<p>Not to sound entirely avaricious, but of the jobs some are mentioning, which are in demand and pay at least decently and you have the opportunity to make more as time passes. I know I’m not interested in any type of science or math thing, and I know that I will most likely want to deal with Business/law or some type of diplomat-esque situation. </p>
<p>I love all the suggestions and it’s really helping, it’s just that some seem like making a meager living and with that I won’t be able to enjoy my job if I’m running around the world just to survive.</p>
<p>hyakku, the money is in the private sector – whatever the field. Government, teaching and NGO jobs pay modestly (or even miserably) but of course there are many other intangible benefits to be gained. </p>
<p>A top sourcing exec – after some years on the job – can earn around $US500,000. Lawyers, financial consultants are also well paid – but in all cases the money goes hand in hand with extremely long hours and mountains of stress.</p>
<p>I need to do some research I guess on some of these fields, but i don’t even know where to start, I guess I’ll look on those sites someone linked.</p>
<p>Well today I got my uchicago interview request from an alumni who, get this, specializes in international trade/law and works at a huge law firm in jersey.</p>
<p>So I guess I will get a chance to ask someone who has direct experience soon enough.</p>
<p>A close friend works for the United Nations and is based in Geneva. His background includes a PhD in political science, and a long-standing passion for the environment. After he got his degree, he taught political science in the Czech Republic for a few years before returning to the US for a job with an envirenmental non-profit agency that monitored water quality. The division of the UN he works in now also deals with international monitoring of water quality – the job requires travel, extensive writing, and keeping up with technology. Interestingly, his wife also works internationally, though not at the UN. She’s a cartographer, who also happens to speak 3 foreign languages.</p>
<p>My sister works for USAID and her husband teaches ESL. They are not getting rich but they have a very comfortable standard of living and have been able to save for retirement and college. Housing is provided with some of these jobs and household help also. The cost of living is so much lower in some counties that salaries go a lot farther. I know a couple who teach in China. Their children are having a very positive experience growing up there.</p>
<p>Those are some suggestions closer to what I was looking for. Constant travel is also of interest to me, as t hat’s would I really envision myself doing, always on the move to somewhere else. I’m good with people and I like meeting new people and learning more through interacting with others. Experience is the best teacher to me.</p>
<p>My sister and her family have lived in Japan, United Arab Emirates, Kazakhstan and now in Pakistan (their son is in college). Next will be somewhere in Africa.</p>
<p>Some government positions, particularly at the GAO and a few other agencies, can easily lead you to six figures. It’s modest compared to finance, medicine, and law, but it’s definitely livable.</p>
<p>My sister sets up primary health care systems. She has a degree in nursing, is a nurse practitioner and has a Masters in something–maybe International Health administration or something like that from Johns Hopkins. She was told she needed to get the Johns Hopkins degrees for the connections and that’s when she started getting jobs. Needless to say, USAID does not have missions in Japan–I think they call them missions. She was there because of her husband’s job teaching ESL.</p>
<p>My stepfather is an academic, bioethics specialist and public health expert. His job takes him to every continent (minus Antarctica), to do consulting, give talks, consult on projects, etc. etc. We’re talking about stuff like World Bank ethical investing rules, Gates Foundation grants, consulting with developing countries on how to leverage biotechnological advances in their countries, UN committees on bioethics and biowarfare (the last is a bit random) and so forth.</p>
<p>It’s not exactly the kind of career you fall into, but lots of travel is involved. :)</p>
<p>I’ve nothing against government or NGO jobs; some of the brightest and most interesting people I know operate in this arena. The other plus is that they usually finance your house, car, kids’ education, homeleave etc, so you can’t just look at salary. </p>
<p>hyakku, I’ll say it again, and as this thread demonstrates, just about any career you can have in the U.S. can be exported overseas. Decide on your field first then think about how to get yourself into an international channel.</p>
<p>Plus, if you go on an hourly basis, that salary starts looking mighty fine. Sure, you may not make what a surgeon or a good lawyer can make, but GS13 or higher, working around 40 hours a week, can be pretty good money on the margin.</p>
<p>Y’know, that’s a really great gig in Japan. Japan has more national holidays than the US. I remember an FSO telling me it came out to something like 20 or something days total. Maybe even more.</p>
<p>Holiday numbers vary by state in Germany, but we lived in Bavaria which had the most with 13 - add that to six weeks paid vacation - very nice! Foreign Service has good health and nice retirement benefits.</p>
<p>My husband majored in marketing. Got a job with BASF Wyandotte being the regional manager stationed in the Far East. Then was transferred to Saudi Arabia, Cyprus and finally England. The requirement when he got hired was that he be single. Housing a married man was expensive. I met and married him before Saudi Arabia. Our oldest son was on five continents before he turned 1.</p>
<p>These jobs are not that hard to find. As someone before me said; not that many people are willing to do them. We moved back to the States so the kids could go to school here.</p>
<p>Wow so it seems like I’m at an advantage wanting a type of traveling job. I was really considering government positions as well, as it seems like the benefits would be worth it, and making even low six figures would be quite comfortable in my opinion.</p>
<p>“Low” six-figures is more than comfortable if you’re not looking for a lavish lifestyle.</p>
<p>However, I want to caution you from planning your finances so soon. Remember that most government jobs increase pay by seniority (GAO and a few others are exceptions). That means you start relatively low (GS7 for college grads, GS9 or GS11 for MA and PhD) and go up over time. Depending on the agency, you can get to GS13 fairly easily, but after GS13 it’s usually a “fight for the GS14 and GS15 spots” sort of deal. Depending on where you’re at, GS13 itself may be six-figures (SF, LA, DC, NY) on higher steps, but it’s unlikely. </p>
<p>GS, by the way, is just the government pay scale. Take a look at it here:</p>