with a persons
personal life, but it would benefit them in the long run.
There are many benefits to getting involved in public service. Public service motives are
founded on an ethic of serving the public (Kim & Vandenabeele Online). Public service is
beneficial to the person participating and it helps to improve the lives of others in many ways,
depending on the type of service you assist. It is believed that those who enter public service do
so out of a desire to serve the public interest (Houston & Cartwright Online). In the United
States, people volunteer more than 8 billion hours a year to charitable activities, with an
estimated value of about $158 billion (Tanner, Michael, & Tad DeHaven Online). Many
Americans give readily of their time and this has affected people greatly. The increase of the
amount of individuals each year that help people would greatly benefit those in need. People that
volunteer often say "I learned that you can accomplish things that don't seem possible until you
try" (Marano Online). Volunteering is altruistic and often builds your self-esteem and boosts your
confidence knowing that the time you spent volunteering helped an individual or group of

AQ16502
individuals in need. When engaging in public service outside of the country, an individual can
learn about the place where they are volunteering. They can learn about the country, the people
that live there, learn their language and even travel throughout the country if there is time. An
individual could even make friends with the people they are assisting. When taking part in public
service, an individual would challenge themselves to their best abilities. Overcoming challenges
during their public service allows the individual to accomplish goals they may not have thought
possible. If they had volunteered abroad or had a very challenging assignment, they would
realize that they have accomplished a great deal and many people benefitted from this service.
Mandatory public service could also have a negative effect on young Americans. A
proposed legislation that has been presented to the House of Representatives declares that it is
the obligation of every U.S. citizen, and every other person residing in the United States,
between the ages of 18 and 25 to perform a 2-year period of national service (Rangel Online).
Public service laws, such as this one, have been trying to get passed for a while now. This law
could be beneficial but it could also affect people negatively. People in this range of ages need to
work to be able to pay off their college loans. Engaging in a mandatory 2-year service of
volunteering would not help out their situation. It would cause the volunteer to be deeper in debt
and it would take them many years to recover. The amount of total student loan debt rose to
over $800 billion in June 2010 (Avery, & Turner Online). Every year this number increases and
by the look of it financially, mandatory public service is not beneficial to the volunteers
financial status. A very important aspect of public service is that [It] requires an individual's
self-sacrifice (Kim & Vandenabeele Online). To participate in volunteering, an individual would
have to put their interests aside for the interests and needs of others. Some might not be

AQ16502
able to do this and end up by making the situation worse by not assisting the people that they are
required to help. Another drawback with mandatory public service is that it can be very time
consuming. An individual would have to put most of their own personal activities aside such as
school, work or socializing with friends. This could cause an individual to fall behind in school,
not get paid or get fired from their job and lose friends because of the demanding work ethic
required to be a volunteer.
Mandatory public service for young Americans has its benefits and drawbacks. If an
individual engages in a public service they would increase their self-esteem, it would allow them
to learn new concepts about places and people and they could see how far they can challenge
themselves. Mandatory public service could also put someone further into debt, negatively affect
their personal life, cause a person to sacrifice their personal interests for others, and take a large
amount of time out of someones life. I believe that everyone should engage in some type of
public service, but I do not feel that it should be required for a year or two. Six non-consecutive
months would be sufficient for volunteer work. This way, it would not take too much of an
individuals time and they could shape the public service, which they are participating in, around
their schedule. The individual would still be embracing the experience of assisting others and
learning new concepts, but not interfering with their work and school schedule. Many college
students are stressed over school already and do not want to have even more anxiety because
their schedule is tight on availability. Although, there are probably many students that would take
advantage of volunteering if it were a part of their curriculum in college or maybe a part of a
study abroad program but it could be included in their course of study and not be a burden to

AQ16502
their life. Public service is a privilege and responsibility of every American but it should not be
forced to become an encumbrance.

AQ16502
Works Cited Page
Avery, C., & Turner, S. (2012). Student loans: Do college students borrow too much--or not
enough? The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 26(1), 165-192.
Houston, D. J., & Cartwright, K. E. (2007). Spirituality and public service. Public
Administration Review, 67(1), 88-102.
Kim, S., & Vandenabeele, W. (2010). A strategy for building public service motivation research
internationally. Public Administration Review, 70(5), 701-709.
Marano, R. (1997). Young volunteers: Providing service and making an impact on communities.
National Association of Secondary School Principals.NASSP Bulletin, 81(591), 45-48.
Rangel, Charles B., ed. "H.R.748 - Universal National Service Act." Congress.gov. Lib. of
Cong., 15 Feb. 2013. Web. 29 Oct. 2014.
Tanner, Michael, and Tad DeHaven. "Private Charity Should Replace Welfare." Welfare. Ed.
Margaret Haerens. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from
"TANF and Federal Welfare." Cato Institute. 2010. Opposing Viewpoints in Context.
Web. 29 Oct. 2014.