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Getting Involved: Volunteering and Internships on Weekends/Part-time

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Jan 8, 2011 6:46 am

I am interested in intern/volunteer work with a financial planning or similar firm in the San Diego area.  I work full time during the week, so I am looking for weekend opportunities.  My main goal is to gain experience and earn hours for my CFP cert, which has been a goal of mine even though I may not work in the field.

I have a great career and don't plan on transitioning to financial planning for at least 10 years, if at all. I have work experience in aviation, logistics, and currently manage an $800M operational budget.  I also have experience investing in equities and own a good amount of real estate.  I have my Bachelor's and will be finishing a Master's of Science in a few months.  I am a hard worker and have great interpersonal skills as well.  In other words, I think I'd be a benefit to whoever I worked for and I think I come across in such a way.

I really just want to learn more about the industry and don't mind working for free as long as I get some solid experience in various areas of financial planning.

What companies should I get in touch with?  I've been unsuccessful so far, primarily because I can't find any firms that have work on weekends.  Additionally, they seem to think I'm trying to get a job or something when I'm willing to work for free.  I originally thought this would be easy, but maybe I'm just looking in the wrong place.  I even tried student intern opportunities through schools, but I wasn't 'qualified' because I worked full time.  It's been a long time since I applied for a job so I may be rusty, but I'm volunteering, not trying to get a job.

Any suggestions for someone trying to volunteer on weekends or part time in evenings?  I've already done the tax season volunteer thing and wand to experience other areas.  Is it impossible to find weekend volunteer work in this field?  Any recommendations on firms?

I appreciate your time.