Ranked #4 for internship opportunities by the Princeton Review. #1 Career services center. 60K median starting salary.
With statistics like these, Bentley’s reputation of academic excellence in the business world is hard to ignore. Bentley students immediately envision six figure starting salaries and jobs in positions of power. Some students crave the cutthroat culture that Wall Street has to offer. Others even go as far as to believe that they will be the next Jeff Bezos or better yet, Jordan Belfort. These lavish lifestyles lack one thing: the promise of enhancing the lives of others.
Personally, I have always known that I wanted to work for a nonprofit, even if it doesn’t offer the same promise of a penthouse on 5th Avenue or a luxury car. Nonprofit workers feel as though they are making a difference in the world. They are passionate about the causes that they work to advance and are compelled to follow their professional calling to help others. These workers seek the thrill of making a positive impact on society.
Young graduates have an advantage in the nonprofit field because they can gain hands-on job experience and take on many roles within the company. Since most nonprofits are smaller operations, they require each employee to take on a myriad of varied responsibilities. As a result, employees are exposed to a broad range of disciplines, which can only help them later in their careers. For example, employees may be tasked with creating budgets, planning charity galas, and communicating with sponsors, all whilst handling the financials for the organization.
Nonprofits span a diverse range of missions and specialties, making it easy to find a cause that you are passionate about. These organizations work to promote the well being of children, public health and safety, and poverty relief, just to name a few. Situated both at home and abroad, nonprofits promote the interests of those in need, regardless of location.
Bentley graduates have both the hard and soft skills to succeed in the business world. They have the power to take these skills with them and use them for the benefit of others. Oftentimes, the desire to help other can be muddled by the promise of wealth. Corporate culture often promotes for-profit corporations over nonprofits due to the promise of higher salaries. As Bentley graduates think about what the future holds for them post-graduation, they should consider working for a nonprofit, because they just might fall in love with helping others.