Have you always dreamed of traveling the world as part of your job? It’s not an unrealistic goal if you know how to prepare yourself for the lifestyle, the challenge, and the excitement that comes with being a citizen of the world. Dozens of career paths include globe-trotting as part of their requirements. You don’t need to be a high-ranking diplomat, musical artist, or billionaire to live somewhere other than your home country while earning a living. Fortunately, a majority of international careers are in the non-profit and volunteer sector of the economy.
Likewise, if you have the education and experience to deliver solid results to for-profit corporations, this kind of life is within your grasp. The question most people ask is how should I prepare myself for an international career? Here are some of the things you should consider if you are set on making your world travel dreams a reality.
Get a Relevant Degree
The single more important piece of the puzzle is a relevant college or graduate degree. Without one, you won’t get far in your plans to include global travel into your chosen career. But with the right degree and a couple years of appropriate job experience, the doors of opportunity will open wide for you. First things first are when you apply for private student loans to finance your studies, don’t use a cosigner. That way, you’ll be able to help your own credit scores along and establish financial independence while doing so.
It’s easy to apply for private loans and you’ll have the chance to pay for your education with low-interest, reasonable terms, and common sense repayment periods. Most lenders will look at more than our current credit score. They’ll typically give weight to your verifiable income, earnings history, and the reason you are requesting the funds. Tuition for a college or graduate degree usually qualify as very good reasons. The situation changes from year to year, but undergraduate diplomas in finance, accounting, engineering, and management are solid choices for global-minded career seekers. For graduate students, engineering, law, biological sciences, business administration, and medicine are worthy pursuits for the cause.
Learn a Foreign Language
Here’s another skill that only adds to your attractiveness in the eyes of employers and non-profit agencies. If you’re fluent or even moderately proficient in Spanish, French, or any other widely spoken languages, your resume will shine. Don’t worry if you’re not fluent in a foreign language right now. Work on taking a few courses over the next couple of years in one language and doing your best to build up conversational skills slowly. Many corporations and non-profits will provide you with additional, intensive language training once you’re on board.
Get Related Experience Now
Whether you’re aiming for volunteer positions like those in the Peace Corps or for standard corporate jobs, get as much related experience under your belt as possible before applying for your target job. Consider volunteering locally or working in the appropriate industry for a year or two as part of your personal development program.
The fastest way to go global with your career is to work for one of the many international relief agencies. In addition to the Peace Corps and other government-based agencies, there are many private non-profits that send large groups of people all over the world every year. That’s why getting a generalist degree in a subject like business administration is a wise move.
Most of the private agencies want well-rounded candidates who are at least willing to learn a new language and put their skills to work in logistics, management, and running small, on the ground relief efforts. Research and apply for various volunteer opportunities, making sure to emphasize your desire to learn new things and live anywhere the organisation is willing to send you. If you have a hankering to help people who are truly in need, your opportunities in this field are endless.
Create a Solid Resume
No matter what direction your career takes you, a rock solid, detailed resume will open more doors for you than anything else. Even if you are a gifted writer, don’t leave anything to chance. Hire a professional to take care of this part of the process. For just a couple hundred dollars, you can hire a certified resume-writer who specializes in international careers. If you already have an updated resume, all the better. Give it to your hired writer as a jumping off point. Don’t leave any relevant points out and be sure to spend time with the writer as a first step.
Work Your Network and Then Work It Again
From the first day you decide that this kind of life is what you want, begin to build a personal and professional network of names and organisations that might be able to help you. Use friends, business contacts, old school pals, and any other resources you can muster to develop a network of contacts. Within a year or two, you’ll be surprised at how helpful this database has become.
