What Does Excellence Look Like in Today's Workplace?

I remember the first time I started to have doubts about my career path. It was 2001 and I was living in New York City, working as a mergers and acquisitions analyst in a respected multinational firm. By all accounts, I had it made. As the daughter of an illiterate pig farmer and the first of my family to attend college, this was no small feat. With a degree from UC Berkeley under my belt and a high-paying job in a field I had once only dreamed of entering, I was well aware that I was in an enviable position. Then came the meeting that shifted my entire way of thinking.

If you were to take most travel blogs at face value you would be forgiven if you thought that working abroad was a constant barrage of fun times and memorable experiences. While there may be some of those moments, the reality is that you will likely face even more difficult situations than an equivalent job in your home country. No matter what way you choose to earn your income abroad, these are some of the difficulties you must overcome in order to be successful.