Although many people aspire to a life abroad, there are also many who want to return “home”, because they feel their heart and professional opportunities here.
For some of them, the experience of emigrating involves answering the question – jobs abroad or a career at home?
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“I’ll tell you how I decided that my place is in Romania, that this is where I want and can have a career, after initially choosing the experience of studying abroad, namely “Human Resources Management” at the University of Bedfordshire in the UK.
How did this story start? (working abroad vs working at home)
It all started from my own desire which then took more and more shape after discussions with those close to me; I had finished the faculty of philosophy and I wanted to continue my master studies also in the humanities, but in a field that would resonate more with the demands of the labor market.
I made the choice to go abroad (both for my master’s degree and for jobs abroad) after I found out that there are full time master’s programs, which means a year of intense study, without too many vacations, after which you graduate and can get a master’s degree in the chosen field of study. Moreover, a new experience abroad was another challenge for me, this time much bigger than the ones I had during my Erasmus mobility.
Now I was a master’s student on my own, without the support of any university center in Romania, which had the same rights and obligations as all other students enrolled in the educational institution. After receiving the student card and completing all the formalities, I was on the heights of happiness, I was face to face with the result of my desire, which now became reality.
The start of a new journey
Once I started the course I lost some of this happiness. Being a master’s program, the expectations of the professors were very high, and the individual study time was three times as much as the class time. Everything was very fast-paced and at a higher level than anything I had encountered in previous university experiences. Each course lasted for six weeks, during which time I had to actively participate in the lectures, read the materials and, in addition, search for new information for the two papers that had to be handed in at the end of each course.
In addition to these basic activities, we are part of a student association – Enactus, I was doing an internship in HR for a company and other extracurricular activities. All these activities developed my ability to plan my time efficiently, to be more organized and responsible.
Most of the teachers, as well as the colleagues, came from different backgrounds and cultures, but these differences are not just the visible ones such as language, traditions, culinary habits, the big differences are beyond this part of the immediate visible. What helped me to overcome these differences and succeed in creating lasting friendships was the fact that I took into account everyone’s personality and not the background, which puts its mark on us, molding us culturally.
Graduation moment
Absolvireee…..!!!
When I say summer, I immediately make the association with vacation, a big one, which recharges me with energy and vitality. Being a full time master, this vacation that I look forward to every year has materialized in many hours spent in the library, looking for information for the dissertation that had to be handed in early September.
It hasn’t been easy, but all this effort has given me a very nice feeling of fulfillment. Graduation day was more than a ceremony, it was the moment when I knew I had succeeded, I had successfully completed my studies, all the sacrifices were rewarded.
Work abroad or career at home? A difficult decision
After graduation I wanted a career in consulting and felt the inequalities in building one in a reasonable time frame from the experience of other colleagues of mine and knew that the real choice would be between jobs abroad or a career at home, and I wanted professional growth.
I was living in such a multicultural environment that sometimes I got lost in the crowd and didn’t know where I was going, but the most persistent feeling was that of accepting a job abroad for years without much chance of career advancement, examples of this kind being very numerous. So I listened to my heart, my best adviser, and after a thorough analysis I decided to return to Romania, to find my own purpose in my own country.
Returning home. A new challenge
Here I lived a new “emigration”, this time in my own country, because I changed my residence from Gorj to Bucharest. There followed a period of job hunting, which is in itself a full time job, taking into account that in Romania finding a job that suits your aspirations, especially when you have no experience, is not an easy task. Attending different job fairs, interviews, tests and more interviews can bring you new daily challenges.
Emerging opportunities
It was a period of uncertainty, but I didn’t lose hope. I really wanted to work in human resources consulting or recruitment and after an interview, I got an internship offer in Fox Expert, which offers creative solutions and integrated services in recruitment, personnel administration, payroll services, consulting, functioning as an outsourced HR department for companies.
I gladly accepted the offer and started to get to know the world of HR, especially recruitment, now finding myself on the other side, on the side of those who evaluate candidates. Being a recruiter is dynamic, challenging, interesting and complex. Working in recruitment involves responsibility, tenacity, self-control, effective communication, impartiality, observation, trustworthiness, reliability and ethics in dealing with people.
I felt that I had a lot to learn from the professionals who offered me not only the learning experience, but also a team where I felt “at home”.
After a few months of internship in recruitment I had another opportunity to find a permanent job in the field and today I am part of the HR team of a multinational company.
I fully feel that it was a more than smart choice to go into the field of human resources and I am glad that between jobs abroad or a career at home I chose after my studies to come back for a career in ROMANIA.”
Another interesting article of ours – The Most Wanted Jobs: Guide to choosing your career.