Top 10 employment skills gained from studying abroad
Studying abroad is undoubtedly a transformative experience. Students get the opportunity to attend top ranked universities, choose from a wide variety of programs and get to learn from the very best faculty in their chosen disciplines.
Apart from just providing a high quality education, studying abroad also opens doors to other aspects like having an international career and the possibility of settling down abroad.
While all these gains alone are enough to convince anyone of the advantages of studying abroad, there is also the fact that international students are able to imbibe a lot of life skills that make them attractive from the point of view of employment.
Here are top 10 skills that students can gain from studying abroad that help with their employability:
Exposure to multiple cultures
Our world is now a global village. Hence, knowledge of various cultures and cultural awareness is an essential skill.
Professionals today have to interact with and work with a variety of colleagues and clients from different backgrounds and thus the ability to respect and understand different cultures is a must.
By studying abroad, students learn to accept and embrace various cultures and differences respectfully.
Development of communication
The workforce today must deal with a number of people from different backgrounds. This means that they require communication skills that are above average.
When an individual studies abroad, they gain an understanding of new languages, dialects, accents, and ways of speaking.
Furthermore, they become aware of how communication styles change in various settings and thus are prepared to be effective communicators.
Self-awareness
Living abroad can teach students a lot about other things, but at the same time, it also teaches them a lot about themselves.
Adjusting to a completely new and scary environment helps students understand where their own strengths and weaknesses lie and what they need to work on.
This allows them to consciously work on themselves throughout their lives and thus makes them excellent employees.
Gaining problem solving skills
Living in a completely foreign environment comes with its own challenges.
Finding a place to live and work, meeting new friends while also maintaining mental and emotional stability are obstacles that international students face everyday.
This trains them to become expert problem solvers. They learn to analyse issues with calm minds and then find creative, out of the box solutions for the same.
These problem solving skills never leave them, even when they start their careers.
Imbibing leadership skills
Students that study abroad often end up developing leadership qualities due to their experiences there. Having to figure out one’s own path, without help from family can be a tough challenge, but those that come out through the other side, learn valuable lessons on how to take charge of their lives and have intellect and sensitivity to be able to lead others later in life.
Development of self-reliance
When one is so far away from home, in a foregin country, they naturally become much more independent and self-reliant.
They learn to take life as it comes and to trust themselves to figure out whatever lies ahead.
With no immediate support system available, international students learn to improvise and take responsibility for themselves in all situations.
Ability to adapt
A student going abroad at a young age needs to be adaptable to many significant lifestyle changes. Almost everything in a person’s life – from the food they eat, to the clothes they wear, to the friends they make, changes.
Someone who is able to adjust and adapt to a completely unfamiliar environment has a massive advantage in the job market.
Ability to take risks
Choosing to study abroad is an extremely courageous decision for any student to take. These students volunteer to go out of their comfort zone and challenge themselves.
Venturing into an unfamiliar territory sparks inside people an instinct for curiosity and adventure. It teaches them to be bold and brave in the face of tough decisions.
Thus, students who have studied abroad are often skilled risk takers who are not afraid of challenging themselves and being pioneers.
Being accountable
When individuals study abroad, they are completely self-reliant and independent.
They are in charge of their own decisions and thus are also responsible for the consequences of their actions.
Thus, they learn the importance of accountability and being answerable for one’s actions. They are likely to face their results rather than blaming others and finding faults externally.
Development of people skills
In order to adapt to a new environment, students have to form their own small community in foreign countries.
This means making new friends, forging connections with their teachers , finding mentors and developing relations with people from diverse cultures.
Studying in a foreign country trains students to adjust with and accept all types of people.
It brings them out of their shells and makes them experts in handling conversations and interactions with a wide variety of people. These social and people skills come in handy later in their careers.
Conclusion
The decision to study abroad is a transformative one. Not only does it push students out of their comfort zones, but it also challenges them at every step to become skilled thinkers and problem solvers.
International students become confident, self-reliant and are able to take charge of their own lives. They gain innumerable skills, knowledge of different cultures and a broad worldview.
All these skills and qualities make them extremely lucrative in today’s competitive and globalised job market.