Do you have enough useful talent and know-how to be able to make a living anywhere in the world?

Answer 1

I think I probably do.

The greatest part of it is because both my native language and one of my secondary languages are languages which are widely spoken all over the world. When I spent time in the Middle East, if I ran into someone with whom I could not communicate in English, chances were very good that we could communicate in French. Between the two, and considering that French was considered the global lingua franca until English surpassed it in the 20th century, I think I could communicate with someone almost anywhere. My secondary languages are currently dormant, but they wake right up when I have an opportunity to use them. The only language skills I have which aren't tremendously helpful happen to be those of a dead language, Latin, and that's fine, as it is my weakest language. (The other two which are currently dormant are Spanish and French--I was completely fluent in Spanish as a child, and my French was nearly so). I also have a natural affinity for learning languages, so immersion in a foreign atmosphere would allow me to learn a new language fairly quickly.

As silly as it sounds, you can get a job teaching English almost anywhere on this planet. I know people who only have one year of college education, in a field completely outside English, who have made careers for themselves by going overseas and teaching English.

I also have some other skills which are helpful. I am computer literate, I can type quite quickly, I trained as a medical transcriptionist (English is used widely in medicine all over the world) which means I can do all sorts of transcription, and (and this will sound really crazy) I have no trouble understanding people who speak English with an accent, as I was raised with one parent who has a terrible accent (my father is Arab).

I will admit that there are certain things I would have a hard time doing, like harvesting sorghum in Africa, or helping natives in the Amazon basin with their hunting, but even in those remote areas, there are usually people on hand who could help me with the language barriers until I learned enough to fare for myself. Realistically, however, those types of activities are subsistence activities, and not ones for which people are actually hired as employees. I had a professor in college who is a leading expert on a tiny tribe in the Amazon, and she said that the people who work down there who have paid positions all do jobs which involve interacting with the natives on behalf of the governments in the countries in which they reside. Additionally, because of the numbers of academics who travel there to visit with the people and study their culture, there are English speakers all over the place. If there isn't an English speaker, there's a Spanish speaker. Despite the bulk of the land being in Brazil, most of the professionals (traveling doctors, sociologists, etc.) speak Spanish fluently in addition to Portuguese, simply because all the neighboring countries are Spanish speaking countries.

My strongest skill, however, is a willingness to learn, and a sharp mind which allows me to do so. I have traveled quite a bit, and I have never found myself in a situation where I wasn't able to get by, even if it meant a few shared words and some sign language. I think when working with people in a place far from home, a lot of it depends on your willingness to completely immerse yourself in the environment and learn as much as possible. I feel confident I could do that. Many people fear traveling and being among people with whom they are not familiar. I actually like doing that, and I think that's half the battle, right there.

Answer 2

Hmmm...anywhere in the world?

No.

Some places require more locally specific subsistence skills than I have - for instance, I'm probably not very adept at kneeling on a wooden dingy to catch my dinner with a hand fishing line.

Other places would be difficult due to language limitations. I am bilingual, and they're both "international" languages, but there are still many nations with no interest in either of them, for example...

... well, okay, just France. ;-)

Also, I wouldn't fare well in those parts of the world where law and order have disintegrated or metamorphosed mafia-style back to "Might is Right". Unfortunately, when I get nervous, I tend to drop my nunchucks.

Plus, I sometimes get motion sick (insert lil green-faced emoticon here) which would affect orbital (technically still "in" the world?) and oceanic stations. And besides being upon principle very opposed to freezing my extremities, I only know a little about ice cores...so I'm not sure who'd want my resume in Antarctica.

Excluding those provisos...sure - pick a place and I'll go. :-)

Answer 3

North Carolina

Answer 4

Yes, I live in russia but I Know english, and I think I would live anywhere in other country, but I think I no want this. But from the other side your native land there where is your family and friends

Answer 5

I was just thinking about that today, and my answer is "no." The only thing I can do is speak English well and do advanced mathematics. I have no means of making money without knowing the local language.

Oh, and I type a million words a minute.

Answer 6

I have work ethic but that isn't enough to be able to make it . Americans are also weak in that we do not study foreign languageas. We need to learn more languages . Of course the government knows that we won't need to learn them so why teach them in school. LOL. They are going to keep us so taxed we will have little time or money to travel and use the skills. LOL.

Answer 7

I am musically and artistically inclined, so that might be my saving grace. Other than that, I have been told that I have great interpersonal skills; I get along very well with people, and that would help me learn the language.

Answer 8

I think I could. I am a good interviewer. Being a good interviewer is the most important. Most jobs dont take rocket science.

Answer 9

heck no.... I was born here in the USA and am good for nothing else ...anywhere else.

Answer 10

as a matter of fact, i do....there are a lot of places that wouldn't ALLOW me to do it tho.