What the International Job Search Actually Feels Like

I just got back from a yoga retreat on a Greek island. To get there I had to take a nine hour ferry. I hate boats. I get motion sick like it's my actual job. I almost didn't go because of the ferry.

And somewhere around hour four, slightly green, staring at the horizon, I thought about your international job search. Because that ferry is exactly what this feels like.

Swaying. No end in sight. Desperate to get off. Knowing the only way to the island is staying on.

This week I'm talking about how to actually ride the ferry — why you need your motion sickness meds before you board, why the center of the boat is the most stable place to be, why throwing fourteen applications at the water every day is panic wearing a strategy costume, and why you need to choose countries that would actually choose you back.

The ride is not optional. Nobody who ever made it to the island got to skip it. But there's a difference between white-knuckling it blind and knowing which direction you're facing.