2008 Woodie Awards
Graduate college with more than a degree
Issue date: 2/11/08 Section: Op-Ed
As the pages on the calendar continue to turn, the day will soon come when you are expected to enthusiastically march down the aisle to receive that cherished, hard-earned college degree. All of your brain cells will be fried and most, if not all, of your money will be gone or tied up for the next ten years in student loan payments. It would be nice if employers were chomping at the bit to give you a job that pays a mint. Unfortunately, this is certainly not the case.
The increasing globalization of our world and job market means that nowadays, countries are rapidly growing towards interdependency, and without global knowledge and experiences, it will be hard for you to stand out from the crowd. Now is the time to make yourself stand out! Take advantage of this stage of your life while you are in college - take educational risks and capitalize on every learning opportunity.
This is the time to explore the world and its people. Study abroad, gain first hand experience of what matters most in the lives of Brazilians; learn the cultures and customs of Germans; experience what it's like to participate in a Somin-sai Matsuri (Japanese naked man festival). Not only will you walk away with irreplaceable experiences, you will also gain a greater understanding of someone valuable - you!
Studies have shown that Americans are generally uninformed about the world outside of the U.S. From first hand experience, I can vouch for this to be relatively true. Having lived in Japan and worked with young people from India, Australia, South Africa and the United Kingdom, I can say with disappointing confidence that they knew more about the good ol' United States of America than I cared to know. And to think these people, armed with global skills and knowledge, are the same folks you will be competing with for careers upon graduation.
According to the 2007 Open Doors report furnished by the Institute of International Education, in 2006/2007 about 582,984 foreign students studied in the United States whereas 223,534 American students studied abroad. Many of your foreign peers do not take their college years for granted, and neither should you. Settling for 'business as usual' is not an option, nor will it equip you with the necessary tools to successfully compete in the global marketplace.
The increasing globalization of our world and job market means that nowadays, countries are rapidly growing towards interdependency, and without global knowledge and experiences, it will be hard for you to stand out from the crowd. Now is the time to make yourself stand out! Take advantage of this stage of your life while you are in college - take educational risks and capitalize on every learning opportunity.
This is the time to explore the world and its people. Study abroad, gain first hand experience of what matters most in the lives of Brazilians; learn the cultures and customs of Germans; experience what it's like to participate in a Somin-sai Matsuri (Japanese naked man festival). Not only will you walk away with irreplaceable experiences, you will also gain a greater understanding of someone valuable - you!
Studies have shown that Americans are generally uninformed about the world outside of the U.S. From first hand experience, I can vouch for this to be relatively true. Having lived in Japan and worked with young people from India, Australia, South Africa and the United Kingdom, I can say with disappointing confidence that they knew more about the good ol' United States of America than I cared to know. And to think these people, armed with global skills and knowledge, are the same folks you will be competing with for careers upon graduation.
According to the 2007 Open Doors report furnished by the Institute of International Education, in 2006/2007 about 582,984 foreign students studied in the United States whereas 223,534 American students studied abroad. Many of your foreign peers do not take their college years for granted, and neither should you. Settling for 'business as usual' is not an option, nor will it equip you with the necessary tools to successfully compete in the global marketplace.
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Yvette Forrest
posted 2/19/08 @ 11:40 AM EST
Great article. Very beneficial for students interested in studying abroad.
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