Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good. But in fact the Kansas Jayhawks were both lucky and good last night, winning the NCAA Men’s Basketball Title in overtime. Before the season began, I posted about the surprisingly global nature of one Jayhawk program.
Ever since my post about studying abroad in which I suggested that it was becoming a bit of a business, my e-mail in box has become the beneficiary of notices about various college courses and services.
As a blogger and journalist gazing at college life like earth through the Hubble telescope, I wanted to talk to David Gaston, Director of Kansas University’s Career Center, to discuss rumors that Jayhawk students have been seen tramping the streets of London in search of a global career.
“The main thing we were trying to do,” Gaston says of the group of seven students he brought to London, is “realize there’s an opportunity out there but you have got to take risks to understand what it’s all about.”
Believe it or not, nearly one in four KU students will spend time studying overseas before graduation. Gaston is among those tasked with pushing those numbers up to 40 percent, which would be truly impressive indeed.
Gaston’s students devoted their spring break to a London trip that included daily meetings with various corporations, academic representatives (they checked out Cambridge), plus various KU grads working in global jobs.Â
Gaston’s program is promising but it’s hardly immersive - like many universities KU offers a full range of opportunities and course credits. And it’s competitive: A number of Ivy League universities are partnering with corporations and even government agencies to create job, academic or internship experiences that require foreign language skills and a commitment of three months to a year.
Yet, Gaston’s on to a good thing. It’s better to experiment in college rather than jump in 20 years later only to find out it’s not right for you or your family.
Have you studied abroad and what did it do for your career?
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Hi Rusty - Great article. We are a recruiting firm in Kansas City focused in advertising and marketing. We see lots of KU grads with study abroad programs on their resume. For employers, study abroad offers insight into a candidates ability to function independently, think on their feet, and take risks. These are traits that employers in the new economy look for, no matter what the type of business.
Aside from our company blog about careers in advertising and marketing at www.dfbryant.wordpress.com, I also have a personal blog called We’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto (http://notinkansasanymoretoto.typepad.com, so this entry really caught my eye.!