The headline may strike you as slightly ridiculous on first glance as how much sunshine do we really get in Leicester but as a place it really does brighten up my day.
The headline may strike you as slightly ridiculous on first glance as how much sunshine do we really get in Leicester but as a place it really does brighten up my day. I’m from the South East and am not much used to city life but it’s certainly the most enigmatic and appealing city I’ve ever been too (the hustle and bustle of London is not my thing) and I’ve had the pleasure of living in it for three years.
However, I recently had the chance to leave behind the UK and spend a year abroad either in Europe or the USA as part of my English and American Studies degree. I know people who have gone to Virginia, Colorado, Miami and also areas of Germany and France as part of their degree. But I chose to turn down this opportunity and persist with my three year course as opposed to transferring to a four year degree with a year abroad.
You think I’m crazy? Of course you do. I’ve missed the chance to experience wild parties, sun, beaches, and an amazing music scene to keep the gloomier, yet still attractive, horizons of the East Midlands on my radar. And why?
Well I don’t really like change and of course there would be the natural homesickness aspect but more than anything it was the fact that I was unsure as to the ultimate impact it would have on my degree. By staying in this country I can concentrate on my studies and persist with my almost certain career path of journalism.
Employers would undoubtedly recognise the year in a foreign country and within journalism I’m sure widespread knowledge and experience would prove helpful but would it be that much more influential in an employer’s decision to employ you? Had I chosen to go abroad it would have been to a European destination as I feel this would have been the best way to drastically improve my skills yet my immediate future lies in this country.
If I had gone abroad it would have delayed my path into work by a year and that is a long time in the real world, as who knows when the economy will implode again sending us back to the Stone Age.
However I am not writing this to deter any prospective foreign goers as it will be an experience like no other. I was worried it would be just that. I didn’t want to be overtaken by curiosity and think ‘ah … another year where I don’t have to contemplate life beyond University’. The lure of such a prospect is undeniable and I didn’t want to be drawn into something as such when I have to be enticed by what is truly set out before me. That’s just me though. I would only say think about what you can take from your year abroad and how it can be beneficial to you in what you want to do. Don’t use it as filler.
