Whole World Study: Career Advising and the Benefits of Study in Uncommon Destinations
Travel to and study in a less traditional destination offers students an opportunity to develop skills, knowledge, and perceptions that are highly valued in an increasingly global marketplace. Employers seeking qualities such as creativity in resource management, initiative, and teamwork often find them in students who have had a "whole world" study experience. These students frequently increase their tolerance for ambiguity, improve their communication skills with people from other cultural backgrounds, and develop a keen appreciation for cultural and linguistic differences. Leaders in the business world value, more than ever, the ability to function within a variety of cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic environments. They seek professionals whose previous experiences have allowed them to develop the knowledge and skills to meet skills such challenges.
The Task Force for Transnational Competence–a project on rethinking US-Japan educational exchange, published by the Institute of International Education (IIE)–identified a set of such skills as "transnational competence." The task force report, Towards Transnational Competence (1997), defined the skills needed to succeed in the global arena as:
- an ability to imagine, analyze, and creatively address the potential of local economies and cultures
- a knowledge of commercial, technical, and cultural developments in a variety of locales
- an awareness of key leaders and the ability to engage such leaders in useful dialogue
- an understanding of local customs and negotiating strategies
- a facility in English and at least one other major language, combined with a facility with computers
- technical skills in business, law, public affairs, and/or technology and an awareness of how these skills apply differently in alternative cultural contexts
Studying abroad provides unparalleled opportunities to develop these skills as a part of an undergraduate education, and career advisers should encourage students to make study abroad a part of their competitive preparation for the emerging global marketplace.
Need to know more? Contact your campus study abroad office today!
