3 Ways to Further Your Career When Traveling

It’s not uncommon for people who wish to spend their lives traveling as often as possible to also be quite ambitious. Along with wanting to see the world, you might want to excel in your career as well.

Some mistakenly believe they can’t have both. They assume that to grow in their career, they need a degree of stability that traveling doesn’t allow for. They essentially think they have to stay in one place to develop the skills and connections required for career advancement.

That doesn’t need to be the case at all! There are in fact many ways to further your career while traveling the world. The following are just a few examples to consider:

Take Online Courses

It’s no longer necessary to attend a class in-person to develop a skill. Online courses make learning remotely easier than ever.

For example, perhaps you aspire to be a CPA in the future. While traveling, you can take an online CPA exam prep course. Taking such a step could also impress potential employers, indicating that you’re dedicated enough to your career goals to continue pursuing them no matter where you may happen to be in the world.

Learn About Other Cultures

Don’t overlook the value of this tip! As a world traveler, you likely already appreciate how traveling exposes you to cultures and lifestyles that may be foreign.

Make a conscious effort to learn as much as you can from these experiences. Doing so may serve your career well later. Across a range of industries and occupations, employers are becoming increasingly aware of the benefits of diversity in the workplace. This trend has brought with it an increased demand for employees who have a relatively strong understanding of other cultures. Their presence can help foster a more inclusive workplace environment and company culture.

As someone who’s traveled to various regions and learned about many types of people, you can also help a potential employer reach more customers. For example, perhaps you could help an employer’s marketing team develop ad campaigns that resonate with a new audience they aren’t currently serving.

Focus on Developing Practical Skills with Flexible Applications

Understanding other cultures is a general quality that traveling can help you cultivate. However, traveling can also help you develop very practical skills that have applications in numerous careers.

Travelers often learn other languages. This is significant, as research indicates demand for multilingual employees has risen sharply in the past decade.

As someone who travels the world, you’ve also likely found yourself in numerous situations that require being able to quickly develop creative solutions to problems when your plans are thwarted. For instance, if you arrived at a destination to learn the place where you planned on staying no longer has space for you, you might have had to find a suitable lodging option fast. Additionally, to travel safely, you’ve probably had to learn how to set a realistic budget, plan travel routes, come up with backup plans, and more.

Those are merely a few examples. What’s most important is that, whenever you’re traveling, you make a point of identifying how various situations can help you develop skills you might highlight when applying for jobs in the future.

Remember, if you want to see as much of the world as you can, but you also have major career goals, you don’t have to choose between the two. Traveling doesn’t need to prevent you from developing career-related skills. It can actually help you develop said skills.