What type of volunteer work can I do to figure what type of career I want?

I think one of most important criteria to figuring out what career to follow is pursue one that makes you happy. It will make work more enjoyable and you will have more interest in learning. Figure out 2-3 potential fields that you think will bring you joy and see if there are volunteer opportunities. Unfortunately, not all fields will have volunteer opportunities, such as engineering, software development, etc. You may be able to get a summer intern at a company that does such things to get hands on experience in those areas. There should be opportunities at your local hospital if the medical industry is of interest to you. I suggest researching on the internet for information on other careers for ones that do not provide volunteer opportunities to determine if they will of interest.

Picking a career is a decision that should be given a lot of thought. Find one that is of interest to you so you will enjoy going to work every day. Don't make the decision strictly on income potential.

I've worked at a couple education non-profits that worked with occasional volunteers. Some of these volunteers had awesome experiences, but others didn't seem to enjoy it all that much. Based on my observations of them, I have the following advice for you:

• Pick 2-3 fields that you are passionate about, and ask to meet with a volunteer coordinator at non-profits in those fields. For example, if you think you like working with young people, reach out to some after-school programs and see if someone is willing to talk to you about their experience. It would help to talk with someone ahead of time to make sure this sounds like it would be a good fit for you.
• Ask the organization why they need a volunteer. Is it because they don't have the capacity to do basic tasks, like office organization? This might mean that you'll be doing menial tasks like making copies, which won't necessarily help you decide what you want to do professionally (unless you find out you really like making copies :) ). Instead, try and find organizations that need you to do similar tasks as a full-time employee would be doing, to really learn what the job will be like.
• Find out who you will be reporting to, and how much support you'll have from them. Make sure you aren't just thrown into something you aren't prepared for. Find organizations that will give you someone to train you, mentor you, and answer questions you have along the way.

Some great websites to use to find volunteer opportunities are volunteermatch.org and Deed.