One of the things I find fascinating about living in Buenos Aires is how expats choose to make a living. Of course, plenty of English-speaking expats do the English teacher thing, but the truth is that just because you speak English doesn’t mean you’ll be a good teacher. For many, that option lasts just a few weeks or months. (Others, like my daughter, truly love it, have a great background in linguistics and can make decent money teaching private students. She has several doctors, business owners, a military guy doing a report on GPS systems, and even a mafia-type guy with a gold necklace, minions and a toy shop which is just a front for other activities that make him millions–or so he says. Interesting stuff.)

One of the common jobs for new expats here in Buenos Aires is working in the burgeoning outsourcing market. Americans don’t always lose jobs to outsourcing. Sometimes, they are the recipients of those outsourced jobs. And though it’s not likely that they’ll make a ton of money, they can make enough to fund their lifestyle abroad.

There are a few call centers here handling everything from tech support to health insurance claims for American companies, and they hire both locals and expats who speak English. Another company here hires native English speakers as quality assurance people for their medical transcription company. U.S. doctors record their patients’ symptoms and treatment details, send these recordings each evening down here, and Indian workers transcribe these. Then, the expats here in BA check for accuracy between the recordings and the written version and send these back to the doctors in the States by morning.

One of the most interesting outsourcing jobs I’ve heard about lately is one for virtual dating assistants. An American-owned company hires Americans here to assist their clients in the U.S. who want help handling their online dating process, from screening and matching to setting up actual dates.

There are plenty of freelance writers here finding all kinds of ways to bring in a little money on the side. Some use American websites that outsource writing projects. One site pays writers $15 per 250-word article and allows them to select from a wide range of topics for online clients. That wouldn’t pay the bills in the States, but here, a part-time writer (especially a quick one) can make several hundred dollars each month–enough to cover rent.

Of course, there are “real” rather than virtual jobs here as well, but most expats have come here to escape their old way of life. They’re seeking more flexibility and looking for ways to learn new skills that can allow them to live comfortably wherever they may choose to go. If you’re creative, willing to try new things, and okay with living a not-at-all-lavish lifestyle, Buenos Aires can be a great place to ride out the recession while gaining language skills and learning about a different culture.

Who knows? You might even get inspired to start an outsourcing company of your own.

Recent research supports what exchange students and expats have known for years: living abroad stimulates creativity.

This video summarizes the study, but here are the high points:

1) spending time abroad stimulates creative problem-solving skills

2) it does not appear to be simply a matter of creative people being more likely to live abroad

3) short-term travel doesn’t count–it’s really about spending significant periods of time immersed in another culture

4) “significant” may vary–for those who are truly immersed, there may be more benefits than for those who remain in a cultural bubble for a longer period

5) it’s possible to have a cultural immersion experience in your home country if you happen to have a community in which you can connect deeply

6) the earlier you go abroad, the more you are likely to be affected by and benefit from the experience

As I put it in The New Global Student: Go early, go solo, go long, go deep. In my next book, I’m looking at how moving abroad stimulates creativity and writing about what happens when new expats rediscover their talents and possibilities abroad.

You can bet that employers are paying attention to this study and that they’ll be looking for employees who have spent time abroad–and looking for ways to ensure that their current employees have more opportunities to spend time abroad as well.

I feel frustrated that so many recent college grads are having a hard time finding a job. In all the articles and discussions about the economic slump, I have never seen a reference to what I believe is the biggest problem facing the young unemployed:

Nobody told them that they might have to look outside their community, their state or even their country to find work–and nobody taught them the skills they need to thrive outside their comfort zone.

I’ve had some interesting conversations with bright but unemployed grads lately. What I have noticed is that many of these young people have a very limited idea of what it means to “look for a job” and few go beyond the obvious Help Wanted/Craigslist route or the see-if-Dad’s-company-is-hiring idea. Even more challenging is the fact that many new grads are unwilling or unable to consider work outside the community in which their parents live. They are home with the folks and looking for work within a 25-mile radius of where they went to high school.

This might be fine if you happen to have a degree and experience that corresponds with a sizable selection of desirable jobs available in your home town, but that’s rarely the case. And those who feel restricted due to a lack of launch funds can’t see themselves looking much farther than the next town over.

So when I hear someone say, “I’ve been looking everywhere but I haven’t been able to find a job,” the first question I ask is this: where is “everywhere”?

Plenty of people roll their eyes whenever the subject of “preparing students for the global economy” comes up, but they are the ones most likely to cry foul when their kids can’t find a job. And there’s the rub: Hometown, USA is not the final frontier for our kids and we are not doing them any favors by failing to teach them how to fish outside the local fishing hole.

New grads need to recognize–and yes, be prepared for–the fact that they might find their most thrilling and fulfilling opportunities far from home. Do they have the skills to successfully navigate in a place that is unfamiliar to them? Can they start fresh in a new city or state or country without their family and friends nearby? Are they able to adapt to new settings that require a different perspective or perhaps even a different language?

In most cases, the answer is no. Not only have they not been given an opportunity to practice autonomy, they have not had a chance to develop and strengthen the skills they need to find employment options and pursue them wholeheartedly.

Those who ARE prepared are finding all kinds of interesting work in every corner of the globe. Every week, I hear from elated parents about their son or daughter who is embarking on an adventure in another country that is both fascinating and lucrative.

I’ve done the happy dance myself for my own daughters. The oldest just finished her master’s degree, two graduated from college last December and the youngest will graduate from college this December. The three older daughters are currently working in New York, Buenos Aires and on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean. They found jobs with enticing perks (an employer-paid master’s degree, the ability to work virtually, employer-provided training and travel expenses, etc.) in places that interest them.

Did my girls have degrees from elite universities? Nope. None of them attended any colleges that would evoke oohs and ahhs. But they had experience living in other cultures and fluency in at least one foreign language. And I’m not talking Mandarin or Arabic here–they blasted ahead largely because of their fluency in that most underrated of foreign languages: Spanish.

Granted, not every college grad is ready to go abroad to work, but many more would be if they’d been prepared for the realities of (here it is again) the global economy. And those who are sticking close to home may find that the recession limits their options far longer than they would have imagined.

Listen, I’m not saying every new grad should leave the country to find work, but it’s true that those who have a larger pool of options have a much higher chance of getting a great job. Having the skills and experience that allow them to reach beyond their peers means they are no longer competing with them for the same jobs. By engaging in work that challenges them (rather than settling for whatever they can find), they are advancing their knowledge and expanding their possibilities for the future.

Recession? Those who are willing and able to find work wherever the jobs may be are not hampered by an economic downturn. Grads who have spent time abroad, developed language skills, experienced other cultures and discovered their interests have the confidence and competence to go forth and offer their talents to those who need them. And the truly bold and innovative ones figure out how to create their own work–and generate their own income–anywhere.

Don’t believe it? Living in Argentina has given me a front-row seat from which to watch expats in action abroad. I’m currently writing a book about Americans of all ages and backgrounds who are finding and/or creating meaningful work they love wherever they choose to live. They share some common characteristics–and some that are surprising.

When it comes to job hunting, the strategy that yields the best results is to think broadly and be bold. Sometimes that also includes going beyond borders, both real and imagined.

Some of my earliest memories are of playing in the vegetable garden. I remember eating handfuls of parsley, drinking the first sun-warmed spurt of water from the garden hose, watching for the radishes (always the radishes) to be the first seeds to sprout. There were beans to pick (and bean tents to hide inside), stalks of corn to wander through, and cherry tomatoes to pop into my mouth.

From the time I was ten, my family lived on a ten-acre piece of mostly wooded property three miles by gravel road outside a town of 350 people. In our acre-plus garden, we grew the usual range of vegetables, herbs and fruits, but played with new crops each year, from peanuts to currants. I could tell the difference between the various pepper starts and developed an educated palate that could easily distinguish between the flavors of a Hood strawberry versus a Shuksan or Northwest. I worked in the fields in my agricultural town all summer long–strawberries, beans, cucumbers, onions–and helped the farmers harvest the prunes, walnuts, and apples in the fall.

Being a farm kid came naturally to me, and when I wasn’t in the garden, I was in the woods. I taught kids at camp how to recognize the star-shaped tip of the salal berry (edible) and sample the delicious nectar obtained by scraping the root of the licorice fern. I knew my cones and mosses, and a high school field biology class (and a summer hoeing the weeds in vast onion fields) taught me about the native plants in the area and how to make a salad from purslane and dandelion greens.

During college, I spent a year traveling through Asia. I was drawn to the produce markets and the rice paddies and felt a kinship with the bent-over women in the fields. In Nepal, I studied the flora and fauna of the Himalayas, and stayed with a talented gardener on the seashore in Cornwall during the final month of my trip. She introduced me to climbing roses and perennials of all kinds.

After college, I moved to northern rural Japan where I taught English for several years. I lived in a small community facing the bay, and loved spending weekends exploring the meadows and forests in the area. My next-door neighbor had a huge garden in which she grew things new to me–soybeans and even mushrooms on a long row of wooden tree branches. We shared tips and I learned about the delicious wild mountain vegetables that were such a delicacy and the trees that turned the hillsides scarlet in the fall.

My next stage of life gave me a wonderful opportunity to live in a small Oregon town while raising four young daughters. My husband and I lived five blocks from Main Street, where we owned a couple of small retail businesses. My girls grew up knowing all the shopkeepers by name, and spent many happy afternoons playing in the room behind the store, going to buy candy three doors down and hanging out at the used bookstore up the street. We played a key role in the community, and my daughters understood the benefits of living in a place in which it was possible to work together in order to create a fun neighborhood event or raise money for a worthy cause right in their town. I became obsessed with gardening, seeking out the most obscure perennials and digging up swaths of lawn to plant new beds full of flowering shrubs and my favorite natives.

Later, we lived in suburbia, where we had a dramatically different experience. Some of our neighbors had lived in their homes for 25 years without ever meeting the families in the houses four doors down. There were plenty of grassy parks and manicured yards, but very few natural places open to anyone who wanted to explore them. The only stores in the area were the two strip malls mile to the north or the acres of big-box retailers across the highway to the south. There were no front porches from which to greet passing neighbors and many had landscaping services come to mow their front lawns. Most people spent their time on the decks and in the hot tubs in their private backyards.

I missed chatting with neighbors while spreading compost in my front flower beds. I missed vegetable gardens. I missed having a community in which it might take half an hour to walk two blocks because there were so many people to chat with along the way. I could go on a two-hour walk without ever passing someone on the sidewalk.

Now, we live in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It’s a city of nearly 13 million people, and we live in the heart of it. I can enjoy stately parks full of old trees and a fascinating botanical garden just a few blocks away. There’s a produce vendor across the street who sells all kinds of fresh vegetables and fruits in season. I am learning about the native plants and the growing season, and getting to know the people on my block. Though I do occasionally long to dig in the dirt, I feel a connection to the land, the climate and the people.

During the past two weeks, I’ve been back in the Pacific Northwest. It’s the height of summer, and strolling through the old neighborhoods has given me a chance to admire the lush gardens and remember the joy of creating textural and fragrant art by designing plant combinations. I breathe deep and smile as the bumblebees buzz in the lavender plants along the sidewalks.

I have spent the last few years giving my daughters a chance to live abroad and learn more about themselves and the world. I just devoted a year to writing a book that promotes the idea of giving our children meaningful periods of time spent living in other countries. And I’ve had many conversations with people who are enthusiastic about giving their kids a global education.

But during the last few weeks of this book tour, I’ve come to recognize and appreciate the very local education I received growing up in Oregon and the sense of place that was instilled in me through those many, many hours in the garden, the woods, and the neighborhoods of my youth. Our children need a sense of place. They need to know where their food comes from–even if that’s a farmer’s market instead of their own vegetable garden. We must give them an appreciation for nature that goes beyond freshly-mowed lawns and crowded beaches.

It’s becoming more difficult to give our kids a chance to hike in the forests, muck about in ponds and run through meadows, but it’s imperative that we show them the bounty of the earth and teach them their responsibility in protecting it.

And though I am an evangelist for getting kids out into the world, I am equally passionate about ensuring that our children know where they are from, that they have roots into the land and joy in the changing seasons. As parents, we can give our kids enriching opportunities to learn both locally and globally and teach them how to dig into their own community–no matter where in the world it might be.

Being global means having a deep awareness of the world and the ability to see it from various perspectives. Sometimes it means coming back home and growing deep roots. Other times, it means moving abroad and planting oneself in a whole new place.

In every case, it means bringing the appreciation of a sense of place wherever you go and connecting with others in order to enrich each other.

When we raise global localists, the world becomes a greener, more compassionate place.

I’ve been corresponding with venture capitalist/entrepreneur Bob Compton for the last couple of years, and we have our own little mutual admiration society. I found his first documentary, “Two Million Minutes,” to be a very important wake-up call about the U.S. approach to education and mentioned it in my book. He read an early copy of my book and offered a great endorsement, and when it turned out that he was screening his new film, “Win in China,” here in New York, we made plans to meet.

Yesterday, Tom and I met Bob at the Regency for breakfast and stimulating conversation about education and entrepreneurship, then attended the premiere of “Win in China” at the Asia Society last night. The film describes the explosion in entrepreneurship in China and features the development and broadcasting of the popular television series in China that is similar to “The Apprentice” here. What’s different: the winners in the Chinese version don’t get a job with Donald Trump but a $1.5 million cash investment in their own business and mentoring from China’s most successful entrepreneurs.

Another difference: reach and scale. The numbers in China are mind-boggling. And while “The Apprentice” might be a fun romp for business wannabes and pop culture fans, “Win in China” reflects that fact that MILLIONS of Chinese individuals are receiving training and all kinds of governmental support to help them start their own businesses. The show has inspired countless entrepreneurs of all ages to consider ways in which they can develop their ideas and compete to make their own mark in the global economy. Those who still insist that Asian business people are somehow lagging behind the US in innovation and entrepreneurship are in for a very big surprise indeed.

I grabbed a quick moment after the screening to talk with Bob about why we should see this film. Anyone with an interest in entrepreneurship, Asia, and the global economy in general should see it, and if you’ve got kids entering the working world in the next couple of decades, it should be required viewing. Learn more by visiting http://www.wininchinamovie.com

I’ve been having fun connecting with Amy Tiemann, author of Mojo Mom: Nurturing Yourself While Raising a Family. I’d been following her updates on Facebook and knew that her book had been rereleased recently, so I was interested in seeing how her book launch was going. It turns out we have the same agent!

Amy has a PhD from Stanford and was a science teacher for years before choosing to stay home as a new mom. She started writing the book she wished she had as a new mother–one that describes not just how to care for a baby but how a mother can care for herself as well. She wrote Mojo Mom to help other women reinvent themselves after becoming mothers.

In addition to her great website/blog at MojoMom.com, Amy offers podcast interviews of all kinds of interesting women. Last Friday, she posted an interview she’d done with me about The New Global Student along with her conversation with a woman who is reinventing herself in Tulum, Mexico.

Check out the podcast here.

And just to show what a fan she is (I am so honored!) take a look at my Amazon page
Amy’s the first one to write a review! And she’s very honest about her own educational journey (head down, PhD at 27) and how the book made her wish she’d taken a few little detours along the way….

Cheers to you, Amy!

That’s the title of a chapter in my book dealing with the AP program and why it’s not the best choice for motivated (or even not-so-motivated) high school students. I’ve quoted a couple of experts and I offer my suggestion for a superior option (two, actually) but the bottom line is this: the Advanced Placement program has become a victim of its own success.

I’m not the only one who feels that way. This week, Jacques Steinberg of The New York Times wrote an article about the results of a recent Fordham Institute study that polled a thousand AP teachers across the United States. He summarizes one of the key findings this way: more than half are concerned that the program’s effectiveness is being threatened as districts loosen restrictions on who can take such rigorous courses and as students flock to them to polish their résumés

Exactly.

There’s been tremendous growth in the number of students signing up for AP courses, and this is generally considered a positive thing–more kids willing and able to take rigorous courses makes everyone feel successful. But here’s the problem: 90 percent of the teachers said the increased numbers are due to more students who want their college applications to look better. Only 32 percent attribute AP growth to more students who want to be challenged at a higher academic level.

So, we’re churning out more AP students who think they’re gaining an edge, we’ve got more teachers (and college admissions officials) questioning whether these kids really have what it takes to do well at a university, there are more parents urging their kids to take as many AP courses as they can, and plenty of schools administrators are scrambling for ways to make them look like they are offering rigorous courses to their students. Meanwhile, the College Board is making money with every AP exam taken. Cha-CHING!

Gosh, this sounds kind of like the SAT/SAT-prep issue, which has millions of students spending their time preparing for a test that is relevant only because the test-makers promote it as such. When are we going to stop listening to the College Board and start considering better options for our kids?

It’s a game, people. And it’s completely avoidable. In fact, those who bypass AP in favor of more relevant options are sailing right past their test-crazed classmates. (much more on this in the book, which comes out in just a couple of weeks!)

For months, I have been fretting about the fact that my book won’t be out until May. Every day, I hear from students and parents begging for advice on alternative education options. Every time I write back (and I try to respond to as many as I can), I wish I could just hand them a copy of the book. “What bad timing!” I’ve been muttering to myself. “If only the book had come out months ago!”

What I am realizing now is that May might just be the ideal time for a book about a new approach to getting a great global education that doesn’t cost a fortune.

There seems to be a perfect storm brewing–parents and students are now taking a serious look at the value a college offers rather than whether it’s a good fit or offers the promise of a diploma from a prestigious university. They’re doing this because they HAVE TO–the economic meltdown is forcing families to consider options that were never even on the table when investments looked more robust and home prices were climbing steadily.

You can’t pick up a magazine or newspaper or scroll through online news sites without coming across articles that indicate that times are achangin’ for education:

Colleges Are the Ones Fearing Rejection Letters
The Party’s Over: The Coming B-School Shakeout
College Grads Face Worst Job Market In Years
High School Dropouts Cost $319 Billion Over Lifetime

And then there are the daily accounts of the massive state cuts and endowment losses that are changing the university landscape across the U.S. This fall, students whose parents have the money to pay full price for tuition and room and board have the edge over those who need even a little aid in order to pack their dorm supplies and move on campus. As colleges batten down the hatches and look for every possible way to slice costs, even those well-heeled students who settle into dorm life in September are going to feel the pinch when programs are shut down and new fees crop up.

I hate to see students, parents, or universities suffer, but I have to say this: we desperately needed a kick in the rear to get us to reassess our higher education system. Just as the financial markets were out of control, the student debt loads have become so obscene that $100,000 in loans now seems like a pretty good deal. (Or at least, that’s what university officials say to reassure us.)

Homeowners and investors have been sold a bill of goods, but so have those who are going to spend the next two decades in debt for a bachelor’s degree that barely guarantees them a living wage.

We are waking up. We are cranky. And we are looking for a blast of clarity.

I’m going to stop fretting about the timing of my book now. It would be an honor to be of service to those who are just now taking a look at the world of education options. I hope that parents and students will view The New Global Student as that welcome cup of coffee that will open their eyes and fill them with energy to face the incredible opportunities that emerge as we breach this tipping point and glide into a whole new era for education.

I just got a fabulous blurb for my book from Bob Compton, venture capitalist and the executive producer of the documentary, “Two Million Minutes: A Global Examination.” You can learn more about Bob’s excellent film–and the dialogue he’s stirring up–here.

I’ve been getting some great testimonials for my book from a wide range of readers, but I’m especially thrilled about Bob’s because he is so well-informed about the ways in which the US education system is lagging behind China and India. He’s gone to great lengths to show just how different our priorities are when compared to those of Chinese and Indian parents and educators. Bob is passionate about this because he sees how this education difference plays out in the 21st century workplace–he employs hundreds of workers who are beautifully prepared for the global economy and highly skilled in areas that are of great significance in meeting the challenges of our time. Too bad these workers don’t come from the U.S.

As a parent, an employer, an investor, and a U.S. citizen concerned about his country’s future, Bob gets it.
Here’s hoping his films (the original plus two additional ones focusing on China and India) get people thinking.

This article describes the reduction in offers of jobs and internships to new college grads in this down economy, and it underscores two points most educators, parents, and students are missing:

1) The old rules no longer apply.
Just because you’re choosing to study engineering doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed a job when you graduate.

2) New grads who don’t rely on old ways of doing things are getting great jobs.
Going to college recruiting fairs? Old School. Savvy students know how to use social marketing and other online sources to get the hottest jobs–and they know that they’ve got to be extremely quick and professional in their responses to online queries.

Passing out dull printed resumes is an Old School approach as well. Smart applicants use additional ways to convince employers that they have the skills and experience they’re looking for.

It’s a bold new world, and those who understand and use the new tools won’t be sweating through this recession–or signing up for yet another master’s degree with the hope of becoming a more attractive applicant while waiting for things to turn around. My heart goes out to the young man interviewed and all other recent grads struggling in this job market, but I can’t help but wonder if college career counselors themselves are unaware of the new rules. If that’s the case, we can count on a tougher, longer period of joblessness for new college grads in the US.