Spreading I.T. AroundSpreading I.T. Around

Some Americans are taking their IT know-how elsewhere, leaving home to put themselves to good use in developing nations, the Peace Corps says. The volunteer organization, which had a 17% spike in applications nationwide in the past year, cites heightened interest in San Francisco and Seattle--home to numerous companies that have been axing IT staff.

But not all of the Corps' tech volunteers are laid-off dot-commers; some are folks just opting out of the private sector. Says regional recruiter Errin Byrd, "A lot of the people who look at IT work in the Peace Corps want to see how their knowledge can be useful to another culture."