When I began applying for jobs in September, just about every day the New York Times was running a bleeding-heart op-ed or sanctimonious report on the general malaise in the job market. That didn't seem to stop the vast majority of my friends from landing cushy jobs in the financial services/engineering/general numbers sectors (go Big Data). As for me...I applied for a Business Analyst position in a very large, very well-regarded conglomerate that would place me in India, and spent the next six months in HR limbo. I finally landed the position in April, right as I was REALLY starting to get anxious.
Below: Me, circa April 3 2012, in between applying for more jobs, studying, and right before I received the coveted "Offer."
The chance to work in Mumbai -- which I only recently discovered was synonymous with Bombay -- sounded pretty damn sexy. Palm trees...Indian women...the excitement and growth of a BRIC economy. I would be an international businessman. Nevermind that I would be working on a salary that would just allow me to scoot by, or that I would technically be an "intern." Or that my assigned department -- Life Sciences -- had very little to do with my background, expertise or even interests. After some deliberation and guidance from older, wiser career men and women, I seized the opportunity and didn't think twice.
From a pragmatic perspective, there were two clear advantages I saw to leaving the country for my first job:
1) International experience is crucial in all areas of business, and will only become more so in coming decades.
2) India -- despite what haters in the S&P say -- is an economic bottle rocket, and the opportunities for growth and entrepreneurship here are unparalleled.
Plus, I figured it'd be a good idea to give the American business waters a bit of time to cool off before dipping my toe in. We'll see if my decision pays off -- personally or professionally. But until then, I'll be sitting in my Mumbai flat with this look on my face:
Below: Me, circa April 3 2012, in between applying for more jobs, studying, and right before I received the coveted "Offer."
The chance to work in Mumbai -- which I only recently discovered was synonymous with Bombay -- sounded pretty damn sexy. Palm trees...Indian women...the excitement and growth of a BRIC economy. I would be an international businessman. Nevermind that I would be working on a salary that would just allow me to scoot by, or that I would technically be an "intern." Or that my assigned department -- Life Sciences -- had very little to do with my background, expertise or even interests. After some deliberation and guidance from older, wiser career men and women, I seized the opportunity and didn't think twice.
From a pragmatic perspective, there were two clear advantages I saw to leaving the country for my first job:
1) International experience is crucial in all areas of business, and will only become more so in coming decades.
2) India -- despite what haters in the S&P say -- is an economic bottle rocket, and the opportunities for growth and entrepreneurship here are unparalleled.
Plus, I figured it'd be a good idea to give the American business waters a bit of time to cool off before dipping my toe in. We'll see if my decision pays off -- personally or professionally. But until then, I'll be sitting in my Mumbai flat with this look on my face:
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