How I Embarked on an International Career (By Accident)... and Succeed at It
Some kids know they want to be lawyers or doctors or teachers when they grow up. In high school, when I had to start thinking about college and what major I would declare, I still had little idea what I wanted to do. I was sure of only one thing – I wanted a career that took me overseas. That was why I even toyed with the idea of attending the Naval Academy in Annapolis for college. What better way to be destined around the world than as an officer in the navy... needless to say, that idea was rather short-lived, although I did go on a campus tour.
However, my desire to get out into the world was as strong as ever, and at the time I didn’t really care how I would accomplish the move. I studied International Relations at Johns Hopkins University and thought that I could make a career for myself in the diplomatic arena. But somewhere along my undergraduate studies it became clear that my ticket abroad wasn’t going to be thanks to good ol’ Uncle Sam.
Make the Move
Upon graduation I made the one decision that has most affected my life and professional journey – I planned a six-month stay in Spain before starting my after-college job search. There's often a lot of pressure to get into the game as soon as you're done studying, but it's so easy to get "trapped" in what's expected of you instead of exploring who you are and what you really want to do. I encourage anyone who is thinking about it, so save up what you can from your summer or part-time jobs while studying and go!
The Skill That Sets You Apart
I did arrive in Spain already speaking pretty decent Spanish. I, like many American children of my generation, began studying a foreign language in middle school, then continued through high school and college. I also worked part-time in college with an afterschool program that provided tutoring and orientation to Latino teenagers, most of whom spoke little to no English. I do not come from a bilingual household, and so my language skills were learned at school and through work.
Arriving in Spain with fairly solid language skills was probably the one major factor that made my experience so different from those of many expats that I’ve met during my 10+ years in Spain now. I was able to quickly make friends and network with locals, so opportunities for work beyond teaching English (a noble, yet cliché, expat job) came up as well.
Deciding What Your Future Career Could Look Like
After a few years of moving around (yes, teaching some English too) I got serious about my future career. I found myself more or less facing the same question I had at 15 years-old, but at 25... what do I want to be when I grow up?
Most experts agree that when deciding what career to pursue you should catalogue your strengths and weaknesses and think about what motivates you. I didn’t do an exhaustive analysis at the time, but it became clear early on that I had one strength that far eclipsed any others – I was in a foreign country, I am a native English-speaker, and I had a sufficiently strong command of Spanish to be comfortable working in a 99% Spanish-speaking environment as the "go-to" English speaker. I was to become the bridge between local and international.
If want to embark on an international career, the skill that will most quickly set you apart is solid foreign language skills. As Americans I think we tend to overlook the importance of speaking a foreign language. We’re used to traveling around the world with English, having everyone else try to accommodate us. However, all of your professional skills would be even more valuable if we were able to effectively communicate with local teams in their language as well as bringing native-English skills into the mix. In an increasingly global marketplace companies all around the world require talent that allows them to tap into other markets.
English is important for global business, so in those countries where much of the native population doesn’t speak it well and in roles where fluency is important, this skill, taken for granted in someplace like the U.S., becomes truly valuable and unique and can set you apart from the crowd.
So yeah, through a series of various career moves I've ended up (by some chance and some choice) in Digital Marketing and specialized in HR and people tech, because sometimes you have to let the journey lead you to your career niche. It also just made sense. A lot of international companies want to reach English speaking audiences online and that's unlikely to change anytime soon, I enjoy the mix of creative and analytics that a marketing career provides, and it doesn't look like a profession that will die out any time soon.
But don't sit on your laurels either. Today's unique skill can become ubiquitous tomorrow, so make sure you keep learning too! I've spent the last few years dabbling in functional web & app design and some coding basics... at least I don't feel lost when reading or editing content in HTML, CSS, JSON... you get the point.
Don't forget the long game :-)
Find Your Unique Skill
Maybe foreign language skills are something you have, maybe not. Maybe you're not interested in content marketing or any other kind of marketing either – in my story my language skills is where my journey began, but you can apply this logic to any skill regardless of where you live and what you do. Find a way to be one in a few instead of one in an endless number, even if it means leaving your comfort zone or investing some time in learning or perfecting your knowledge in a certain topic.
What skill do you already have that only needs a change of scenery?
This post is adapted from an original post on my previous blog "Beyond Borders" on Womenalia.com.
