On the fifth day of this excursion, the group visited a couple of museums, enjoyed some delicious Indonesian food, and visited a record shop with a unique set of instruments. The group concluded the day with a dinner involving University of Pittsburgh alumni. The meet-up had the Plus3 group socializing with graduates who work in the Netherlands. Over a host of dishes, we got to interact and connect with people with real-world working experience. The discussions with the alumni helped me understand how I can succeed in my attempts to grow my future career and what values to look for in my future job prospects.

As part of the alumni dinner, I interacted with Brett Domue. I learned how he built his profile as a newcomer to the workforce and demonstrated his commitment to complex and exciting work environments. After interning at several companies, Mr. Domue completed his tasks significantly faster than his advisors expected. Through Mr. Domue’s continued efforts to actively search out and help around the company, he managed to acquire a full-time position. By working to connect with my advisors and looking for opportunities to demonstrate my skill sets, I can hope to prove my capabilities at my internships. However, Mr. Domue remarked how his initial internships occasionally let him go early because his supervisors did not have any other material to assign him. Based on his experience, I need to assess whether there are avenues for me to go further in a company before I breeze through my assignments. This objective requires me to pursue greater opportunities and remain keen for any potential places I can jump to within the company to express my knowledge.

During the discussion with Mr. Domue, he explained that he works in the Netherlands because of all the exciting tasks he gets to do at this location. America operates a rigid workforce system, whereas the Netherlands provides greater flexibility and dynamism. Several other alumni noted the greater workplace flexibility and freedom in the Netherlands caused them to prefer working abroad. While America is still the alumni’s home, the Netherlands offers a quality of work not offered in the United States. Working to incorporate more flexible working hours and proper holidays can help build the American workforce, including sustainability projects. Copying these ideals can shape a better workforce for myself and future generations as I seek further opportunities to demonstrate the skills I learned throughout my study abroad trip.