s/o moving abroad, what about job that allows travel/international travel

[elegantlion]

As I'm trying to decide what to be when I grow up, what fields are more likely to require travel or international travel? This is mostly wishful thinking right now because I'm now 46 and have no degree. Even if I get a degree, I'd be over 50, and who hires 50+ entry level employees? Anyone?

 

The medical industry isn't an option, I don't want to teach, and English is the only language I speak proficiently. I also can't move permanently from the area due to aging parents.

 

Is an International Business degree worth anything? IT degree? If your child had a desire to travel the world (or one central area) and wanted to do that while getting paid, what would you recommend they study?

[Karen in CO]

My ds is teaching English in Japan right now. His long-term plans involve becoming a foreign service officer. His girlfriend is an artist who is teaching English and art in Japan. He has friends that have gone into Japanese television, started working for multi-national corporations, joined the Peace Corp., become journalists, and simply continued to wait tables.

 

My post-kid dream job would be selling Red Stripe beer on a beach in the Caribbean or running a sailboat charter. My sister wants to have a dive shop in the Caribbean. We both currently have careers in technical fields which allow travel to both domestic and foreign offices, but we've worked in our fields for decades.

[TravelingChris]

Some types of engineering.

[elegantlion]

A little hut on the beach sounds fantastic. Like right now fantastic, I still have the heat on.

[elegantlion]

Some types of engineering.

 

Thanks, ds has recently expressed some interest in engineering. He wants to live abroad.

[Tammi K]

Engineering or math...lots of opportunity for travel abroad both for short term trips and extended employment (says the woman who has given birth on three continents and finally reached a point where her six kids have now actually lived more of their lives in the US than out of it.)

[Swimtaxi234]

My girlfriend's husband does IT work (computers, but not sure what he does) and since she homeschools their children, they all travel with him internationally. They live 4-6 months in one country, move to the next, rotate to the US, then back. Regardless of where they are living at the moment, he is connected with his company via the internet. Sweet life and sweet money!

[Tita Gidge]

It's not a glamorous or well-paid job, but you could always become a flight attendant :)

 

The airline my sister flies for is hiring, and everyone will soon be dual-qualified to work both domestic and international trips.

 

Bonus, no degree necessary and life experience counts for something. There are plenty of 50+ new-hires in that job.

 

It's what I'd suggest (any airline job with flight benefits and flex-scheduling, really) for someone desiring to travel while being paid.

 

As an aside, my sister has taken several semesters off without penalty under an Educational Leave. She has advanced degrees, and initially expected to leave the airline once she earned her PhD but decided the lifestyle was too good to abandon. The job she would have left it for did require travel, but was much less flexible in terms of scheduling. She'd warn that you don't always get to see much of the world while on the clock, but with flexible scheduling you can take a span of days off in which to travel (if you're not tired of seeing the inside of an airplane and the airport, that is!) So you could conceivably do both!

 

She and my daughter are going to Florence at the end of the month. They're both art buffs, and a year ago started a tradition of taking two art-related trips each year. She worked her schedule so that is was heavy at the beginning of the month, and they'll have two weeks of travel and touring at the end of the month. She says it's getting harder since flights are more full, but that it's still do-able enough that she stays at the job. She says that if she didn't use her flight benefits to the extent that she does, the job wouldn't be worth it to her.

[elegantlion]

It's not a glamorous or well-paid job, but you could always become a flight attendant :)

 

 

 

 

I would consider that, but while I love to fly I have extreme motion sickness. I have to practically knock myself out to fly normally. I'd be a lousy flight attendant. We live near a major airport, but not close enough to drive in everyday. I grew up with a lot of kids that had parents working for the airlines, they were always going places.

[BarbecueMom]

I know of someone who works from home placing international students with host families during their exchange program. There's occasional travel to other countries, giving presentations and orientations to the students before they leave their home country. Sorry, I don't know the name of the company and I no longer have contact with this person (was married into the family, now divorced), but I'll see what I can find out.

 

In addition to the travel, they also hosted students in their own home frequently for weeks or months. I thought it was a cool job.

[Incognito]

Teaching English as a Second Language is a degree to look into. You could use that in many places, your age would not be a detriment, It could be shorter or longer term, depending on how your aging family is doing.

[Aspasia]

Lots of positions in federal government!

 

I have lots of friends whose dh's work for the State Department, some as foreign service officers (which is incredibly competitive) and one as a diplomatic security agent (kind of like Secret Service for diplomats). They get to live all over the world, usually 2-3 years in each place.

 

I have a friend whose husband has an MBA and they moved to Australia just because they wanted to go abroad and that's the job he found.

 

My dh works for the Treasury Department and travels abroad a lot. He gets to go mainly to Europe, sometimes to the Middle East. His degree is in political science, but most of his coworkers have law degrees or a masters in international relations. In his particular job, a degree in economics or finance would also be beneficial. He's a policy advisor, so high-level officials (the under secretary, for example) take him along to meet with foreign governments. He has had tea with the head of MI6, met the German chancellor, been inside the Palazzo di Viminale in Rome. It's cool!

[Dandelion]

I worked for a global tech company and had opportunities to travel (my position was non-technical - I have an MBA).

 

What fields are you interested in? Ultimately, I think it's better to hone in on your "best fit" job/career-wise first, and then figure out how to get to the location you're interested in, or how to translate that job into one with travel opportunities.

 

My long-term vision (for when the kids are grown) is to organize retreats for women in beautiful locations around the world (Tuscany, the French Riviera, etc.). These retreats will include workshops on different topics (wellness, figuring out the next stage of your life, etc.), spa treatments, as well as lots of time for sightseeing and relaxing. If you'd like in on this opportunity, talk to me in about 10 years and I'll hook you up. :D

[Susan in TN]

Oil

[elegantlion]

 

 

What fields are you interested in? Ultimately, I think it's better to hone in on your "best fit" job/career-wise first, and then figure out how to get to the location you're interested in, or how to translate that job into one with travel opportunities.

 

This is what I really need to explore. My personality is more Lonely Planet or Nat Geo, but my job experience has been a variety of totally different things. My real dream degree would be in archaeology, but that's not feasible in our area. I'll have to look into anthropology, cultural history, even linguistics.

 

I have a friend in South Africa who is into IT. If I get serious, I'll contact him as well.

[Dandelion]

[/size]

 

This is what I really need to explore. My personality is more Lonely Planet or Nat Geo, but my job experience has been a variety of totally different things. My real dream degree would be in archaeology, but that's not feasible in our area. I'll have to look into anthropology, cultural history, even linguistics.

 

I have a friend in South Africa who is into IT. If I get serious, I'll contact him as well.

 

If an archaeology degree is not feasible in your area, what about getting your prerequisites out of the way at a local college with the intent of transferring to the college of your choice in a few years when your DS is off on his own? Would moving be an option for you at that point? If yes, you could check with the colleges that offer the archaeology degree you're interested in to make sure they accept transfer credits (and which ones) and then slowly get your pre-reqs out of the way at a local college until you're in a position to move.

 

It sounds like anthropology, cultural history, and linguistics are interesting to you - but archaeology is your dream. Go for your dream. :) It will take you just as long to get a degree in one of the other majors. You might as well get the degree - and build the future - you really want!

 

ETA: just reread your OP and caught the part about not moving due to aging parents. Guess that complicates things.

[jennynd]

Service/ field engineer. I work in energy industry making gas turbine/steam turbine/generator for power companies all over the world. Service/field engineer got to travel all the time

[MtnTeaching]

I was a flight attendant, but you said that was out.

 

How about Rick Steve's job? That's the job I want! Getting paid to show people around Europe. Exploring little out-of-the way gems along with exploring the incredible history and food. That would be the life for me if I could be anything I wanted to be when I grew up. :D

[Arcadia]

When I was working, I travelled the most for the technical marketing part of my job. Most technical marketeers I met have Bachelors/Masters in Engineering and MBA.

[lmrich]

A nanny.