Looking for an international job is only a click away, but to some people the most difficult challenge is parting with Southern California.
Angela Lee, a junior business management major, said she’s up for the challenge.
“I interned at Samsung in Korea last summer, and I really loved it,” Lee said. “I’ve visited relatives before, and as much as I love the beach and California, I always miss being in Seoul.”
Lee found the internship online and knew she wanted to intern in Korea because she had family she could stay with and enjoyed the lifestyle.
According to Manuel Perez, director of the Career Development Center, Lee is off to the right start as a business major.
He said the most popular fields for international jobs include technology, particularly in software making, English and business.
Perez suggested that students search the Internet for job listings from international companies, much like Lee did. But besides looking on the web, Perez said the Career Development Center has a resource called Going Global, which has listings of employer profiles from 200 international companies as well as advice on office protocol, how to behave like locals, time management and more.
Perez said that although some students use the resources, many do not.
“We try to encourage students to broaden their horizons and look at other states and countries,” Perez said. “But they do prefer to stay in sunny Southern California with the beaches and the nice weather.”
Lee said she believes having family that live in another country was essential to her desire to find a job internationally, and traveling with her family from a young age also helped her to experience how life is outside of California, as she’s traveled to Japan, Korea and different parts of Europe.
Growing up in a cultured family was also important, Lee said.
“There’s different ways to act with Korean people and American people, and I know how to speak and act in front of working professionals in a different environment,” Lee said.
However, Lee said she felt homesick while abroad.
“I know a lot of people who don’t want to leave California at all, and I’m obviously going to miss my friends if I do leave,” she said.