Are you trying to decide the direction for the rest of your career? Are you worried that a career spent pursuing higher salaries and promotions might not be the most fulfilling choice for you? Many people these days are slowly realizing the climbing the corporate ladder isn't the only destiny for their professional skills. Think about the times when you felt the most proud to use your skills or talents: they were most likely times when you were working to improve the health and happiness of another human being. If you want to dedicate your life to work that you love, it might be time to think about community service universities.

If you think that community service is mostly volunteer work that's done near the holidays or during times of crisis, think again. Community service universities are schools that have dedicated entire degree programs to the work of educating the community leaders and organizers of tomorrow. These individuals must have excellent communication skills, a high level of motivation, and the strength to stand up in the face of opposition and criticism. Although community service jobs aren't the ones that will make you a millionaire or get your face on the cover of popular magazines, they are the career choices that will allow you to make a difference in people's lives.

Before you spend time researching community service universities, it can be helpful to become more educated about the types of courses and concentrations that are available in this type of degree program. There are several popular concentrations for students that want to focus their education on community service, including: children and family services, criminal justice, disability studies, emergency management, health and human services administration, and substance abuse services. There are countless opportunities to focus on combinations of these skill sets as well.

Most people equate community service with unpaid volunteer positions, and while it's true that most organizations doing the most important work in their communities are the ones with the smallest budgets, there are ways to parlay your community service degree into a paid position. There are several different reasons why professionals choose to pursue a degree in this area, and you might find that your goals align with one or more of these foci. Many professionals choose community service universities if they want to work with individuals, groups and communities in problem-solving situations, if they're preparing for graduate study in social work, psychology, management or school counseling, or if they're interested in entering the personal or community service profession.

If you think that you would be successful at community service universities, the first thing to do is decide what type of community service program you want to focus on. There are certain schools that are known for catering to a particular type of service or community leadership. You can also start you research by talking to community service program leaders that are already working in your community. Ask them how they were educated and if there are any universities they recommend.