We hope you’ve made the best of the opportunities that you’ve been given in life (and we’re about to tell you about another one, so make the best of this too). We often attribute our successes – or failures – to genes, education, or self-discipline; however, we often overlook the role that every day social interactions have in shaping who we are. It is our friends who teach us some of the most important lessons that we learn in life, even though we may not know it at the time. Best Buddies is a non-profit organization that aims to help people with intellectual disabilities navigate through life with more confidence and ease by helping them to build meaningful friendships with non-disabled peers.

Programs like Best Buddies are important because they allow individuals to make the most of what they have. People with intellectual disabilities often aren’t able to achieve to their potential because they have been excluded from the every day social interactions that enable most of us to mature and to learn. Best Buddies enables its participants to better integrate themselves into society by helping participants build friendships and find well-paying, competitive jobs (check out the list of participating employers). Beyond the wonderful volunteer opportunities that Best Buddies offers, they also have a number of job openings that will enable you to change the lives of both participants and volunteers while actually getting a paycheck. From what we could find on Best Buddies’ website, the positions listed below appear to be the most appropriate for recent or upcoming college graduates.

• Program Manager, Colleges – New Haven, CT
• Program Manager, Citizens – Los Angeles, CA
• Program Manager, Middle & High Schools – Philadelphia, PA
• Employment Consultant – Miami, FL or Culver City, CA (posting has conflicting information)
• Webmaster – Miami, FL
• Accounts Receivable Clerk – Miami, FL

Not only was Best Buddies founded by a college student (Anthony Kennedy Shriver at Georgetown in 1987), but it has focused on recruiting students as volunteers since its inception. If you had significant experience with volunteer organizations in college, you should certainly take a look at Best Buddies as a place to begin your life after college.

Note: On April 26th we revisited entry-level jobs at Best Buddies.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

• The Best Buddies Home Page
• Best Buddies’ Vision, Mission, and Goals
• Best Buddies’ Career Opportunities
• Best Buddies’ Programs
• Frequently Asked Questions

Have you been involved with Best Buddies? Tell us about your experiences in the comments.

We've identified Best Buddies as having career opportunities in the following categories:

• accounting
• all employers
• consulting
• international
• nationwide
• non-profit
• program development

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