When art history student JoAnna Cordell walked down the vibrant, art-filled streets of Mexico City, she witnessed art being seamlessly integrated into everyday life. The accessibility to the art she saw in Mexico inspired her. Having recently graduated from CU Denver, JoAnna aspires to develop inclusive programming for children that fosters curiosity with art and—mostly importantly—makes it fun.

Studying Abroad Can Help You Figure Out Your Career Path

Studying abroad gives students perspective on their field of study beyond the four walls of their classrooms and outside of the required reading. Many students return from trips with a greater clarity around where they’d like their career to go, and what they need to study to get there.

Recent graduate Emelia Stahl was on a study abroad trip to Prague, led by College of Arts & Media (CAM) Professor Sam McGuire, when she realized that while she enjoys performing music, she is also really interested in artist management. “I learned so much about the importance of music in other cultures and had the opportunity to perform a lot, but the study abroad also made me realize that my passion was more in helping artists rather than being the artist myself,” Emelia says.

Emelia acted on this revelation when she got back to Denver by starting an artist management company, which currently serves four CU Denver student musicians as clients. She was also one of the founding members of the university’s first student-run radio station. Lynx Radio has since blossomed into a platform for emerging artists to showcase their music while also providing listeners with new artists to discover.

Studying abroad doesn’t always mean traveling internationally. During his time at CU Denver, Jonas Gilbert, a recent CAM graduate who studied recording arts, traveled to California to attend the National Association of Music Merchants’ (NAMM) annual conference. “This opportunity opened my eyes to a ton of new career paths in my industry and inspired me to continue pursuing recording arts with a newfound vigor and professionalism,” Jonas explained.

Other Benefits of Studying Abroad

According to research done by the Consortium for Analysis of Student Success through International Education, students who study abroad have higher 6- and 4- year graduation rates, and higher GPA at graduation compared to students who do not study abroad.

The research also indicates studying abroad gives job seekers an edge over candidates who did not study abroad, and sometimes that advantage is significant. JoAnna says one of the best parts of her trip to Mexico City was the networking and professional development opportunities she encountered. The trip was arranged by the Biennial of the Americas, a group working to integrate arts into community-driven initiatives in Denver. “In addition to connecting with professionals in the art world, I had the opportunity to meet a diverse range of individuals through the Biennial of the Americas…These interactions opened doors for potential future collaborations, internships, and research opportunities,” Joanna said.

As globalization continues to shape the job market, employers often look for candidates who have experience in other cultures. Demonstrating you are flexible and able to navigate a different culture may set you apart in a candidate pool.

Finally, studying abroad is an engaging way to earn credits while learning about your field of study. Expanding your perspective on the world by observing the way other cultures live has advantages for you as a person and a professional.