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University Partnership Development Manager, CEA Study Abroad Education B.A International Business & Marketing Minor in Spanish from St. Ambrose University Study Abroad Universidad Pablo de Olavide in Seville, Spain (semester) Find Eric on LinkedIn |
How'd you land your job in education abroad?
I broke into the study abroad field by jumping right into one of the largest, and at times chaotic, conferences in the industry. I attended the 2010 NAFSA National Conference in Kansas City. My study abroad advisor told me that if I wanted to get into the field, I had to go to NAFSA. Job prospecting at NAFSA is no easy task, especially for a recent graduate without a master’s degree. I was young, and maybe a little naive, thinking that my passion and enthusiasm would get me the job. Spoiler alert: there were hundreds of other people who are there doing the same thing.
My job search strategy at NAFSA was talk to anyone and everyone that I could, specifically in the study abroad field. I was waiting outside the expo hall one morning planning my next round of booth visits when someone walked up next to me and started chatting with me. It started out as a casual conversation, what’s your name?, how’s your conference?, etc., but soon turned into a conversation about me job searching and wanting to break into the field. He told me that he worked with CEA Study Abroad and that I should stop by the CEA booth when the expo hall opened because CEA was currently hiring. I stopped by chatted with him and a few others from CEA and dropped off my resume. It was a good conversation, but I had numerous other “good” conversations about jobs with other people at NAFSA that I thought nothing of it at the time.
The first few weeks following NAFSA were stressful. I was committed to having a study abroad job as fast as possible. I was sending thank you emails to those I had met but I wasn’t getting anywhere. As luck would have it, I was traveling to Phoenix, Arizona for a vacation around the 4th of July that year. As a last ditch, I have nothing to lose effort, I contacted CEA. I emailed them saying that I would be in the area and that I would be willing to take time out of my vacation schedule to meet with them in person for the position that I had applied to. The stars aligned and I was moving to Phoenix two and half weeks later for first job in study abroad.
My job search strategy at NAFSA was talk to anyone and everyone that I could, specifically in the study abroad field. I was waiting outside the expo hall one morning planning my next round of booth visits when someone walked up next to me and started chatting with me. It started out as a casual conversation, what’s your name?, how’s your conference?, etc., but soon turned into a conversation about me job searching and wanting to break into the field. He told me that he worked with CEA Study Abroad and that I should stop by the CEA booth when the expo hall opened because CEA was currently hiring. I stopped by chatted with him and a few others from CEA and dropped off my resume. It was a good conversation, but I had numerous other “good” conversations about jobs with other people at NAFSA that I thought nothing of it at the time.
The first few weeks following NAFSA were stressful. I was committed to having a study abroad job as fast as possible. I was sending thank you emails to those I had met but I wasn’t getting anywhere. As luck would have it, I was traveling to Phoenix, Arizona for a vacation around the 4th of July that year. As a last ditch, I have nothing to lose effort, I contacted CEA. I emailed them saying that I would be in the area and that I would be willing to take time out of my vacation schedule to meet with them in person for the position that I had applied to. The stars aligned and I was moving to Phoenix two and half weeks later for first job in study abroad.
What is your favorite part of being a "road warrior"?
My favorite part is seeing how colleges and universities manage and promote study abroad differently. At some colleges, study abroad is so ingrained in the fabric of the school that everyone knows about the opportunities available to them. Whereas others, the study abroad office has to scrap and fight just to get a few students overseas.
I also really love the diversity and variety of faculty-led programs that many schools offer. There are so many fun and engaging programs that I wish I would have known about when I was an undergraduate.
I also really love the diversity and variety of faculty-led programs that many schools offer. There are so many fun and engaging programs that I wish I would have known about when I was an undergraduate.
What's the strangest or most surprising part of your work?
Working at Xavier University
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Some people think that my job is all about recruiting students to go abroad with CEA at study abroad fairs. That is only a small fraction of what I do. I help coordinate and plan faculty-led programs, I host campus pre-departure and re-entry presentations, and I work closely with CEA Alumni Ambassadors, to name a few. I enjoy speaking with study abroad offices about the obstacles and challenges that they are facing. Hopefully, CEA might be able to help address some of those areas. And if not, I share examples of how other universities are tackling that same problem.
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What do you wish newcomers to the profession knew?
Passion and enthusiasm alone will not be enough to get you your first study abroad job. As I mentioned, I was naïve when I first started my job search and I certainly fell into this category. What unique skills can you bring to the position that others can’t? Also, network! Anytime that I go to conferences I go out of my way to speak with recent graduates and job seekers. I know what it is like to be in their shoes. I hope that some tidbit of information that I share with them will help them secure that first study abroad role.