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Travel as career development? Absolutely. Just ask fund manager, David Creighton.

Wednesday, 22 December, 2010

“Business is an extension of my hobby,” says Montreal native, David Creighton whose passion for travel ultimately led to his present role as founder, president and CEO of Cordiant Capital—a fund management company that administers C$2.4 billion in subscriptions.
What does Creighton have to say about the role of travel in developing your career for the future?
“If you can; do—absolutely.”

Read on and find out about a free teleconference coming up on Jan. 11: “Enriching careers and lives through travel”

David Creighton’s career in international capital markets has spanned more than 25 years and has taken him from New York to London and throughout Asia.

“There’s nothing better to open the mind and provide perspective than getting out of your backyard and seeing what’s going on,” he said during a recent interview on CIUT’s Career Buzz radio programme. Creighton graduated into a recession, so he opted for a North American road trip and returned to a better job market. Two years later he travelled again throughout Asia, and continues to mingle his love of travel and sailing, and his career.

“With no money at all you can travel… you come back and people want to talk to you. I went travelling for 18 months and when I came back I had job offers all over the place. When I left, people were saying how can you possibly leave? What about your career? When I came back people were so intrigued  by the concept of throwing it in and going out and checking out the world, some of them were jealous, who knows, but it is certainly not detrimental to your career.”

Listen to the full interview as David sails through the gusts and lulls in his career story.

Consider this:

  • Buck conventional wisdom that says, “play it safe.” Travel with the confidence that it will have a positive impact on your career and life. And when asked, ‘Are you nuts?’ share inspiring stories like David Creighton’s.
  • Before you travel, see the potential for learning, skill-building, and career idea generation and exploration.
  • While traveling, immerse yourself and learn the culture. When you return, you’ll be better able to connect with people from these cultures – which is attractive to employers.
  • Get involved in international volunteer initiatives and use that as a stepping off point for further exploration.
  • Upon return, ‘fill the hole’ in your resume confidently. Include your travels and name the strengths you gained such as, adaptability, cultural competence, making decisions despite ambiguity.
  • Ask yourself: what are you telling yourself about the likely impact of travel on your career or job situation? Considering David’s story of career success following risk, what better possible outcomes can you imagine might flow from your travel experience?
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