Sign in with Google
Sign in with Apple
Have you considered business or career opportunities overseas?
Studying abroad to launch your career
Last week, we looked at how studying abroad can grow your personal and academic success. Anyone who’s spent time overseas knows how life-changing the experience is. When applied to its full potential, the experience can have a long-term impact on your career success.
As you plan for business school and prepare for your future, consider these top five reasons why an education abroad is a huge stepping stone for a successful business career.
1. Master a second language
Chances are pretty good that if you study abroad, it’ll be in a country where English isn’t the official language. Sure, the people you meet may know English as a second language, but this could be your first time living in a place where the conversations you overhear on the street and in stores are unfamiliar.
Gaining fluency in a second language is a top skill sought by employers. Being able to say you’re fluent in a second language stands out on a resume and improves your qualifications for working in a globalized markets and adapting to increasingly international business practices. What better time to master it than when you’re fully immersed?
2. Interact in a globalized business world
The world is becoming increasingly globalized in all business sectors. Interacting and forming professional relationships with strangers while studying abroad can impart a great deal of cultural awareness. There are certain behavioral patterns customary to one culture that don’t always translate to another, and it’s critical that these differences are understood when any business decisions are made.
3. Become a business leader
You read all of the tips to prepare for traveling internationally, brushed up on your language skills, and somehow managed to squeeze all of your belongings in one or two suitcases. But once the plane lands and you find yourself navigating through an entirely new city, you may find yourself overwhelmed by unanticipated fears and uncertainties about how to adapt.
Rest assured, you will eventually settle into your new home. Before you know it, you’ll be booking weekend trips to other cities and making hostel reservations for you and your friends. Learning leadership skills such as perseverance when studying abroad can set you apart in the workplace and support your lifelong success.
4. Gain confidence in yourself
Even before you can hone your leadership skills, you’ll need to conquer your fears and apprehensions about studying abroad. Facing these fears takes confidence.
There will be unexpected challenges that you have to deal with as various situations arise, and the same thing will inevitably happen in your career. Learning how to approach these situations confidently as a business student will carry through after graduation and prepare you for similar situations in your career.
5. Make lifelong friends
The friendships you make while abroad are unlike any other. These people with whom you already have in common a certain adventurousness (given that they made the same decision as you to study abroad).
They’re also the ones who will go through all of these life-changing experiences with you. It’s these bonds that make your time overseas worthwhile. If you can build relationships like these in your workplace, you’re bound to have a career you truly love.
For the adventure seekers who are always looking to expand their horizons, check out Kaplan International for study abroad destinations that will suit every interest.
The post Studying Abroad Part 2: Business & Career Success appeared first on Business School Insider.
