I’ve never had the opportunity to travel far, and with the Plus3 program, I was able to travel across the world. I had the opportunity to become closer to my fellow students, learn about a completely different culture, and gain an inside view into the manufacturing and marketing processes of various companies. Along with the cultural knowledge I gained, I was also able to enhance my professional skills. I was able to see how ethical issues and AI could pose a threat to my career, how having a wide variety of skills is important, always learning and growing my knowledge, being able to have a social life within work, and having the ability to work with many different kinds of people. 

My trip to South Korea was one the most exciting events in my life, and even though I wasn’t a huge fan of having to wear business casual attire, I loved the academic/company visits we had. My favorite was Hyundai because I enjoy cars and would love to work in the automotive industry. It was awesome to see how the car’s body starts from rolls of metal and then goes through the whole process and see the finished product. It was crazy to see the robots working on the car and how much of the process was automated. It made me think about how much AI has taken over jobs and the future of my career as well. There are so many ethical issues surrounding AI, and being able to deal with them is a growing aspect of the job. An ethical dilemma that sticks out to me is the decreasing number of jobs because so many are automated now. Overall, the proficiency and cost are positively impacted with the addition of AI and robots, but the lack of job opportunities has to be taken into account. This is something I will have to deal with once I get closer to looking for jobs in the engineering industry. 

Even though I enjoy cars and the automotive industry, there are so many other things that interest me. A huge reason I chose mechanical engineering is because of how broad it can be. I’m a very indecisive person, and choosing a major was tough for a while, but mechanical engineering stuck out to me because of how much variety there is. Recruiters are looking for these kinds of qualities, and in Korea, we were able to see these things. For example, when talking to many of the tour guides, they knew the answer to different topics about the company, whether it was the business part or the technical side of the company. Not only is academic breadth important, but also cultural. This trip was more than just a class; it was an all-around life-changing experience. We learned the norms of daily and professional lives in Korea, and they will be prevalent in my daily life from now on. From the orderly and polite manner in public to the traditional mannerisms at meals. After observing how a country across the world works, I will be able to understand others better and comprehend where they are coming from. Being able to experience another culture is crucial to working with others and creating a stronger bond with them. Having this experience will help me connect with others who also have ties to Korea, or even people who enjoy traveling. 

Another key aspect that I was able to learn on this trip is that education is lifelong. My experiences and memories will stay with me for as long as I live. I enjoyed my time and was able to learn so much about a completely different country. A huge part of Korea is their smart systems, and the AI used with it. Being able to adapt and learn new things at every stage in life is an important quality that job recruiters will want. Especially with all the new technology that is constantly being produced, it is ideal that engineers can adapt to these changes. Another thing to mention is that there is so much to learn about in the world. Not all of it can be found in Pittsburgh. I would have never tried foods like tteokbokki or bibimbap, traditional Buddhist prayers, or seen the top of a mountain. There isn’t enough time to learn everything there is to know, but I have the rest of my life to try and experience as much as I possibly can. Even though we had constant activities and packed our schedule, there is so much more to see. We mostly stayed in Seoul and saw all the major spots, but we never got to experience the countryside or the daily lives of a local. I would love to see how normal life is in Korea and how it differs from the United States. I would have liked to make friends while on the trip, but with the language barrier, it was a little difficult. Although, the Korean language is just another thing for me to learn about. 

Having friends to experience South Korea with me made the trip so much better. We were in it together and I never felt alone. We were able to experience the social environment in professional life when we visited the companies. All the employees seemed to get along and would be chatting and laughing with each other. Being in Korea made me realize how people in the United States aren’t as friendly as they are in South Korea. In their culture, it is common to touch others in a friendly way as a sign of affection or friendship. This is very interesting because we do not do that very often. They also tend to buy gifts for others to show affection or gratitude. I was able to meet my grandfather’s longtime friends, and I saw these things happen to myself and my friend. We were treated like their family, and they were very considerate, it felt like we had known each other for years. My grandfather and his friend met in the military, and they kept their connection for over 40 years. They are proud to call each other friends and were able to build their connections because of the social environment in professional life. The military is a little different, but they were able to create a friendship in their circumstances and keep it for decades. I was able to make friendships through this trip that I hope will last for that long or even longer. The twenty-three other people are the only ones who really understand what I went through and all the things I learned. I’m glad we were able to work with engineering and business. I was able to connect with the engineering students about classes and academics, but I also was able to learn more from the business students and see how different their coursework is. 

Another thing about working alongside business students was that it was a helpful experience to broaden my networking skills. I was also able to see how they worked on our projects, and I enjoyed working with them. They had their way of collaborating on the presentation, but it was nice to have a new perspective. Their ideas and setup helped us become proficient and create quality work. I believe it is crucial to work in multi-disciplinary teams because the more ideas, the better. That is what the real world is, and being able to work with many different kinds of people and cultures can open doors for new opportunities in professional development. Not only did we work with other students, but we were also able to connect with locals and ask professionals questions. It was a great experience to be able to ask in depth questions to people who know everything about their company. This is why I enjoy working in multidisciplinary teams, because everyone has their own unique ideas and some people like to do some tasks while others like to do different tasks. At the end of the trip, I can confidently say that I learned a lot, even though it was only two weeks. 

I have wanted to travel for a long time, and I told myself, if I can go to Korea, I can go anywhere. Now that it’s over, I want to go back but I also want to explore more. I need to see how other places are different and see how pretty the landscapes are. The differences in society that I observed in Korea came as a shock because I had never been anywhere else, but hopefully the next place I go won’t be as shocking. As soon as I can, I want to go back and see more of their beautiful country. Those two weeks were packed full of fun and educational experiences, but there is still so much more to see and learn from Koreans. I will keep my adventures with me for the rest of my life, and I will see Korea in everything. I can’t wait to see where I can go next. I hope I can create more connections and memories through more of Pitt’s study abroad programs.