Maytinee Kramer/Opinion Director
As we quickly approach graduation day, many students across America are going through feelings of excitement, anxiety and confusion, and these new graduates will be thrust into a decision to figure out the next chapter of their lives.
With all the endless talk of resume writing and job hunting, it’s natural to feel like, in order to keep up, you have to get started in your career as soon as possible.
But, what if you’re still figuring things out? What if you’re still considering future plans before starting a career? Solution: travel the world.
Don’t think that heading abroad for any length of time will set you back. Rather than stressing about what to do next, experience another culture and figure out some plans for the rest of your life. It may be the best way to figure out your interests and skills to point yourself in the right direction.
Every college student dreams of packing up their bags and going abroad or even road tripping across the U.S. once in the life. Post-graduation is a great time to do just that because later down the line, you’ll get stuck with paying a mortgage, get caught up in working the nine to five job, or get married and will have to settle down in order to start your family.
I’m due to graduate this spring and I can certainly tell you that I was a workaholic — I was utterly focused on following a very precise career track: become a director at the school newspaper, intern locally during the school year and get a job immediately after graduation.
But as G-Day approaches, I realized I had a major itch to travel and explore before “settling down” to work. I already have plans on going to Thailand for a couple of months.
Although I’ve been before, being able to go back home to experience more of the country I love is exciting.
Imagine being able to ride an elephant across a river; play with monkeys in the mountain tops; splash about in a jungle waterfall. Dream of sipping fresh coconut juice by the beach and stopping at every vendor for some fresh, yummy street food.
Traveling after graduation has a lot of great benefits like the chance to experience a new culture, but possibly the greatest benefit to traveling abroad after getting your degree is that you’ll come back more you.
Traveling has that special knack for making you more focused, more world-wise and more prepared to succeed. Our University already stresses the “Worlds Ahead” motto, so really getting the chance to meet new people, try new foods, see new sights and open your eyes is truly a beautiful thing.
Traveling and living abroad may likely impress potential employers once you’re back home as many seek potential employees who are interesting, smart, worldly and engaging people. Your travels already make for a great conversation starter, and it’s not just about the life or work skills you gain while abroad — the experience alone may make you more memorable and interesting.
All these things and more are waiting for you if you just have the passion and courage to take time off from jumping straight into the workforce. You can spend days or months coming up with excuses for why not to go — you want to get ahead in your career, or you’d rather save your money. But those excuses will only leave you with regret down the road.
If traveling is something you’ve long been thinking of, then just do it.
Set yourself up for an adventure; take everything you know and turn it upside down. The world is waiting with open arms, so in the famous words of Tom Haverford and Donna Meagle from “Parks and Recreation,” “Treat yourself” by going traveling.
DISCLAIMER:
The opinions presented within this page do not represent the views of Panther Press Editorial Board. These views are separate from editorials and reflect individual perspectives of contributing writers and/or members of the University community.
Photo by Francesca Tirico on Unsplash.
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