Community Volunteering: Career Growth, a Fad, or True Service?

Editor's Note: This essay was originally published on LinkedIn in April 2016.

At the time, I had recently started volunteering with NGOs in Pune. I thought I was going there to mentor young students. Instead, they ended up teaching me far more than I expected. Looking back, this experience shaped not only my leadership style but also how I think about learning, empathy, and human potential. I’ve lightly edited this essay for clarity while preserving the original ideas.

My parents and extended family have always been deeply involved in community service in different capacities. So when I decided to explore volunteering myself, my cousin introduced me to a couple of NGOs and CSR initiatives in Pune.

That eventually led me to work with Unnati Foundation and Parc Estique CSR.

Unnati Foundation helped high-school graduates prepare for careers in the BPO industry, while the other initiative focused on opportunities in hospitality and the service sector.

I suddenly found myself mentoring and interacting with nearly forty young men and women between the ages of seventeen and twenty.

The first couple of sessions were learning experiences for everyone involved.

I was figuring out how to connect with them.

They were trying to understand who I was.

What surprised me most was how energized and fulfilled I felt after every session.

I remember a conversation with a priest who ran a shelter for homeless children. During one of our visits he remarked:

“Energy flows from the young to the old.”

At the time I smiled.

Today I understand exactly what he meant.

I Thought I Was Going to Teach

Before volunteering, I worried about what value I could possibly add.

Very quickly I realized something unexpected.

I was learning far more from them than they were learning from me.

That realization completely changed the experience.

A few observations stayed with me.

1. Talent is Everywhere

Many of these students were extraordinarily capable.

One was a state-level chess champion and merit scholar.

Another had remarkable artistic ability.

Opportunity, not talent, was the scarce resource.

2. Confidence Doesn’t Always Follow Intelligence

Being intelligent does not automatically make someone confident.

Place these students alongside peers from more privileged socio-economic backgrounds and many became hesitant to speak.

Not because they lacked ideas.

Because they lacked confidence.

3. First Impressions Are Often Wrong

Time and again I found myself surprised.

The most playful or seemingly distracted students often made the most thoughtful observations.

The lesson was simple.

Never confuse silence or playfulness with a lack of depth.

4. Teaching Knowledge Is the Easy Part

Technical concepts can be taught.

Helping people build confidence, communication skills, self-awareness, and resilience is far more difficult.

And far more valuable.

What Volunteering Taught Me

The experience changed me in ways I hadn’t anticipated.

I became more comfortable speaking to strangers.

If I could engage a room full of energetic teenagers, presenting ideas in corporate boardrooms suddenly felt much less intimidating.

I learned patience.

Patience was never one of my strengths.

Volunteering forced me to slow down, listen, and allow people to grow at their own pace.

I learned to question my intuition.

I often trust my instincts about people.

Volunteering reminded me that intuition should be tested against evidence.

First impressions rarely tell the whole story.

I learned to let people find their own path.

Not everyone follows the route we imagine for them.

Sometimes the best thing we can do is create space rather than control outcomes.

Quiet people often have the most interesting ideas.

The challenge is giving them the opportunity to speak.

Once they do, they often surprise everyone in the room.

Above all…

Listen.

Then listen again.

The STACK Framework

One exercise I used to start conversations eventually became something I carried into my professional life.

I called it STACK.

• S – Smart
• T – Talented
• A – Assertive
• C – Confident
• K – Knowledgeable

It began as a simple icebreaker.

Over time I realized these five qualities remain just as relevant in leadership as they are in education.

None of them are unattainable.

Each can be developed through deliberate effort.

Final Thoughts

People often ask whether community volunteering helps career growth.

My answer is both yes and no.

If you volunteer simply because it looks good on a résumé, you will probably miss its greatest value.

If you volunteer because you’re genuinely curious about people, you may discover that it quietly changes how you lead, communicate, and make decisions.

Looking back, I didn’t simply become a better mentor.

I became a better listener.

And that has probably been the more valuable lesson.

Originally published on LinkedIn in April 2016. Republished on abhisekchaudhuri.com as part of the Collected Essays.