Job Discussion Forums

[maccamlc]

I am 25, have a 4 year Honours degree in Software Engineering, and have worked in this industry for 2.5 years at 2 well known companies.

However next year I am going to leave Australia, to travel, study CELTA and hopefully find work in Russia or CIS as a teacher.

I want to be away for 1 or preferrably 2 years. I will take it seriously, and have travelled to this part of the world before, so I have an idea of what I'm getting myself into

However my question is directed towards anybody who has a 1st career in an industry such as Software Development, where it changes all the time.

Recently, people have been placing doubts in my head, about it being impossible to get back into Software after even a 6 month break.

Should I really be concerned about this? Any previous experiences or opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[lozwich]

Hiya,

Like you, I too am Australian and I had a satisfying career in Multimedia Development. I originally became a EFL teacher while my Spanish was getting good enough for me to get a Multimedia job in Mexico. Only things didn't quite turn out that way and 4 years later I'm now doing the DELTA.

Last year I went through a homesick patch and started studying to upgrade my skills in all the latest versions of relevant software. It was pretty easy actually, and all the basics were still in my memory, I just had to upgrade my software skills. I talked to a few industry people about my abscence from the scene, and no-one was particularly concerned about my employability.

However, after a few months of studying I realised what I was looking at going back to, and what I would be giving up, and now I have no doubts that I'm on the right path with where I'm going in EFL.

So, my point is, yes, you should be fine, you'll probably just need some upgrading when you get back, but you might find that being away leads you somewhere else a whole lot more interesting! There are also lots of ways you can use your IT skills in EFL, or in IT training if that's what floats your boat.

Good luck!
Lozwich.

[Stephen Jones]

The answer's simple: you get jobs when there are vacancies, and you don't when there aren't.

If there is a shortage of somebody with your skills in two years they'll hire you. If there isn't they'll bin the resume without a second thought.

[maccamlc]

Thanks,

I probably should expect to require updating my skills when I get back, no matter how short or long I am gone.

But I do hope to see where this leads, who knows, as you say maybe I will find something more exciting

[tedkarma]

It's not a bad idea to try to keep your skills up to date, but probably even more important to maintain your network of contacts in the industry.

I don't know that I ever planned to stay overseas forever, but it turned out that I loved the career and stayed at it until quite recently (now semi-retired).

For about the first ten years or so of being overseas, I was quite careful about maintaining regular contact with people I knew could/would help me get back into the workforce if I were to return. I returned "home" every year and made sure to at least have lunch and a few beers with all of them and to exchange holiday cards, email (when that began to work better), etc.

More often as not it's WHO you know, not what you know that is going to land you a job - even in specialized areas - as long as you don't let your skills get too far behind the power curve.

I probably would have difficulty now getting back into my old profession (18-19 years later) - but I intend to stay overseas permanently.

[maccamlc]

I think that 2 years should not be too bad! At the moment my plan is that I will return. But my problem is that as I have been working for about 2.5 years, I don't have any strong contacts who could get me a job on return! So I would be back up against the fresh graduates. I would hope that this experience would not count against me, but rather as a positive!

I guess this is a problem for the future. In the meantime, I'll just have to make sure that whatever I do, I keep my skills up to date.

Thanks for the replies.

[tedkarma]

[maccamlc]

[tedkarma]

[maccamlc]

One of my friends is studying CELTA this month. I seem to have the thinking and planning aspect worked out, based on the the examples I have received from her. But in terms of the actual teaching .... I will find out soon.

Thanks for the advice and encouragement

[comenius]

Just to chime in I agree with a number of other posters that it really pays to keep in contact with the people in your field as much if not more than keeping your skills current. Even if you never go back to software development, keeping your options open is never a bad course of action.

Personally, in my own career I went from a technology job to active ESL teaching for 5 years back to a technology job without any issues whatsoever. Of course I kept my skills reasonably current, but the bottom line for any employer is do you present an attractive package compared to the others applying for the position. In my case, I was able to spin my international teaching experience in a positive light by stressing the team (successfully worked with people from a variety of cultures and backgrounds) and leadership (successfully pursued challenging new work and living assignments in completely unfamiliar surroundings) elements, among others.

As with most things in life, if you choose to do it you'll figure out a way to make it work.

[Red and white]

Different industry, different opportunities, but it might be possible to do some IT work while you are away.

I'm a journalist from my 'past life', and have a regular column in an expat magazine here in Baku. Should I choose to return to my previous career I can point to that as evidence of initiative and an ability to get stories in extreme circumstances (no contacts, little background knowledge, poor grasp of local languages).

Of course, if anyone actually _reads_ the column I'm in trouble: the mag is anglo-russian, and mistranslated a recent headline as 'Elton John leads up in Baku'. They started in Russian with 'Elton John zazhigaet v Baku', and if they'd got the verb right would probably have finished with 'Elton John lights up in Baku'. At least that would have made sense while being wrong ....

I'd also echo comenius' comments about spinning your overseas work experience. My 'journalist' CV is a joy to behold these days.

[Serious_Fun]

[comenius]

[tedkarma]