August 1, 2024, by Jackie Thompson
From St Paul’s to the Stockyards – my journey moving to Dallas, Texas
By Jack Saville, UoN graduate
I began university in September 2015, and after only a single semester of studying accounting and finance, I decided to switch to business management. The broadness of the course granted me the flexibility to study areas of business that piqued my interest, notably law and economics.
My final months at the university, however, consisted mainly of elaborate spreadsheets that reflected the dozens of graduate schemes I was applying for, mostly to no avail. After a hard-fought, eight-round process, I received word from my future manager that I’d been awarded a place on the Sales Graduate Scheme at BT, I was elated.
Business-to-business (B2B) sales was always an area that piqued my interest, and the opportunity to do this, with a behemoth like BT, operating in the technology sector, whilst working in the centre of London could not have been a better place for me to begin my career.
See Y’all later!
After working at the company for only three years, I was eager for change. The sad reality was, that the idea of working in the same city for my entire career scared me more than the prospect of moving to another one. Fast-forward four months and in June 2022, I was on a one-way flight to Dallas, Texas.
I’d always wanted to move abroad for work, and I truly believe there is nothing more exciting in life than immersing yourself in a brand-new city and culture. The contrast between my life in London has been night and day, and after two years and one pair of cowboy boots later, I can honestly say this is the best decision I have ever made.
Similar to my UK position, my role is that of a Senior Global Network Specialist – essentially, I have a large base of customers (now US-based) who I support on their digital transformation journeys. My role either takes the form of proactive sales, working as a trusted advisor to customers, or reactively, usually operating against the clock on large legal tenders, with proposals often in the tens of millions.
My genuine advice
Moving abroad with work isn’t just about the corporate side of things – your personal life always takes precedence. Immersing yourself in a completely alien environment allows you to become not only a more rounded person in your role, but in your life… and six months plus of summer isn’t too shabby either, although promptly ending a customer call to retreat to your office hurricane shelter definitely takes some getting used to.
The reality is, there has never been a better time to move abroad for work than in your 20s – it is literally the decade for taking risks. I didn’t know a single person in the entire state upon arriving, but from the friends I’ve made to the countries I’ve visited (and, of course, my fantastic job), this move has paid off in so many more ways than one.
Needless to say, my family, friends and colleagues back home have been an unbelievable support network for me. Whilst it’s always bittersweet saying goodbye post-Christmas, the fact is there is so much more world out there for me to see, and I have no excuse not to see it all.
London will always be there, but the window of opportunity to do something like this is much smaller than you think, so my advice would be to grab the bull by the horns if you pardon the rodeo reference!
If you’re thinking of moving abroad, feel free to contact me with questions or concerns through my LinkedIn page.
Talk to our advisers if you have questions about moving abroad after your studies and how to build your skills during your time at Nottingham. Also, check out our website pages on working abroad.
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