If I Can Make It Here …

July 9th, 2011 by Ryan Windeyer |

When I began my job search at the beginning of the year, one of my main criteria seemed simple enough in my head: Work abroad at all costs. For someone who has studied abroad twice and has a penchant for foreign languages, it seemed like a good plan. However, a mixture of the poor economy, reality and the ever-changing idea of what I want has put this dream on hold.

My first slice of reality came at the beginning of the year when I was fortunate enough to meet the former CMO of Coca-Cola Japan, a an with an enviable job to many including me. I was anxious to hear his advice to someone looking to start work abroad. While helpful, the response was not what I hoped. His advice was to first to find a good company domestically that is willing to eventually move you abroad.

His advice has been consistently reinforced since that moment. Just as other students on the blog have struggled with getting work in the U.S., finding meaningful work in another country has proved just as difficult. The process has made me realize just how high the bar is set for the level of skills an employee must obtain to make them a valuable asset and visa-worthy to a foreign company.

My month abroad has further confirmed my suspicions. Whether the prospects are truly worse or the Europeans are just more vocal , my experiences have highlighted the global commonality of the struggle to find a job. While still a difficult search regardless of country, differences are evident between U.S. and European unemployment. From emerging out of the metro in Barcelona straight into a student protest, to watching a television special on Italian unemployment, it seems the scars of the economy are much more visible on the younger generation in Europe.

Overall, I feel relieved to admit that I do no feel treated with the same animosity described to me by my European counterparts. While this is a false or real comfort, time and statistics have yet to tell. U.S.-bound for the job search, but not with a heavy heart, I know that another time and age will find me abroad. Until then, it is time to continue the search and maybe brush up on a foreign language or two.

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