Page 33 - Scholarship Guide Feb 2019

7 WAYS YOU CAN IMPROVE YOUR CAREER PROSPECTS WHILE STUDYING ABROAD 31

and scary to make new friends from a wholly differ-
ent culture and country, putting yourself out there can
build rewarding lifelong connections. You never know,
you could meet someone who might become a future
business partner! Breaking out of your comfort zone
and meeting people from different backgrounds - be it
locals or other international students from a different
culture - also sharpens your cross-cultural communi-
cation skills, which will definitely come handy in both
the workplace and your social life.
So how do you diversify your social circle while
studying abroad? Join an extracurricular club that
interests you, take part in some of the many fun ac-
tivities around campus or your dorm community, ask
some classmates to lunch or to study together… there
are so many ways to make friends with the students
around you!

LEARN A NEW LANGUAGE handling finances in a future job. Your study abroad
If the host country’s native language is not English nor experience is a great opportunity to develop your fi-
your mother tongue, take the chance to learn their lan- nancial decision-making skills early. You’re going to
guage! Take up classes in the local language and try be more independent than you’ve probably ever been
to converse with the locals in their native language. before, and it’s up to you to figure out your meals, get
Many of the popular study abroad destinations are the daily essentials, and pay for all your transport and
global cities and multicultural, so even if their native travel. Lots of countries, especially those outside of
language is one you’re already fluent in, you’re still Southeast Asia, are more expensive than Singapore.
at a great place to pick up a widely spoken language However much you receive from your parents or
or dialect. your scholarship, and however much you may earn
More and more companies these days are inter- from working while studying, make a plan to manage
ested in your fluency of a third language apart from your spending.
English. Some companies view it as a bonus that
gives you an edge over other candidates, while some RECORD YOUR EXPERIENCES
even ask for a specific language (often Japanese and IN A JOURNAL OR BLOG
Korean) as part of the job requirements! Ultimately, You participated in a unique campus activity, or had
knowing a third language will be useful for expand- an eye-opening conversation with another student,
ing your network across different cultures, and espe- but what if you can recall your experiences well
cially if you choose to work in the host country after enough for your resume or job interview? Record
you graduate. your memories and don’t risk losing them over time
- try to keep a journal or blog while you’re studying
MAKE A BUDGET PLAN AND STICK TO IT abroad. Jotting down the day’s events is also how you
You can’t have a successful career if you’re going to can reflect on what you learned or accomplished, an
spend your hard-earned money wildly and without early preparation for how you might share your study
thought. Learning to manage money wisely is im- abroad experiences with an employer or someone in
portant for any adult’s future, especially if you will be your business network.