Life abroad: the good, the bad and the plain ugly

Recently there has been numerous articles around the importance of going out of your comfort zone and the lack of highly skilled graduates in the UK, especially in areas such as soft skills. To me, no other experience than living abroad bridges that gap and quite pushes your boundaries whilst challenging your core being. It’s an experience in advanced personal growth through adapting to cultures, learning new skills and facing new encounters that no university degree, training programme or job can give (unless working abroad). Having experienced life abroad on various occasions at a young age, through both studying and working, I’ve learnt that no stint abroad is a bad one (even when you hit rock bottom). It may be difficult but through the failures you reach opportunities previously unavailable, stretch yourself beyond what you thought possible and grow more than you ever imagined.

The learning curve in its extreme

Having already done an internship in Paris, my heart was set on doing my ERASMUS year abroad at a university. In typical Alex fashion of doing things the unconventional way and chasing the biggest and most terrifying challenges, I decided to study the final year of an International Business degree at the prestigious Université Paris Sorbonne. Whilst that might not sound so daunting to some, coming from a Bachelors of Arts background, studying a brand new degree with a whole array of new subjects at a substantial level higher and a language not my own was both exciting and unnerving. Additionally, I had set such high expectations of the quality of teaching, the ‘ERASMUS experience’ and living in picture perfect Paris that the reality really hit me hard when I was confronted with the total opposite. However, the feeling of accomplishment once I had struggled my way through one of the hardest academic years was invaluable.

The learning curve is not a curve-  it’s a squiggly line full of kinks, loops and zigzags

The struggle is real

Whatever you imagine life to be like abroad, it will be nothing like it. There are so many factors that can impact your experience- externally, internally, professionally, personally that no amount of planning can prepare and no amount of day dreaming can conjure. During my year abroad in the space of a full academic year I had managed to get kicked out of a flat (crazy person), spent an extended stint couch surfing (due to previous situation) and ended up in A&E just in time for Christmas (fell off a balcony). Everything that could have possibly gone wrong went wrong and whilst I was at the depths of my despair ready to head home, I just couldn’t give up with three months to go or else what would all that struggle have been for. Whilst most experiences are not as extreme as mine, there will be difficult times but it is in those testing times, that we learn the most.

There will be bad times but there will be the best of times that make it all worthwhile

Personal development

In a time where there is a disparity between the lack of skilled graduates that come out of university without the necessary soft skills required to get into professional work, experiences like work or study abroad can avoid you falling into that trap. According to a study done by ERASMUS, 90% of students living abroad felt the experience improved their independence, self-confidence, and cultural awareness. This finding is important considering that 92% of employers are looking for these types of soft skills. A lot of students, myself included, might have never left the nest prior to living abroad and learning to be independent whether financially or socially is incredibly important to personal development. Not only do you find yourself and learn about who you are, you test your ability to adapt and embark on a journey of resilience building like no other.

You need to let yourself be uncomfortable and only then will you flourish and grow

The global network

Whilst I didn’t meet a huge number of people during my year abroad at university, studying and working part time left little time for socialising, I did meet a lot of people during an internship abroad. As with any internship you can meet a whole array of new people and build your network but the great thing about an internship abroad is that you create a global network. I was fortunate enough to intern with approximately ten others from countries all over the world, who now all live pretty much all over the world. Especially when you are in a place that is not your home, these friends are your new family and your community. Not only do they make great contacts to keep in touch with, opening all sort of opportunities and doors in the future, they also make great friends!

A network isn't only about the past and the present, it's about YOU nurturing it for the future

The bigger picture

I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’m asked, “so how was living in Paris?” and then subsequently seeing peoples face contort into shock and disbelief as I tell them it’s a “love/hate relationship”. As with anything challenging there are great moments and there are not so great ones, you relish in the good and you grow and learn through the bad. There are countless benefits to working or studying abroad. It shows that not only are you willing to take risks but you actively look for new challenges. Not only are you interested in honing in existing skills, but you want to embrace new ones. Not only is basics in a language enough you want to be intermediate, or fluent to business proficient.  You will leave with an international perspective and experience that will be unique to you and it could be that later down the line you might not get the opportunity or time to do it, so don’t miss that once in a lifetime experience.

“Maybe you had to leave in order to really miss a place; maybe you had to travel to figure out how beloved your starting point was.” — Jodi Picoult (Handle with Care)

#personaldevelopment #studyabroad #lifelessons

This post was written as part of the #LifeAbroad series, which is tied to LinkedIn’s new student editorial calendar #studentvoices. Follow the stories here or write your own.

Thanks for reading! I’ll be continuing to write on different topics every month so feel free to click follow, comment and share and have a read of my previous posts:

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Graduates: Don’t build yourself up for disappointment

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Are you a swan flapping your wings under stress?

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From Student to Professional: Overcoming the biggest hurdle

A mentee’s guide to finding your mentor

A Former Serial Intern's guide to internships