Thursday, April 07, 2005
Headin' to Papua New Guinea
A good friend of mine recently enrolled in a fantastic program offered by my employer (Accenture). It's called the volunteer Service Overseas program. Basically you put your career (and pay) on hold for 6 months - 1 year. Accept an assignment in a very needy location, and use your IT/Consulting skills to help a non-profit. Accenture picks up the tab on some of your expenses (mortgage, car payments, etc) keeps you on the payroll, gives you benefits (medical), and offers you your job back when you complete your assignment. Definitely not for everyone (my wife would freak if I told her I was packing it in and heading for Cambodia), but a really awesome program for those that can take advantage of it.
Mark Bower took the opportunity, (and is actually the first person from the US placed in the program by Accenture). Here is a blog that some of you may find interesting as he charts his life, experiences, ups and downs from the shores of Papua New Guinea. The posts will likely be sporadic, as he types out an email on his laptop (basically keeps a diary), and then when he gets an internet connection fires them back to co-workers to be uploaded to the blog. But I think some of you may find it interesting.
Mark Bower took the opportunity, (and is actually the first person from the US placed in the program by Accenture). Here is a blog that some of you may find interesting as he charts his life, experiences, ups and downs from the shores of Papua New Guinea. The posts will likely be sporadic, as he types out an email on his laptop (basically keeps a diary), and then when he gets an internet connection fires them back to co-workers to be uploaded to the blog. But I think some of you may find it interesting.
