Gaining a year vs. losing one
Living my dreams to move abroad during a crucial period in my professional life may seem escapist. But I have absolutely no intention of losing a year (or longer) of my life to the squandering road. Well, not up front. I see it as investing in a solid plan to move my life and career… forward! The guiding mantra- Each action must move me forward with time-efficiency. The anti-thesis of sexy and romantic,… right?
1) Choose a resident country
2) Find a job
3) Move abroad
The advantages of living abroad are obvious:
1. Live and work in a foreign country*
2. Travel a new country and become culturally enriched.
3. Learn fluency in a new language.
4. Have travel access to neighboring countries I have always wanted to visit.
5. Develop rich content for travel photography, video (& blogs)
6. Re-discover my creativity and develop ideas for a docu-reality travel show
7. Chillax and gain clarity about my future.
8. Live a quality of life I’ve lacked.
Traveling and exploring a new culture IS moving forward.
Even in its laziest form- observing, communicating and navigating in a foreign country offers a wealth of learning. Living and working in a foreign country offers me 1) free schooling, 2) work experience and 3) gaining skills towards a career or profession. This essentially saves me three (+) years of education fees, cover letters and CV, etc…. In outlining a smart plan to develop my professional toolkit, here are some master goals I aimed for:
Considerations for my choice of country:
1. Interest in Asia
2. Gain fluency in a foreign language
(could be a potential career asset)
3. Possesses strong business models in art, media or technology
(where my personal interests and tastes are)
4. Has a television & film industry
(my industry)
5. The country is between partially “developing” and “developed”
(I would like to experience a little of both as a lifestyle)
6. Growth in medical tourism industry
(* am interested in experiencing advanced & cheap medical care!)
7. Affordable living
(I have mixed reviews on Korea- I thought cost of living was cheap; apparently it’s close to Japan!)
8. Job skills and experience for develops specializing in an Asian market
(Interested in being able to specialize in an Asian market)
At first glance, these aims may seem overly ambitious. It casts a large scope of what could be if I applied myself and it shows me that living and working in Korea might offer me more than I thought.
