{"id":635,"date":"2014-06-10T18:06:37","date_gmt":"2014-06-10T18:06:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.soscampus.com\/?p=635"},"modified":"2014-06-10T18:06:37","modified_gmt":"2014-06-10T18:06:37","slug":"ten-ways-international-travel-can-benefit-your-career","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/studentsofferingsupport.org\/ten-ways-international-travel-can-benefit-your-career\/","title":{"rendered":"Ten Ways International Travel Can Benefit Your Career"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0Guest Blogger, Camaro West (Outreach Director, 2012-2013)<\/strong><\/p>\n

It seems like opportunities to travel, volunteer or intern abroad are everywhere.\u00a0 It\u2019s easy to see why when you consider the benefits of international travel experiences are more than vacation; the opportunity to leave your home and see another part of the world can offer so much to young people and for many, it is a life changer.<\/p>\n

The appeal of travel often lies in learning about a new place, experiencing the culture, the food or just the idea of getting away.\u00a0 There is no doubt that the personal benefits of travel are plenty, but there is also a world of good that travel can do for your career that is often ignored.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to think that the professional benefits of travel experience are limited to certain degrees or career paths. \u00a0And while international travel experience might be necessary for some careers, it is beneficial to all.<\/p>\n

Having international experience on your resume puts you ahead of the competition and here\u2019s why:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Skills.<\/strong>\u00a0 You can write them on your resume or you can show them. \u00a0Travel abroad shows that you take initiative, are adaptable and aren\u2019t afraid to leave your comfort zone.<\/li>\n
  2. Discover new areas of study or work.\u00a0<\/strong> I went to Guatemala to learn Spanish; I came back with a curiosity about Voluntourism, which I then wrote my MA thesis on, and now work for an organization that sends volunteers to developing countries. You could go abroad with SOS and come back with an entirely new career interest.<\/li>\n
  3. Broaden your perspective.<\/strong>\u00a0 Great ideas and the ability to think critically come from life experiences like travel.<\/li>\n
  4. Opportunity for personal growth, self-discovery, and independence<\/strong> \u2013 all of which make you a better asset to an organization and helps you to determine what you really want to do with your life.<\/li>\n
  5. Ability to communicate across cultures is huge in such a globalized world.<\/strong>\u00a0 Even if language isn\u2019t a barrier, customs are different everywhere and if you can show that you know how to navigate differences successfully, this is exactly what organizations are looking for in their recent grads.<\/li>\n
  6. Language acquisition.<\/strong>\u00a0 While we\u2019re on the topic of language, why not break down that barrier by learning a new one? No better way to learn than by immersing yourself it in.<\/li>\n
  7. Gives you unique examples to pull from during job interviews<\/strong>.\u00a0 Countless people can talk about the challenges they face on the job in Canada, but being able to discuss the unique challenges you faced during your trip and how you overcame them will set you apart for the rest.<\/li>\n
  8. Knowing how your area of interest works in another part of the world.\u00a0<\/strong> Whether you\u2019re interested in being a doctor or a teacher, if you have the opportunity to see how it\u2019s done somewhere else, take it and learn from it.<\/li>\n
  9. Networking.<\/strong>\u00a0 When you travel, whether on a short trip like SOS Outreach trips or a longer internship, you build relationships with like-minded driven people.\u00a0 Having a solid network of peers is invaluable when seeking out career opportunities in the future.<\/li>\n
  10. Travel makes you more interesting!\u00a0<\/strong> It gives you more to talk about and different ways of seeing things \u2013 who doesn\u2019t want to hire interesting people!\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    If you haven\u2019t considered volunteering internationally, I urge you to. It is an experience that, as outlined above, can be invaluable towards your career pursuits, but most importantly, they push you on a personal level to grow. \u00a0At SOS, we take pride in offering students the opportunity to be a part of the support network we offer to our community partners in Latin America.\u00a0 We also take pride in providing experiences that will encourage personal growth among participants, and we support the process with opportunities for learning and reflection before, during and after their trips.<\/p>\n

    Whether this post just sparked your interest or you have been thinking about volunteering abroad for a while, we have trips this August that may fit in your budget and life schedule! \u00a0
    \n<\/a><\/p>\n

    If you would like more information about international travel, volunteering or other opportunities, feel free to send me an email at\u00a0trips@studentsofferingsupport.ca<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    \u00a0Guest Blogger, Camaro West (Outreach Director, 2012-2013) It seems like opportunities to travel, volunteer or intern abroad are everywhere.\u00a0 It\u2019s easy to see why when you consider the benefits of international travel experiences are more than vacation; the opportunity to leave your home and see another part of the world can offer so much to …<\/p>\n

    Ten Ways International Travel Can Benefit Your Career<\/span> Read More »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1492,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/studentsofferingsupport.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/635"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/studentsofferingsupport.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/studentsofferingsupport.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/studentsofferingsupport.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/studentsofferingsupport.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=635"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/studentsofferingsupport.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/635\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/studentsofferingsupport.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1492"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/studentsofferingsupport.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=635"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/studentsofferingsupport.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=635"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/studentsofferingsupport.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=635"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}