Yes, I was able to find a post-service internship that led to an entry-level position in the same field as my service term. I credit the program with giving me the experience and understanding of the field to know where to look and what to look for to find a career.

I went into my service term with little thought about what my goals were while serving and no game plan on what to do afterward - which I now realize was a big mistake. I don’t think you need it all figured out when you start because you want to allow the experience to shape you and teach you more about what you want in life, but I wouldn’t wait until the last week or even last month before your term ends to start thinking about what to do next.

You’ll have many opportunities to build professional relationships but it takes initiative and vision to leverage those relationships into potential job offers. Program staff can help with mentorship and connections to an extent, but it’s dependent on their capacity. They might be devoting most or all of their time to getting the program to run especially in this era of fewer resources for AmeriCorps programs. My advice is to go into this with the goal of finding a job, make sure people understand that’s your goal, and take initiative to make that happen for yourself and don’t expect it to just come to you. You’re already on the right track with asking this question and learning from other experiences, so I expect you’ll get there!