Make sure to decide which of these "two birds" is most important to you. If your primary objective is to spend a fair amount of time in a certain country and to experience its culture, you may be more flexible in the type of work you are willing to do. If your primary goal is to advance your career, than you may want to be more selective in the job you choose.

• So You Want To Work Abroad? -- From the University of Waterloo. Asks you why you want to work abroad, tells you how to go about preparing for it, and provides a list of additional resources you can use to further research this option.

• Youth Link is "a one-stop information collection on well over 200 Government of Canada youth programs, services and resources." If you are considering work abroad, you will want to check out the Work Experience Opportunities -- International and the Travel sections of this list.

• nextSteps July 1998 - Working Abroad This issue looks at many of the pros and cons of working overseas.

One thing you might do to gain experience is to volunteer. Volunteering no longer means simply baking Rice Krispie cake for the church fundraiser or mowing your grandparents' lawn once a week. Today you can volunteer for hundreds of different organizations, and develop many of the same skills you could develop in a paid position. If you spend some time finding the right position, volunteering will allow you to develop skills and give you the valuable experience you need to find paid employment in your chosen occupation.

• Check out the benefits of volunteering.
  
  
• If you decide that volunteering is an option you want to pursue, your next step is to find the right position.
  
  
• Once you have found a volunteer position, there are a few things you should do to make sure the experience will help you get paid employment.
  
  
• nextSteps March 1998 - Volunteering This issue looks at many benefits of volunteering..