As a student at university preparing to graduate in Spring 2015, I have the same questions running through my head as every other student anywhere in the world. Do I know what I want to do? Of course! Do I know what I am going to end up doing? Of course not! Such has been the impact of the economic crisis on my generation. It’s no longer feasible to work hard and simply earn your dream job! Even students with the best degrees from the best universities now struggle to earn a job in their respective field. Such is the competition amongst graduates for even the most basic of jobs that we need to have something to set us apart from the competition. The answer… languages and experience.
I am constantly receiving advice from my university as well as contacts I have already established in my future field that if I can combine a good degree classification with international language experience then I am far more likely to get a chance in the working world, as I will set myself apart from the rest.
As with most Brits, my only experience with Spanish until now had been through learning at school and through travelling to Spain. Chilean Spanish is a whole new concept. Spoken quickly with a thick accent, it is a world away from what I am used to. Yet that is part of the country’s charm, what is the point in living life within your comfort zone? The city of Santiago certainly bears no resemblance to the traditional preconceptions one may hold of a Latin American country. It is a vibrant, modern and clean metropolis with people living their lives in exactly the same manner as I would have at home. From mobile companies advertising their latest 4G internet service to the inevitable Starbucks on the corner (no doubt avoiding local corporation tax as in the UK) it has made my transition to life here much easier and has shown to me that although we live worlds apart, our lives are taken up with almost identical concerns.
Having arrived in Chile I can finally see the path that I need to take if my life is to fall into place. Hard work still lies ahead of me, but through my internship with The Intern Group I can see what has to be done. Don’t allow fears to hold you back. Challenge yourself to experience business in an international environment and set your career on track.