I have not been the most active volunteer ever, but it's been a whole year of cats and dogs stories. I decided to do this mostly because I love animals and I wanted to stop complaining about the problems Romania has and start doing something. Though it's not a "strict day to day job" its impact may be greater.
It may seem difficult to work with animals, because you have to learn want their needs are, but as long as you give them space, it will work out right. Animals express themselves easily and know how to make you see though their eyes as long as you are willing. They might be unpredictable sometimes, I almost got bitten a couple of times due to faulty communication, but the answer is to never panic and act as natural as possible. It surely helps you control your feelings better. This hobby becomes serious when you realize that you actually handle lives and just like a doctor you can never make a mistake during surgery.
It's been a great experience. I fostered a couple of cats, I saved an abandoned dog, I attended animal adoption fairs, I learned more about the medical needs of animals, even learned how to vaccinate dogs, I know what an animal shelter looks like and how difficult it is to feed and clean after 100 dogs, I know more about the Romanian policies towards abandoned animals and that the authorities ignore the problem completely, I definitely learned more about the non existing limits of human cruelty towards other beings. All these with the help of a group of volunteers (mostly girls) who also turned a hobby into a life saving marathon.
I would like to do more this year when it comes to volunteering. It's not so popular in Romania, but I hope that volunteering will attract more people in time. Volunteering for anything helps and raises your self esteem. It adds a great value to you as a person and helps you learn more not just about different things you didn't learn in school, but also about yourself.