Well, for six months anyway starting late next month. Probably. Writing this post is going to be just as awkward as it has been explaining this to people in person for the last month now. So, here’s the deal.
On or around September 23, I’ll be beginning my third and final co-op (our word for internship) through Drexel. Following the advice of my co-op advisor, this time I’ll be doing an international co-op in Australia. Why Australia? It was the country and program for my major that didn’t have a language requirement (the alternative required knowing German, which I don’t.) So where in Australia will I be and what will I be doing? Well… about that.
I don’t know. What is set in stone is that I’ve both been accepted to and have committed to the program, which is run by a third-party company, Australian Internships, that Drexel partners with. In a nutshell, the way it works is I send them my resume, a cover letter, and what I’m interested in doing. They then go and look for a job for me. So far, I’ve interviewed with one company that I’m now waiting to hear back from. I can’t say who at this time, but it’s one I was already familiar with and is pretty well-respected, which when there’s a lot of uncertainty involved in this program, was quite a relief. But again, it’s not set in stone.
So, is there anywhere in particular that I would like to be in Australia? Not really. To be honest, I know pretty much nothing about the country, so I’m definitely expecting some culture shock when I do get there. I have learned so far that there’s a 14-hour time difference and they seem to do things a lot like how Britain does (not that I know that much about Britain either…)
So why the hell would I take such a risk then? First off, yes, this is going to be one expensive leap of faith, enough so that Drexel’s given me a scholarship to do so (no, I can’t disclose the amount), but sometimes you just have to take one. I’m hoping that this will be a good opportunity to expand my skills and [obviously] get exposure to the IT field outside of the US. I’ve already had a few people call me nuts for doing this, and maybe I am. We’ll see after the six months are over.
