Hilary Corna is an author, speaker, entrepreneur and Kaizen leader, dedicated to strengthening education to better prepare graduates for how multi-dimensional the fabric of their career will be in today’s globalized world. Follow Hilary’s story on her blog One White Face.

You definitely get an opportunity to take some unique vacations…but imagine obtaining all your five senses again. This is how invigorating it is to work overseas as a young professional, both personally and professionally.

When I graduated from college in 2007, I was adamant about working overseas. I had spent a semester studying abroad in Japan, fell in love with the culture and, after giving up an internship in Tokyo for a relationship, realized that I wanted to work in Asia while I was young and had the energy.

All my professors discouraged me saying it was impossible and that I “needed experience first” and couldn’t “be picky”. In spite of the majority of my influencers, I bought a one-way ticket to Singapore, gave myself a budget and two months and promised my mother I would return if I didn’t find a job before either ran out. (Deep down inside, I promised myself I wouldn’t let either run out). In three weeks, I had five job offers. The last job offer I was waiting on was from Toyota. For three years, I worked for Toyota in Singapore as the only Caucasian in the 250 person office.

Recently, during a talk at a college, I was shocked when a student asked me, “You were white, young, female and American. You faced so many difficulties. Why would you do it?” I guess I didn’t get my point across well.

What can a young person gain from international experience?

Fast-track your Career

For recent graduates, working overseas may be the single best way to launch your career despite the economic downturn. Within three months of working, I was running a team of ten people, managing expense accounts, and reporting directly to the country heads of operation. I was only 22 years old.

With the growth rate of emerging markets, multi-national corporations need hard working, well educated staff that have energy and are innovative — Oh, and are cheap. Thus, you have American graduates in demand.

Big companies are allocating less of their trade accounts on expatriates. With new graduates, they don’t have to deal with bottom-line management egos or children’s educations. (Usually when top management get sent overseas, the company has to pay for the housing, car, children’s private school, bi-annual trips home, etc). Rather, they are pursuing bright and talented young people who are willing to work hard for the company at a minimal cost.

Learn to See

When you live and work abroad, it’s like discovering your five senses all over again. Imagine how invigorating that would be! To (re)learn to taste, see, touch, smell and hear!

By breaking down the walls of what is deemed right by society, you escape into a new freedom. The freedom to eat things that are otherwise abnormal, to listen to new instruments that would otherwise be defined as toys, to feel plants and animals that don’t exist in your suburb, and to amplify your taste buds like never before.

You learn to see that there are other beautiful ways of living. You learn to see that our way is not always the best.

Expand your Personal Horizons

By divesting yourself of possessions–your luggage is simply not big enough for your flat screens and leather couches–you simplify your life, ultimately finding what’s truly important to you in life: family, relationships, contentment.

People often ask me if I missed family. Of course I did. It was terribly difficult to tell them I was leaving – my mom didn’t speak to me for almost two months. But it was being away that made me think more deeply about family and the role it plays in my life. It made me realize the importance of family in a stable and healthy life and created a desire to build closer relationships with them.

Most of all, you learn deeply about yourself when living and working abroad. When pulled out of your comfort zone, you’re forced to understand why you do what you do and come up with solutions faster than ever before. Adaptability becomes your greatest asset.

Is Working Overseas right for you?

You owe it to yourself and your family to be able to answer this question. There is a big debate whether working abroad is beneficial for all. To travel or spend time overseas, I absolutely agree there is something to gain by all. However, to work overseas is a different story. Working overseas is not for everyone and before you make the decision, you need to spend time considering the real purpose of your work abroad. Is it because you just got out of a relationship? This probably isn’t the best move for you then.

Self-Assessment:

Adaptability is the #1 skill necessary to work anywhere overseas. If you go into any country, much less Asia, applying your norms as a Westerner, you will fail and fail fast. Conveying ethnocentric thoughts and actions onto a local operation will wind up in distrust, bitterness and embarrassment.

Think about how you deal with change. The one thing shared by people who are successful overseas is that they all enjoy change. Those who feed off change use it to further drive curiosity. Combined with patience, this makes you an ideal candidate for working overseas.

What are the other skills necessary?

• Sensitivity (to other cultures)
• Curiosity
• Cooperativeness
• Adventurous
• Interpersonal communications
• Language

Notice I put language last. Despite common belief, language skills are not always necessary when working overseas.

Reap the Benefits

The international lifestyle is intellectually interesting, stimulating, and rewarding. You will create and foster memories that will stand out in your mind like white heels in winter time. Your relationships with people will forever impact the way you treat others and your perspective on life, changing you for the better…for the much much better.