September 12, 2011 at 10:33 pm
Comments posted to this topic are about the item A Walkabout
September 13, 2011 at 2:14 am
I spent a year going around the world with a backpack having been working for 3 years following university, it is an amazing experience although at job interviews I have frequently had implied "so you've wasted away a year instead of killing yourself at a desk".
Yes my technical knowledge of product x did not improve however my experience of people, what makes them tick, how to negotiate, how to get things done etc changed and my subsequent experience of businesses that get to know their staff and customers has shown that seeing the people side and being seen by the people is a long term benefit to the business. This is often difficult to justify in the short term but it does create a bond that can be built upon to strengthen that relationship (....and get repeat business), basics really but so often overlooked in this point and click internet driven world.
Of course, having time to reflect does call into question one's priorities 😉
September 13, 2011 at 3:13 am
I think there is a good reason to why humanity over the course of history has perfected inside and I like being inside or rather having the facilities that a home provides.
However, traveling for a set period of time in different manners is enjoyable. I do not know if I'd like a whole year traveling but I think it would could have been very interesting and a great experience.
I remember my Swedish military training and the first days in nature was always the most annoying, getting used to the cold if it was winter etc, but after some days I always got used to it so I think I could handle being traveling for a year. Since I got used to it, dont be so sure that you would not.
September 13, 2011 at 6:45 am
I have to ask... where do students get the money to travel from Australia to Europe, spend a couple of weeks doing whatever they want, and then travel back to Australia?
--Jeff Moden
Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.
September 13, 2011 at 6:54 am
Jeff Moden (9/13/2011)
I have to ask... where do students get the money to travel from Australia to Europe, spend a couple of weeks doing whatever they want, and then travel back to Australia?
Steve mentioned even longer time periods, no idea how they can manage that.
When I was a student however, I worked extra on the side and did shorter travels of 7-14 days.
September 13, 2011 at 6:58 am
Jeff Moden (9/13/2011)
I have to ask... where do students get the money to travel from Australia to Europe, spend a couple of weeks doing whatever they want, and then travel back to Australia?
I'm with you. Even at my age having worked for the better part of 15 years, I don't think I could take a year off to travel. I could probably do a month but definitely not a year.
I guess it must just be a different set of priorities in people's lives. Good for them I suppose.
September 13, 2011 at 7:13 am
Jeff Moden (9/13/2011)
I have to ask... where do students get the money to travel from Australia to Europe, spend a couple of weeks doing whatever they want, and then travel back to Australia?
I think the key is you don't, or shouldn't, expect to eat in fancy restaurants, stay in nice hotels, or have many comforts except the comfort of being unattached to place. That is not to say that the experience wouldn't be one that a person couldn't enjoy. You definitely have to be outside the box, no pun intended, of cubical or office life.
PS- Steve, you are either a shameless brown noser, or a real homer. Not that either is bad. 😀
<><
Livin' down on the cube farm. Left, left, then a right.
September 13, 2011 at 7:36 am
Jeff Moden (9/13/2011)
I have to ask... where do students get the money to travel from Australia to Europe, spend a couple of weeks doing whatever they want, and then travel back to Australia?
They save their money, get help from parents, etc. Then they travel, usually for a year or so because it's so far from home. They get odd jobs (dishes, cleaning, sweeping, etc.) to earn money to keep there. At different times, I met different groups in France, Spain, Italy, and they would stay and work 2- 4 weeks, then move on. In the 80s, living in a hostel, eating cheap, you could get by on $20-25/day.
September 13, 2011 at 7:38 am
Tobar (9/13/2011)
PS- Steve, you are either a shameless brown noser, or a real homer. Not that either is bad. 😀
Perhaps, but I write about what I think is cool. I thought this was interesting and a great idea. Red Gate has had a few of those, IMHO.
September 13, 2011 at 8:51 am
Steve Jones - SSC Editor (9/13/2011)
Tobar (9/13/2011)
PS- Steve, you are either a shameless brown noser, or a real homer. Not that either is bad. 😀
... thought this was interesting and a great idea. Red Gate has had a few of those, IMHO.
I agree. Just messing with ya.
<><
Livin' down on the cube farm. Left, left, then a right.
September 13, 2011 at 10:33 am
Travel to any fooreign country can be enlightening, meeting people with different work ethics and just a different take on life can be rewarding. The longer you can stay the more you can learn. Personally I lived in Europe for over 13 years, if you can do it even a short period you might be surprised at you can learn. IMHO
September 13, 2011 at 10:43 am
IceDread (9/13/2011)
Jeff Moden (9/13/2011)
I have to ask... where do students get the money to travel from Australia to Europe, spend a couple of weeks doing whatever they want, and then travel back to Australia?Steve mentioned even longer time periods, no idea how they can manage that.
When I was a student however, I worked extra on the side and did shorter travels of 7-14 days.
I did something similar, way back in the day right before college, in the dark ages (the 80s). I earned it the old fashioned way - I worked for a few months toward the end of high-school, and saved up about 800$, then spent the summer going across europe. Yes - I used a lot of those guides about "europe on 5$ a day" things, but mostly so that I could splurge when I wanted to.
Planning ahead - it's not as hard as you might think.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Your lack of planning does not constitute an emergency on my part...unless you're my manager...or a director and above...or a really loud-spoken end-user..All right - what was my emergency again?
September 13, 2011 at 3:42 pm
In this day and age of businesses, anything that gets people exposure simply to the fact that things are done differently in different countries is a bonus. As someone who interviews regularly, if I am interviewing someone who has travelled, I can be assured that that person is aware of little things like the fact that not everyone uses the same date format, the same currency, the same language. They have learnt to deal with cultural differences and opinions. All great things to help you get along in the modern world of business and especially IT.
September 13, 2011 at 6:33 pm
Jeff Moden (9/13/2011)
I have to ask... where do students get the money to travel from Australia to Europe, spend a couple of weeks doing whatever they want, and then travel back to Australia?
Jeff, there are quite a few people here (I'm Australian) who are able to get visas to work in the UK courtesy of UK born parents or grandparents. They then use the UK as a base and travel around. When they run out of money they go back to the UK and work for a while. The Asia travel tends to happen either at the beginning or the end of such travel as that's when they have the most money. Oh, one of the things with some visas is the return ticket must already be paid for before you begin your travels and the tickets can cost us AU$3,000+ return for a trip to the UK. The gap year is really big here in Australia and a lot of people travel; it seems to be part of our culture to get out and explore the world.
Cheers,
Nicole Bowman
Nothing is forever.
September 13, 2011 at 9:00 pm
Given the choice between recruiting a person with experience traveling the world for a year and one without, all other things being equal, there's no contest. The former is likely to be more of a self-starter, better organised, and have a more outward-going and rounded personality.
I spent a little time traveling in USA once. There were actually lots of backpackers spending heaps of time there. Not sure whether this is still the case. Aussies, Brits, Germans and the rest in about equal proportions. What a blast!
The arrangement between UK and Aus used to be reciprocal. Don't know if they're still coming down under, what with AUD being worth more than USD these days (Woo-hoo/Yikes) but with unemployment here hovering at 5% or so, they sure ought to be.
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