This first appeared as a blog post on the Startup Institute blog, but after “going viral” in the Peace Corps community, it was published on the official agency blog as well, striking a chord with all the entrepreneurial RPCVs of the world.

1. + Caroline Lucas
RPCV Armenia
2011-2013
7 Reasons Why
Returned Peace
Corps Volunteers
Make the Best
Startup Workers
This first appeared as a blog post on the
Startup Institute blog,but after “going
viral” in the Peace Corps community,it
was published on the official agency
blog as well,striking a chord with all the
entrepreneurial RPCVs of the world.

2. There are nearly 7,000 active Peace Corps
Volunteers, meaning approximately half of
these people will return home this year when
their two-year service is done.Those people
will need jobs – and startup companies need
those people.
While perusing endless listings and enduring
lengthy interviews in my job search after the
Peace Corps, I found myself hungering for
something different. Although transitioning
into technology was a big leap from my
previous work experience, I found it was
exactly what I needed to jumpstart my post-
Volunteer career.
Everything I had learned during my two years
in Armenia had prepared me to be the perfect
startup candidate.
Here’s why…

3. 1.We’re Self-Starters
Who Self-Manage
Presenting the certificates at the GirlsLEAD Armenia Camp

4. 1.We’re self-starters who self-manage.
How many times have we seen “self-starter” or “self-directed” as a job
requirement? At a startup, this trait is essential for success.You won’t often
have someone to micromanage you or direct your day-to-day projects.
As Peace Corps Volunteers, the most successful of our ranks were self-
directed.Yes, we had support from our program managers, but it was not
management in the traditional sense.We were trained to seek out
problems in our community and organizations and turn them into
opportunities ourselves.
We not only learned how to create our own structures for success, but led
workshops and trainings for community members on how to improve
their own processes and procedures. If we waited for someone to tell us
what to do, we would have spent two years twiddling our thumbs.We have
that “entrepreneurial spirit.”
+

5. 2.We’re Highly Creative
Problem Solvers
When your water only comes twice a week,how do you fill your bucket?
With a strategically-placed lid and spatula,of course.+

6. +
#2
We’re
highly
creative
problem
solvers.
Have you ever built a functioning sauna out of a
dilapidated shed, a wood stove and some old plastic
tarps?
Or doubled your Internet speed with a modem
extension cord, some nails and a strategically placed
metal strainer?
We have.We learned how to MacGyver out of a lot of
tricky situations.We encountered problems we were
not accustomed to having in our previous American
lives, and through these we developed the skills to
think outside of the box and implement highly
creative (and often highly amusing) solutions.
Perhaps your startup doesn’t need a sauna (never say
never), but what it does need is someone who doesn’t
get ruffled by a bump in the road, stays cool under
pressure, and can use an unconventional approach to
solve the tough issues that often arise in startups, and
often, with very little resources.
Which brings me to my next point…

7. 3.We make magic happen with
limited resources.
Our “Berd Bears” startup being featured in Cosmopolitan Armenia

8. 3.We make magic happen with limited
resources.
Most people going into startups will need to adjust (re: lower) their expectations
about the available resources of their new job, such as minimal marketing
budgets, very few amenities or taking a salary cut in exchange for equity or a
higher level of responsibility.
For those coming from the corporate world, these changes may be a shock. But
for those who get startup jobs after the Peace Corps? Jackpot! For my first
contract marketing position, the startup founder apologized that I had “only
$1,000 per month to work with” for the marketing budget. But my reaction was,“a
whole $1,000 per month?!” My mind spun with the endless possibilities.
We’re used to $0 marketing (well, everything) budgets, painfully slow Internet
connections (if we have Internet at all) and offices without running water, heat or,
sometimes, electricity.Yet we built hundreds of successful organizations and
trained thousands of people in 140 countries all over the world.
One of our greatest attributes is that we don’t anything for granted; we know the
value of a dollar and just how far we can take it. How’s that for bootstrapping?
+

9. 4.We embrace ambiguity.
Showing up to the bus depot in a new town,trying to navigate the
transportation routes in another language,and enjoying the ride.

10. +
#4
We
embrace
ambiguity.
Before joining a startup, I only thought of
Ross and Chandler moving a couch when I heard the
word “pivot.” But I soon learned about the lightning-
quick changes that happen at young companies
and how the entire direction of a product or company
may change overnight.
A good startup employee the flexibility to adjust to
quick changes and doesn’t become flustered when
taking on a totally new direction, often into uncharted
territory.
As Peace Corps Volunteers, ambiguity was our day-
to-day. Not sure when the bus was coming? Maybe it
never comes at all? Better find an alternative ride. Or
perhaps you started service as a teacher, but quickly
recognized that what your community really needed
was a new irrigation system.
Even if we had never even picked up a shovel in our
lives, let alone learned how to dig a well, we had to
be flexible and adapt to the needs of our
communities – our markets, if you will. Uncharted
territory was all we knew for two years, but we
learned how to embrace the unknown and acquire
the new skills required for success.

11. 5.We’re amazing
communicators.
Learning to speak Armenian by living with my host family

12. 5.We’re amazing communicators.
During my first few months as a Volunteer, I was placed with a host family that I
depended on for survival – food, shelter, bathing, everything.The problem was I
didn’t speak Armenian yet and they didn’t speak English.We learned how to
communicate with one another and formed a very close relationship, despite our
initial lack of a common language.
This becomes a core tenet of Volunteer service: learning how to take complex
ideas and communicate these to not just our host families, but entire organizations
and communities.
Although my language skills increased dramatically over time, I also developed a
high capacity for empathy. I could put myself into the shoes of my community
members and learned how to communicate new ideas and share best practices.
In a startup, communication is key. Not only do you need to clearly communicate,
you also need to be a brand ambassador. Everyone has to know the elevator pitch
and must be able to deliver the value proposition.Two years of putting ourselves
into the shoes of our communities enable us to easily slide into the shoes of
potential customers.
We also know how to pantomime the words “shower” and “breakfast” really well
too, in case that’s ever needed.

13. 6.We thrive on risk and
adventure.
Taking in the great city of Tblisi,Georgia in all its glory

14. +
#6
We thrive on
risk and
adventure.
It takes a lot to pack up your entire life, jump on a
plane and commit to living and working for 27
months in a developing country. But we embrace
adventure.We know the risks and we’ve also
learned if you’re willing to take them, you can reap
great rewards.
Being an employee at a startup is an adventure in
itself. Bringing a brand new idea or product to
market can be high-risk. Success is not
guaranteed, but you’ve weighed the possible
outcomes and commit yourself fully to the mission
of the company. It’s a lot of responsibility, but as
Volunteers, we’ve taken on big risks before and
we’re always ready for the next great adventure.
And what if there isn’t a reward from the big risk
that we took? Our final, most important attribute as
Volunteers…

15. 7.We know failure and
we are not afraid of it.
Ready to take on the world.

16. This is the tough part that no one likes to talk about but it’s the most important. It’s
the “f” word. Failure.
Sometimes, your campaign or product is going to fail. Sometimes, your whole
company is going to go under.This can be a brutal experience – intimidating,
even overwhelming for many people coming from the corporate world who have
never known this sort of professional devastation.
As Peace Corps Volunteers, we also know a lot about failure. Ideas fell flat and
projects failed because of the nature of our work.We were operating in totally new
environments with very limited resources and experience. It could be quite soul-
crushing to see your months, even years, of hard work bite the dust, never quite
catching on in the community you were trying to serve. But we learned how to
overcome these failures by applying our lessons learned to the next great idea.
In the end, it wasn’t about failure, but about having the bravery, tenacity and
resilience to get back up and try again.This character trait is the key to success of
many of the world’s most storied entrepreneurs, and this is a trait that all Peace
Corps Volunteers can bring a startup organization.
7.We know failure and we are not
afraid of it.

17. If you’re coming home from the Peace
Corps and searching for your next steps,
you may find that startup work is a great fit
for your skills. And, for all of you startup
founders and hiring managers out there, the
next time you see “Peace Corps Volunteer”
on a résumé or LinkedIn profile, invite us for
that coffee.We can bring a lot of
surprisingly relevant attributes to the
startup table.
And don’t worry, we did start bathing
again.You’ve got to love indoor plumbing.

18. +
Caroline Lucas served as a
Peace Corps Volunteer in Armenia
from 2011-13, working to advance
the rights of women and girls
through business and
entrepreneurship. She helped build
a startup employing local women
artisans and launched educational
programs for teen girls and women
entrepreneurs, both in her region
and across the country.
Caroline now works for tech startup
in Chicago and believes in the
power of business and technology to
change the world for the better.
Twitter: @care_oh_liine