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How Study Abroad Benefits Career

Letter to the Editor from Verge Magazine Hi Wade, Hope you are doing well. I just wanted to let you know that the article I interviewed you for in the fall for Verge Magazine (on independent studies/travel) is finally slated for publication in their fall 2009 issue! So that will come out in September. I [...]

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Letter to the Editor from Verge Magazine

Hi Wade,

Hope you are doing well. I just wanted to let you know that the article I interviewed you for in the fall for Verge Magazine (on independent studies/travel) is finally slated for publication in their fall 2009 issue! So that will come out in September.

Chaya Studying Abroad in South Africa

Chaya Studying Abroad in South Africa

I have a couple questions for you though — the other students I interviewed are still in school. We’d like to add a little bit in the article about how students have used their studies in their career. Since you are the only graduate I interviewed, maybe you could answer that question? I remember that we talked about how you are still doing some journalism/writing work, which you focused on during your degree, but I don’t have any more specific details on that. So could you answer the question: how are you using your degree experience in your career?

American Studying Abroad in South Africa

Second thing — we got a couple good photos, but I am worried that we may not be able to contact the photographers for permission. Would you happen to have 2-3 photographs from one of your overseas independent study projects? Preferably they would be taken by you, or by people who would be easy to contact. Please send them along to me if you’ve got them! It would be greatly appreciated.

Happy travels!

Erin Moores

Global College class in Durban, South Africa

Editor’s response:

Hello Erin,

Here is the answer to your question:

how are you using your degree experience in your career?

Subsequent to graduating from Global College in January of 2009, I immediately returned overseas to begin work as an independent journalist. To be honest, I now do almost the exact same things professionally that I did while studying independently as a student: I dig up interesting topics, investigate them, and then write articles based on my findings. The only difference is that I now send my finished pieces to magazine and newspaper editors rather than a professor. Other than working as a freelance journalist, much of my professional attention is directed towards publishing the Vagabond Journey Online Travel Magazine, www.VagabondJourney.com, which is a project that I began as an independent study in 2007 under the direction of Global College staff. Together, through selling articles and publishing the online magazine, I have been able to lay down the initial building blocks for a career that found its origins while studying abroad.

——————
I hope this helps.

I also attached some photos that you may want to use. Please credit them with something to the effect of “photo courtesy of www.VagabondJourney.com”

The photos entail my wife studying abroad in South Africa and myself working on a journalism project in Syria.

Is Verge Magazine able to pay for photos?

If you need anything else, please let me know.

Thank you,

Wade Shepard

Study Abroad Education in Africa

To send a letter to the editor of Vagabond Journey Travel email vagabondsong@gmail.com

Filed under: Letters to the Editor, Study Abroad, Work

About the Author:

I am the founder and editor of Vagabond Journey. I’ve been traveling the world since 1999, through 91 countries. I am the author of the book, Ghost Cities of China and have written for The Guardian, Forbes, Bloomberg, The Diplomat, the South China Morning Post, and other publications. has written 3694 posts on Vagabond Journey. Contact the author.

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