02/23/2026
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“Policy makers and philanthropists aren’t particularly focused on first jobs,” writes Wendy Kopp, the founder of Teach for America—but if we want to fix society’s problems, we need to encourage people to work on these issues early in their careers, so they can grow into leaders who solve them: https://theatln.tc/Qf7bgdyq
“Research confirms that working close to the roots of social issues early in one’s career fundamentally reshapes a person’s beliefs and life trajectory,” Kopp explains. At Teach for America, for example, those who had taught in under-resourced classrooms were more likely to view inequity as a systemic issue rather than the result of personal actions. And at the Peace Corps, alumni have reported greater acceptance of diversity and a sense of shared humanity that altered their understanding of justice.
But prospective corporate employers pay colleges thousands of dollars a year to promote themselves to students through career-services offices. Despite their mission statements about developing civic leaders, few schools push back against this corporate career funnel. Plus, some students “feel they can’t afford to pursue less immediately lucrative careers,” Kopp writes. At universities such as Yale, Harvard and Princeton, the number of students who go into finance, consulting, and tech rises every year.
However, “when students were offered a prestigious alternative to the corporate track, they revealed themselves to be more idealistic and civically committed than people had assumed,” Kopp writes.
“Colleges should live up to their civic missions by guiding students to take a first job in the public interest,” Kopp continues at the link in our bio. “We should all help young people see that their generation’s first jobs predict the future—not only of their careers but of their world.” https://theatln.tc/Qf7bgdyq
🎨: Matteo Giuseppe Pani / The Atlantic