Musings & Comments About Value of International Education and Coping With Uncertainty

Posted on November 6, 2014 by Global Career Compass

Over the years, I’ve regularly commented about what others have written online in essays or blog posts… here are a few selected statements which reflect my point of view:

“…there are very few campuses in the country [the U.S.] whose study abroad or career service offices are equipped to provide the kind of [integrated] advising and oversight of learning outcomes at each stage of student decision-making and participation in study abroad.” (My research for the 2014 monograph on Campus Best Practices Supporting Study Abroad & Student Career Development confirmed this judgement)

“…while true that employers value a great many of the skills which students gain through study abroad, the best way to assist them [students] build upon their experience in the marketplace is to provide purposeful and intentionally designed preparatory programs for students before they leave campus, while they’re abroad, and after they return to campus…”

“…the benefits of international experience are sustainable only if institutions assist students to purposefully integrate their experience into both their academic studies and their career development plan.”

“I believe that current global workforce trends have created a transformational environment in which employers view the value-added of international experience with a less rose-colored lens. Study abroad advisors and career service professionals need to harmonize their practices to provide students with more concrete goals to help them determine which study abroad program provides the greatest value.”

“Regardless of major or field of interest, it is in every students’ -and family’s – self-interest to understand the consequences of their choices with respect to courses, internships, work-study or international experience during their college years.”

“There is ample research which supports the importance of international education experiences -from the perspective of employers – in terms of achieving significant skill building and career development outcomes for students.”

“Our society rewards the over-determined career plan much more so than in past years…in an uncertain economic climate, when almost all students incur high debt to graduate college, it makes sense for students to fully prepare for the uncertainties they will likely face in a global marketplace.”