It’s been a busy few days with the typical ups and downs of life. My social media account has been reminding me of how busy I was as a college student. I was SO nervous that I would get bad grades that I worked and studied like a crazy person (literally). While others went out and partied, I was in my room anxiously studying and hoping I’d be able to retain the information for the test. I started out majoring in biology but quickly realized that my science-less high school experience had not adequately prepared me for college. So, I went the path of the social sciences. Was I a giver upper?
Fast forward a few years later. I’m at the ripe old age of 22 and my workaholic self is anxiously searching for another pursuit so I decided to get a doctorate. I’m still on the fence as to whether it was worth it or not but at least I finished. I remember making the decision about whether I wanted to move again to go to school or if it was better to stay in the same place. I made my decision and chose against the process of getting an acceptance and a teaching assistant job in a (hopefully) good state school. It was a hard choice but I wanted to continue to get the hours I needed for my professional license. But was I a giver upper?
It’s interesting how there aren’t any do-overs in life. We all know stories of people who had a lot of potential but made poor choices and had unfavorable outcomes. Did these people give up on their dreams? Probably not; it’s just that other things interfered with the journey. I think giving up can be more of a state of mind than an action. It can be a philosophy that guides our decisions in a way that could be hindering to us. It’s the difference between do-ing and be-ing.
More recently, I changed career paths to see if there was a better work life balance available. However, the reality of it has not been as expected. I think there are just some things in life that we learn as we live. And while mistakes can be expensive, the lessons that you take from them can be priceless. Hopefully.
Have you ever thought about pursuing a profession that merges your desire to assist others with your fondness for traveling? Envision the chance to create a difference in corners of the globe while indulging in exciting escapades at the same time. This is the path that awaits you as a travel worker.
Let me set the scene for you. Picture yourself standing on a beach feeling the touch of crystal clear waves on your toes. Inhale the salty ocean breeze. Absorb the stunning vista before you. This isn’t a getaway; it’s part of your job. As a travel worker you have an opportunity to discover new places and immerse yourself in diverse cultures all while positively impacting peoples lives. Imagine waking up each day with a sense of purpose aware that today you hold the ability to transform someones life for the better. Whether its aiding underserved communities in accessing resources or offering assistance and direction to individuals your role as a travel social worker will leave a lasting imprint on those who require help.
But what exactly is international travel social work? International travel social work is an area of work that involves delivering services and assistance to individuals and communities in various locations. For the purposes of this article, I’ll call it travel social work. Travel social workers often take on roles in settings, like hospitals, schools or nonprofit organizations. Firstly you get to embark on thrilling adventures and immerse yourself in cultures. Moreover you can make a difference in the lives of communities and enhance your professional skills and expertise. The flexible nature of travel social work also allows you to maintain a work life balance.
Travel social work presents chances, for personal and professional development. Each task brings its set of challenges allowing you to enhance your skills gain an understanding of global issues and evolve into a more versatile and empathetic social worker with the expertise to address intricate societal concerns. If you are prepared to pursue a fulfilling career that enables you to explore the world make an impact, you should contemplate a career as a travel social worker. Are you excited about this once in a lifetime adventure?
The Exciting Journey Ahead Starting a career as a travel social worker unveils an array of exhilarating experiences and unforgettable escapades. Each assignment transforms into an opportunity for a journey. As a travel social worker you can venture into parts of the world while leaving a positive mark on peoples lives. Whether it involves working with communities, aiding refugees, or supporting groups, each assignment presents distinct challenges and gratifications.
“Engaging in social work while traveling offers a chance to break out of your comfort zone and test your limits. I expanded my perspectives in ways I never imagined.”. Sarah, Social Worker
Picture yourself trekking through forests helping families, in villages or offering assistance to individuals in bustling urban areas. An extraordinary adventure awaits as you navigate surroundings interact with communities and gain firsthand understanding of global issues impacting societies. With each place you visit you’ll have the chance to savor dishes explore historic landmarks and take part in unique cultural practices. Whether it’s witnessing a sunset on a shore or exploring temples the memories forged as a social worker on the move will endure forever.
Creating a Positive Influence Within the realm of travel social work, the opportunity to genuinely impact peoples lives exists. Engaging with populations and assisting those in need brings fulfillment. It is through our expertise and abilities that we can bring about changes in communities. As a travel social worker you hold the privilege of immersing yourself in various environments and connecting with individuals from all walks of life. Whether it involves supporting communities or offering guidance, your efforts hold the potential to spark positive transformations.
“The best way to discover yourself is by dedicating yourself to serving others.”. Mahatma Gandhi
Each day presents an opportunity for you to create an impact. Whether it entails aiding families in crisis, empowering individuals to conquer obstacles, or assisting communities in recovering from calamities, your commitment and skills have the power to change lives for the better. Through your work you will witness firsthand the resilience and fortitude of individuals grappling with challenges. Your steadfast support and direction can serve as a catalyst, for their growth and empowerment. By supporting with resources you can make an impact on individuals and communities and help them thrive.
Engaging in travel social work enables you to connect with people from cultures, backgrounds and life experiences. By bridging gaps and promoting understanding you contribute to building a compassionate society.
Personal Development As a travel social worker you have the opportunity to explore social work environments fostering significant personal growth and development. Each assignment brings forth challenges exposing you to populations and cultures that enhance your skills and broaden your professional expertise. Through working in various locations, you can gain insights into social issues and systems while strengthening your knowledge in areas like child welfare, mental health advocacy. Exposure to perspectives can enrich your understanding. Empower you to tackle complex societal challenges effectively.
Moreover travel social work provides opportunities for learning and professional advancement. Attending conferences, workshops or trainings across regions allows you to acquire knowledge while refining your skills. Travel social work has not only helped me grow personally, but has also increased my expertise as a social worker.
You can experience many benefits to making this decision. These include expanding your knowledge across social work environments, gaining an understanding of diverse populations and cultures, improving your skills in addressing complex social issues and accessing ongoing education. When comparing the advantages and disadvantages of growth in travel social work there are pros to consider. These include exposure to social work settings leading to enhanced skills and expertise, a knowledge base, and better comprehension of different societal challenges. On the other hand there are cons such as adjusting to environments, and spending time getting acquainted with local resources and systems.
Cultural competence development is another benefit that comes with Travel Social Work. This includes an improved ability to work with populations, understanding of cultural factors affecting individuals. However challenges may arise in adapting to norms or overcoming language barriers. Accessing continuing education is crucial for travel workers as it provides opportunities to attend conferences, workshops, trainings in locations while staying updated on cutting edge research and best practices. Yet this may require an investment in development along with time commitment for attending trainings.
The flexibility offered by being a travel social worker allows you to tailor your career according to your preferences. By selecting assignments in locations and settings aligned with your interests and goals you can enjoy the desired flexibility, in your profession.Having this level of independence enables you to establish a balance, between your work and personal life.
Picture yourself waking up in a city interacting with communities immersing yourself in new cultures and making a meaningful contribution. Alternatively you might prefer the serenity of working in an area surrounded by nature and close communities. Travel social work empowers you to choose assignments that align with your professional goals. Aside from selecting the location and environment travel social work also includes intervals between assignments. These breaks offer opportunities to explore destinations engage in self reflection or simply rejuvenate before embarking on your journey. It’s a time to pursue your love for travel and uncover horizons.
The adaptability of travel social work allows you to shape a career that suits your lifestyle and preferences. Whether you crave the excitement of life the tranquility of landscapes or the chance to discover various places this profession provides the versatility you seek. Embrace the liberty and boundless opportunities that accompany being a travel social worker. Revel in the satisfaction of making a difference while maintaining a work life equilibrium tailored to suit your needs.
Establishing an International Network Being a social worker who specializes in overseas work, you’ll encounter an advantage in creating a varied and extensive international network. As you work in locations you’ll have the opportunity to connect with peers and professionals, from cultural backgrounds. These connections can greatly influence your career and lead to future prospects. Through teamwork with professionals in social work environments you’ll gain perspectives and insights that can enhance your expertise. Sharing stories, obstacles and achievements with travel workers can create a support system and a feeling of unity that transcends boundaries.
Forming a network not broadens your professional relationships but also exposes you to different methods and approaches in social work. By learning from practitioners around the globe you’ll expand your knowledge of subtleties and diverse ways of addressing challenges. Developing a network as a travel social worker provides access to extensive knowledge, resources and experiences. It nurtures collaboration promotes learning and enhances sensitivity.
In Summary To sum up, embarking on a career path in travel social work offers advantages worth considering. Becoming a travel worker allows you to embark on adventures immersing yourself in diverse cultures and gaining new perspectives. In addition, to making an impact on peoples lives and communities you’ll see firsthand the effects of your efforts. This career path also offers many opportunities for professional development. As a travel social worker you have the freedom to select assignments that match your interests and aspirations enabling you to maintain a fulfilling work life balance. The range of experiences and exposure to social work environments will enrich your skills. Broaden your outlook. By embracing travel social work you can establish connections with professionals who share your passion for creating change on a global scale.
Like so many, I’ve been astonished at how fast this year is flying by. It’s already May and we are almost to the halfway point of this year. So yeah. There’s that. One thing I’ve been slacking on this year has been reading and I want to change that. There are so many books that I’ve been buying and hoping that I’ll get to but in realizing that it’s time to stop buying and start to catch up on this ever evolving and growing list of interesting books. They say that readers are leaders and I for one know that I’m more verbose and self aware if I’m reading about the experiences and perspectives of others. It’s been a valuable resource to my professional identity and growth. Which means that I absolutely have to be more consistent with it. Ideally, I’d like to have a good balance of reading for fun and reading for information. But I think I’ll have to start off with the reading for information. Moving forward I plan to start taking books on flights with me. It’s a dedicated space to learn and I’ll be less distracted with phone notifications. Considering the fact that I have a few cross country flights scheduled, I think it’ll be an easy way to start to catch up on reading. I’ll let you know how it goes.
My college experience had a lot of ups and downs. Most of them due to the fact that I didn’t know and had to figure out how to financially support myself. However, one of the best things about college was visiting my favorite chain sandwich spot Quizno’s. Fast forward 11 years later and I now live around the corner from one of the last Quizno’s locations. So recently I found myself down a rabbit hole trying to find out what happened any why so many restaurants have closed over the years. The story is actually pretty sad. Apparently, the first restaurant was started in Denver (used to live there too) and then it grew and became a franchise opportunity. At the time, there was a unique take on the market because the sandwiches are toasted. It was something that had not been done before. This was also combined with sandwiches that bordered more on the gourmet side. They had it on lock for a good minute. However, apparently no one has a monopoly on a toaster and once Subway started offering toasted sandwiches without an extra cost and those infamous “5 dollar footlong” commercials. The financial troubles continued with the company going into massive amounts of debts and having a slew of unhappy franchise owners who were barely able to turn a profit. Apparently, the ingredients for the sandwiches were more expensive than most and the Quizno’s parent company also had a contract with the food company so they profited from selling franchise locations the equipment and ingredients. All this came to a dreadful head when a franchise owner decided to (very tragically) take his life due to his financial situation and the fact that the company allowed another franchise to open up close to his existing store. A recipe for failure. The company continued to tank and hundreds of stores started to close because the franchise owners couldn’t become profitable. Fast forward to the present where Quiznos is hanging on by a thread and most stores have closed. They needed a different strategy and unfortunately it was too late to pivot. So the next time you eat a toasted sandwich, think of the chain that made it happen.
Today makes 10 years since I finished my graduate school education. I remember how excited and optimistic I was for the future. I had gone straight from college into graduate school and even though my program was only a year long, it represented a major change. For the first time in my life I lived in a place where I didn’t know anyone and I couldn’t drive to my parents house on a whim. I had to adjust to living alone and creating my own community. The experience set the tone for my professional specialties of relationship therapy, religious trauma and career planning. I knew even then that I wanted to keep on learning and grow as a therapist. Ten years later I can say that I’m a lot more comfortable talking to clients and providing them with some value for their time and resources. I still enjoy helping people and finding solutions. Regardless of where my career goes next, I know I have a good foundation and a better sense of who I am—both personally and professionally.
It’s officially been two years since I started working out consistently and I finally see a difference. It’s been a journey of ups and downs and while the journey continues, I’ve finally established a habit. Working out every day and lifting weights has made me so much more mindful of what I eat. I’ve started to read more labels and identify the foods that give me the best results. Prioritizing sleep and being more balanced has helped a lot. I’m looking forward to more success in the future. It’s almost time to do some shopping for a new wardrobe.
Writing has always been an interest of mine and recently I was able to write an article that was published. It’s hard to be objective on your own work but I hope that the information is helpful. You can read my article here.
I’ve come to appreciate those lightbulb moments that make you pause and contemplate your life. Recently, after two weekends of work I decided that I needed to get away for a bit and go on a road trip. It wasn’t really planned but I knew that I wanted a change of scenery and that I didn’t want to drive too far away. I drove to the next state over and found myself at my alma mater. I guess I should give the background story. My college experience was the first time that I had ever lived away from home. Outside of staying with my grandmother for a few nights, I had not been allowed to spend the night anywhere else. I packed way too much stuff and had to send most of it home. I was incredibly studious and was hyper-focused on making sure that the balance of my school bill was paid. I took a lot of classes and worked several jobs so that I would finish my degree as soon as possible. I lived in the library and sang in the choir. I knew a lot of people but was never invited to a party or asked out on a date. It was so nostalgic to walk back on campus eight years later with three additional degrees and years of professional practice. I had the opportunity to speak to students in the same classroom that I was taught in and it felt incredibly weird but full circle to be introduced by the title of “Doctor.” I was reminded of the fact that I’ve learned so much over the years and as a result my worldview has shifted a bit. There’s nothing like being reminded of where you came from and I think that acknowledging the past can be a way to give ourselves permission to create a future that we want.
This morning I was reminded of the fact that today marks a year since I defended my dissertation. It was one of the most nerve wracking experiences of my life and it was one that I didn’t really prepare for. You heard that right. I started practicing what I would say about two hours before it happened. I did horrible on the practice tries and my voice was shaking because I was so nervous. Afterwards, I just sat with a glass of my favorite wine and waited until I saw the email that confirmed I had passed. It was an incredible feeling. I wrote around a year ago that what I wanted to have a more permanent home base and that I wanted to seriously consider settling down. I moved several times and finally settled down and started working in my field. I started three new jobs and had an entire life overhaul. I’m a bit closer to believing that finishing the degree was worth it in the long run. I would still be paying back the loans regardless of whether I finished or not. I’ve traveled to several countries and decided to work a more flexible schedule. It’s been a roller coaster with a lot of changes. I’m still writing a lot but most of it is in response to my students and the traveling bug continues to bite me. I’m curious to know what the next year will bring.
Alisha's Angle 