Well, here it is my last blog post from Plus3 Ireland. To say that the last two weeks flew by would be a drastic understatement. I am beyond grateful to have had to opportunity to come on this trip and have the experiences and meet the people that I did. Everything from Pearse Lyons Distillery to Enterprise Ireland really made me grow as a person both professionally and personally. At the beginning of the trip, I remember saying that I thought this program would be the perfect fit for me and I believe it was.
In terms of a soon-to-be professional, this trip taught me quite a bit. I think this trip really taught me to think about business on a more global scale. While you can talk about differences in business culture, or read about it you never truly know what it’s like until you experience it first hand. We learned all about how the Irish way of business is all about relationships as opposed to the United States where we are more transactional. I think this really enhanced the trip when it came to the site visits because everyone we spoke to really allowed us to feel comfortable talking with them. I think this way of doing business will stick with me for the rest of my life. I am majoring in finance with the hope to eventually become a CFP and have my own financial planning business. I think using the Irish way of business when it comes to financial planning is very crucial because it is so important to build a strong relationship with clients in order to run a good business.
On a more personal level, I think this trip really just helped me grow as a person. Since I had never been outside of the US this trip really took me out of my comfort zone. Based on how much I enjoyed the trip, I think it really showed me just how beneficial it can be to step outside of your comfort zone and experience new things.
Overall, I couldn’t have asked for a better trip with a better group of people. Before this trip, I never thought of myself as someone who had the “travel bug” but after the last two weeks and seeing some remarkable things such as the Cliffs of Moher and the Wicklow Mountains I find myself thinking about new places I would love to see and experience. Finally, I would just like to thank everyone who made this trip so awesome!
Slainte!