Risking my career opportunities by seeing the world?

[Mydish1]

I havent had much luck with jobs around this season. since the winter break started a week ago, i've had a lot of time on my hands. I've been going out almost everyday, whether if its just walking around the city or hanging with friends.

Even though school is out, i feel like i have no purpose. no reason stay home, and almost no reason left for me to stay in this city. I enjoy being productive and utilizing my time, in meaningful ways or just social ways.

My winter classes start next week and I'm also planning on doing some volunteer work in the month of January if i have no luck with job hunting.

 

Basically I'll be graduating college next semester, what better time than that to see the world and spend a long duration of time there?

 

But I see a dilemna. If i decide to bum around in europe (basically see what possibilities there exist in a country i'd like to live in/visit), i'd have to start off with a low wage job and living in a crummy small apartment. All that to satiate my appetite to live abroad and see the world.

Even if it may be one year or several years i dont know. But if i ever decide to come back and pursue my career opportunities, likely i'll be behind and my years in college may even be all for naught.

 

I am considering to do traveling after graduating for a couple weeks, but aside from that staying in an international country long-term should also be highly considered.

 

Does anyone have experience in relocating to an international country...in the aspects of living/working there? what kind of documents do you need to be allowed to live and work there? did you have a hard time struggling there to pay the bills? if you returned to the states, did you face any issues of pursuing your career?

[Guest]

can i ask why it is easy to go to europe but hard to drive 5 minutes from your house?

[TYASAFAHICSI]

I Say if you have the opportunity, go for it. You will likely need visas and so forth to work, but I think that your worldliness combined with your education woudl make you a more valuable employee.

 

As for working at a low paying job and living in a cheap apartment--hell that is what happens when you graduate college ANYWHERE. I hope you are not expecting to stary out with a BMW and $75,000 a year.

 

If you can immerse yourself in another culture and speak that language, that woudl be good. Not sure of your degree, but, if you end up liking say Italy, seek out companies there that have American business relationships. Learn about the business and then if and when you come back to the US you can go to these companies--let them know you are conversationally fluent in Italian, know the market/product and voila you are very well qualified.

[norajane]

You need to check the laws in each country you are considering and find out if you need a work visa - most countries will not allow you to work without one if you are a foreigner.

 

As for your job prospects upon your return, what you will be losing is not the value of your degree, but the resources available to you from your school to help you find a job during your last semester. Your school must have a careers services center, and employers do come for job fairs and on-campus recruiting. If you don't use those resources now, you may still be able to use some of their resources when you return, but you'll have missed out on all the on-campus recruiting.

 

Most employers will not hold it against you that you traveled around and worked in other countries. However, most employers are looking for people who have some experiences, so if you've been waitressing for a couple years in Prague, that's not likely to help you get a good job when you return.

 

If you want to travel, you may want to consider getting a job in the tech consulting industry. You can get assigned to a project in another country and live there for a while.

[Guest]

North America is on the crux of a huge shortage of employees. The Baby Boomers are starting to retire and will be doing so for the next ten years. In employment circles, it's considered a crisis.

 

In short, I doubt you'll have anything to fear if you go travelling for a few years. If anything, you'll probably have an easier time getting a job when you get back because the attrition rates will continue to grow from here on out.

 

Take off, have a wonderful time and don't sweat it. I wish I was just leaving college now - I'd certainly take the opportunity to see the world.

[BlueEyedSarah]

I havent had much luck with jobs around this season.

I'm in the same boat!

 

Does anyone have experience in relocating to an international country...in the aspects of living/working there? what kind of documents do you need to be allowed to live and work there?

This is stuff you will need to look up, read and research. You will need to see what Visas you are able to have and apply for work permits.

[jerbear]

Back to the OP, did you visit your career center?

 

also take a look at your school's and department's job boards. Sometimes you have to wait and look for opportunities.

 

I did see an opportunity on my department's job board that had entry level international assignments. Talk to your professors and career services people. If you have any type of foreign language you want to be near that country.

 

You would have to know that the US dollar being what it is and foreign pay is not sometimes that same as US, when you do the salary conversion, it does not look pretty.

 

 

As for working at a low paying job and living in a cheap apartment--hell that is what happens when you graduate college ANYWHERE. I hope you are not expecting to stary out with a BMW and $75,000 a year.

I did it and still got a BMW! Might have to live life w/o cable. Just kidding on the BMW.

[Lights]

Back to the OP, did you visit your career center?

 

also take a look at your school's and department's job boards. Sometimes you have to wait and look for opportunities.

 

I did see an opportunity on my department's job board that had entry level international assignments. Talk to your professors and career services people. If you have any type of foreign language you want to be near that country.

 

You would have to know that the US dollar being what it is and foreign pay is not sometimes that same as US, when you do the salary conversion, it does not look pretty.

 

I did it and still got a BMW! Might have to live life w/o cable. Just kidding on the BMW.

 

What industry were you in that lent itself to such a (presumably entry-level, given that you were just out of college) salary?

 

Also, did you find your school's career center and job boards to be useful in practice? (I've found them to be pretty much worthless.)

 

What sorts of foreign work did you do?

 

I'd also definitely like to see more of the world as well, and do so in a manner that lends itself to seeing and preferably enjoying more cultures.

[Mydish1]

I Say if you have the opportunity, go for it. You will likely need visas and so forth to work, but I think that your worldliness combined with your education woudl make you a more valuable employee.

 

As for working at a low paying job and living in a cheap apartment--hell that is what happens when you graduate college ANYWHERE. I hope you are not expecting to stary out with a BMW and $75,000 a year.

 

If you can immerse yourself in another culture and speak that language, that woudl be good. Not sure of your degree, but, if you end up liking say Italy, seek out companies there that have American business relationships. Learn about the business and then if and when you come back to the US you can go to these companies--let them know you are conversationally fluent in Italian, know the market/product and voila you are very well qualified.

 

I actually admire other cultures and languages so it could be a good thing. Picking up a new language or two wouldnt be so bad. As for companies with American business relationships - that would be interesting to look into. Although if i ever return to the US i would hope to jump in my field of study - its what i believe at this point.

 

You need to check the laws in each country you are considering and find out if you need a work visa - most countries will not allow you to work without one if you are a foreigner.

thanks thats a good idea to do research on each country's policy before visiting it.

 

As for your job prospects upon your return, what you will be losing is not the value of your degree, but the resources available to you from your school to help you find a job during your last semester. Your school must have a careers services center, and employers do come for job fairs and on-campus recruiting. If you don't use those resources now, you may still be able to use some of their resources when you return, but you'll have missed out on all the on-campus recruiting.

I would have to disagree on that, my school indeed does have a career services office and a lot of their job postings have transitioned to their online site. I'd have more luck on outside job sites with job postings than my school's career office - thats how unresourceful my school is. My field of study is not what people know the school's reputation as, they recognize it as a fashion school. And for that fact, i've been to a job fair so far, the majority of recruiters there were in fact useless as only 2 or 3 of them actually fit my field.

 

but aside from my school's resources, i also have my own. I do utilize it very often. A major drawback of where I am is there is more demand and not enough supply, in terms of job openings in my field.

A reason for this is in recent years, my field have study has grown much more popular and ads are practically everywhere - especially in the subway.

Kind of like the dilemna with everyone jumping into Computer Science/Programming over the past 2 decades - which such american jobs have migrated overseas in booming industrial countries like India for example.

 

 

Most employers will not hold it against you that you traveled around and worked in other countries. However, most employers are looking for people who have some experiences, so if you've been waitressing for a couple years in Prague, that's not likely to help you get a good job when you return.

Yea i had a similar preconception about such a dilemna. It would not be ideal as I'd just be building a faulty foundation in terms of long-term goals for myself and career dream.

 

Although if it was a short-term job to keep me on my own 2 feet while paying the bills in a foreign country, it would be ideal (or not so) ...living off weekly paychecks.

 

Basically its a conflict of interest.

 

If you want to travel, you may want to consider getting a job in the tech consulting industry. You can get assigned to a project in another country and live there for a while.

I havent the slightest clue what that is, and doubtful I have the proper credentials or knowledge to point me in such a direction...?

 

 

Anyway last winter I stayed at a youth hostel with some friends in the London. Surprisingly all (most) of the staff were not from there, they wre from other European or UK countries. Night after night, it was basically a party in there.

The staff members were almost wasted or trashed, to stay there was one thing. But working there for god knows how long seemed pretty depressing.

Their life was mainly the hostel as they worked and lived there...only on their day offs would they be able to venture outside the hostel.

 

Its one of those things i could fall victim to, falling into a comfort zone, unable to escape if i stayed and lived in another country.