Study Abroad & Professional Development

Ready, set, FLY! College is a time to experience adventures and the unknown. For many, their college campus environment is perfect grounds for growth. However, others may choose to take a step further to challenge themselves outside their comfort zone—and go study abroad.

If you’ve been considering studying abroad to supplement your college education, but are afraid you’ll miss out on other opportunities—club leadership roles, certain classes, and more—this one’s for you. Going abroad is an experience that helps build your character, confidence, and pushes you to grow in ways that add layers of development to your professional and personal selves.

Consider me, a current fourth-year Business student.. Throughout my time at Cal Poly, I was heavily involved in club leadership roles, work experiences, and extracurriculars. I had never planned on studying abroad and was worried taking a hiatus from my time on campus would put me behind on experiences in my senior year. However, I also desperately needed a change from the mundane cycle of having a busy day-to-day and campus life. I wanted a way to still stay on track academically, but simultaneously experience something new and challenging outside school before entering the workforce. After discussing the possibility with mentors and advisors, I made the decision to head off to Europe this past September.

While there, I took courses that enriched my cultural competency, such as the Culture of Food & Wine in my country and Photography in my city. Taking these courses, as well as the local language, helped me understand how cultural differences drive different decision-making and behaviors in society.

Outside of coursework, the ability to explore a foreign country and travel to several others during my free time expanded my desire for the unknown and made me increase my capacity for discomfort. It encouraged me to keep an open mind while traveling with strangers I had just met weeks ago, be adaptable to plan around different interests and schedules, and grow my appreciation for simply what was in front of me at any given time.

These skills—adaptability, open-mindedness, thought diversity, cross-cultural collaboration, presentness—are all strong, highly-sought after in the workplace to build strong teams and company culture. While they can be developed on campus, they are equally built abroad, if not more. The constant challenge of finding your place in a new environment and cultural context is a challenge that not many get to experience, but those who do have stories to tell for ages.

Though I was originally worried about taking the leap and going abroad with no peers, it enriched my personal and professional development on levels I could not have anticipated.