How we value the traveling experience

As I am preparing for my graduation, I have been revising my CV, and yesterday I was struck by a memory. I was sitting in a hostel conference room in Jerusalem, nervously excited for an interview for an unpaid internship that I thought would propel me into a new field. The interviewer was working remotely, and showed up basically in house clothes with unbrushed hair. She then proceeded to comment on how my CV showed a lack of stability and commitment, and she was unsure if I could really be committed to this full-time, unpaid internship.

I was polite, and made a case for why, in fact, I would be an asset to their company (again, working full-time for nothing but “experience”). And without hesitation, immediately after ending the interview, I drafted an incredibly polite email to the interviewer thanking her for her time, and removing myself from consideration for the position.

Nothing about that interview had sat right with me. I felt attacked regarding my choices that had led me across the world from Italy to Thailand to Morocco independently and with success. I had navigated cultural nuance, adapted to quickly changing situations and overcome bumps in the road. I had made friends and strengthened relationships all over the world. I had managed in places where I couldn’t read the street signs let alone the menus. I was persistent, determined, and organized. Weren’t these the type of skills that were valuable in the workplace?

I quickly forgot about this interview and moved on with my life, moving to the Netherlands and then finally to Sicily. It wasn’t until I had my next professional interview that I realized just how jaded the perspective of the first interviewer was. My second interviewer - a woman who would then become my boss, my mentor, and my friend - expressed so much appreciation for my experiences, and for what skills I had gained in them and that I could bring to the team. I was overjoyed, and genuinely so proud to share what I learned from these experiences. I was so proud to remember all of the challenges I had overcome to get to this place, and to have such a rich portfolio of experiences to look back on.

That first interviewer told me that it seemed like I couldn’t “stick with” things - I “bounced around” too much. This hurt me. I was listening to someone else’s opinion instead of my own heart, which told me that I had made the right decisions. I had seen so much of the world because I “bounced around.” How lucky am I, to have had so many beautiful experiences across the world with so many beautiful people! But I knew what this person did not: that I had made the right choices - to stay in one place as long as I was meant to, and then go on - to the next adventure, the next challenge, the next unknown. What skill set does this sound like to you? Someone who isn’t afraid to take chances, perhaps? Someone who is willing to learn something new? Since when did this become something to shun?

If someone is not valuing your travel experience, then in my opinion, you are speaking to the wrong people. There is so much value in traveling, but even more value in living. It takes nerve to take the path less followed - it also takes planning and responsibility for one’s own life. And there are good mentors and leaders who understand and appreciate these experiences for the value they add both to your personal and professional life.

A few years earlier I had been on a beach in southern Morocco, speaking with a friend. I had seen photos on social media that many of my former college classmates were graduating from law school. We had gone through four years of university together, and like them I studied for and took the LSATs. But when I got my results back - average, good enough to apply to law school - I promptly put the envelope in a drawer and never gave it a second thought until I showed up at graduation. My classmates told me about their future law school plans, and I realized it had completely slipped my mind to apply. I was telling my friend - “But I could have been finished with law school by now!” And she replied to me saying, “Look at where you are right now, and where you have been, would you rather have been sitting in a law school library for three years?”

The answer, of course, was no. Law school was not the right fit for me, and clearly I had no calling towards it. I took the LSAT because that was what everyone else was doing. But when it came down to taking the the next step, I was instead drawn to traveling and to seeking opportunities that could take me abroad to discover something new. About this, I have no regrets. Traveling has opened my eyes to so much in the world, and to where my passions truly lie. Sometimes we don’t know where we are going until we get there.

You have to shut some doors in order to open the right ones that are waiting down the line. Because I removed myself from an opportunity that would not have served me well, I found an incredible opportunity doing meaningful work. I found a mentor who has guided me and helped me to appreciate my experiences as they relate to my life - both in the workplace and outside of it. Because while work is important and necessary to pay our bills, it is certainly not everything. It is certainly not why we were put on this earth. We were put on this earth to fulfill our dreams, and hopefully leave things better than when we got here. This is, at least, how I see it, and what I hope to do - through my life, through the people I come across, and yes, also through my work. Because if I am going to be dedicating a large share of my time to a cause, I want to make it count.