Wanted: Community Organizer, college graduate preferred, drivers license preferred, no experience necessary, part-time with possible advancement to full-time, able to work flexible hours, access to free food and refreshments during meetings.

Okay, okay—I’m not really posting a job here.  I just wanted to show the qualification of a community organizer, and a possible benefit for taking this type of job (free food).

Working for a Chicago nonprofit organization, I have worked with several community organizers through the years and I have known many more.  A typical community organizer is a recent college graduate, fairly bright and outgoing, and is willing to accept a small paycheck or work as an unpaid intern.  Of course this describes most of the liberal arts and humanities graduates who find that their degrees are not giving them immediate access to the executive washroom and instead find themselves working behind the counter at Starbucks or stocking bookshelves at Borders.  Young people working as community organizers tend to hold their jobs for a short period of time before moving up to a job paying a little bit more. 

I have no first-hand experience with labor organizers; however, among people I know in organized labor, organizers are often the least skilled people working in unions.

Since the skill levels of community organizers have come into question recently, I thought this insight might be helpful.