For many students, graduation means a job and a salary, but some graduates choose to forego that route for a couple of years and spend their time in service.

Both the Peace Corps and the AmeriCorps*VISTA programs cater to this segment of the graduating population.

For those seeking to completely remove themselves from the world of American business, the Peace Corps could be the answer.

More than 1,800 MSU alumni have volunteered in the Peace Corps since its inception in 1961, including MSU President M. Peter McPherson.

McPherson, who is a heavy advocate of the program, was a Peace Corps volunteer during 1964 and 1965 in Lima, Peru, organizing credit unions and working with Food for Peace.

“I think it’s a good idea for the same reason I think Study Abroad is a good idea, in that it changes people’s view of the world,” he said. “I experienced that and the other volunteers I’ve spoken with over the years have said the same.”

The Peace Corps sends volunteers into 80 developing countries for a variety of different programs, including education, agriculture, business, environment, community service and health.

Of the programs, English education is the largest, said Paul Balgoyen, strategic recruiter for the Peace Corps at MSU.

“(Education) is the most sought after by countries who want help and assistance,” he said. “Most people qualify since you don’t need a teaching degree. The fact that a person is a native speaker can qualify them as a teacher.”

After three months of training and two years of service, volunteers receive $6,075 and may have a reduction, or at least a deferment, of any student loans they previously held.

Additionally, when the volunteer is ready to become integrated into a career, the experience of the Peace Corps can help impress employers, Balgoyen said.

“There is a huge professional benefit to the individuals themselves,” Balgoyen said. “Businesses and graduate schools look on it highly as a sign of dedication to a project and the ability to work in undesirable conditions.”

But beyond any financial benefits, the Peace Corps provides volunteers with experiences not readily available in the United States, Balgoyen said.

“You see that people aren’t that different around the world,” Balgoyen said. “They have different ways of approaching things, but people are really quite similar.”

For some people, however, those undesirable conditions indicate dangerous situations. Only developing countries require assistance from the Peace Corps, with developing being defined as dependence on outside assistance to reach the national goals.

Countries such as Haiti, Thailand and Nicaragua, which are host sites for Peace Corps volunteers, are not usually associated with safety and comfort, but Balgoyen said volunteers are completely safe.

“We do not send people into volatile situations,” he said. “They’re well researched that it’s a safe community to stay in.”

For those who want to serve but are concerned about safety, AmeriCorps*VISTA might be an option.

Volunteers in Service to America (VISTAs) perform activities similar to those in the Peace Corps, but are retained inside the United States.

“Our mission is to eradicate domestic poverty,” said Kevin Murphy, program specialist for the Michigan office of the Corporation for National Service, which runs AmeriCorps. “I know it’s a big mission, but it’s our mission nonetheless.”

While the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps send volunteers into communities to directly work for their goals, the VISTA program sends volunteers to indirectly work to alleviate poverty.

“In the Habitat for Humanity, the AmeriCorps would be hammering in the nails and the VISTAs would be organizing the work and letting people know what’s going on,” Murphy said.

And despite the lesser prominence of the AmeriCorps program, the experience can still be satisfying, said Lenny Compton, an AmeriCorps volunteer at Oakland University.

Compton works in Pontiac tutoring children and helping organize after-school activities.

“The biggest gratitude is seeing children’s faces just light up when they see you. It’s like, ‘Oh, you’re here!’” Compton said.

Those interested in joining the Peace Corps can call (517)432-7474 or visit http://www.peacecorps.gov. Information and applications for the Americorps*VISTA program can be found at www.americorps.org