Latest news with #SemesterAtSea
Yahoo
01-08-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
I'm a military spouse. My husband's job will always come first, but I've refused to lose myself and give up on my own career.
While supporting my husband's military career, I work to keep my own identity and achieve my goals. Thanks to remote work and a supportive employer, I've had a fulfilling career for the past 10 years. I also stay grounded by prioritizing lifelong friendships and traveling with loved ones. Being married to someone in the military often feels like you're also married to the government. Our lives are largely shaped by the demands and needs of the Air Force, which was a commitment my husband pursued in college before we met. Now, as an active-duty military wife, I see how easily you can lose your sense of identity in the shadow of your spouse's service. Sometimes, I catch myself saying, "I'm Allie Hubers, and my husband's an Air Force pilot!" — as if my most defining trait is my husband's profession. I learned quickly that his job will always come before mine, which can be a hard pill to swallow as someone with career ambitions. However, we prioritize making decisions that support both of our professional goals. Even when it's challenging, I refuse to lose my sense of self or give up on my own dreams. My husband supports my career and dreams wholeheartedly From the moment we met in college, my husband knew I dreamed of traveling the world and building a successful career. I worked hard to graduate with top honors in my actuarial science program, and I spent the summers interning to help fund my study abroad dreams with Semester at Sea. Shortly after graduation, my internship turned into a full-time job in data analytics — one that I genuinely loved. Since then, my husband has supported my career goals without reservation, even if it meant making sacrifices on his end. For example, when my husband graduated from military pilot training, we made sure to consider my job when ranking which airframe he wanted to fly. We requested bases located in states where my company would allow me to continue working long-term. I've been lucky to find remote work that aligns with my career goals Remote work is one of the best options for military spouses, as it can allow us to continue working even when required to relocate frequently. I've been fortunate to work the same data analytics job for 10 years with an employer that supports my unpredictable life as a military spouse. During my husband's pilot training, my boss arranged a flexible work schedule that allowed me to work remotely from Oklahoma. I commuted back to South Dakota every two weeks so I could work in the office, all while earning my MBA. Eventually, I was approved to work fully remote when my husband received his flying assignment in the Florida Panhandle. I'm very grateful to have a job that can move with me, which is a rare constant in our ever-changing military life. In addition to my steady career as a data analyst, I work other remote side gigs, including freelance writing and adjunct instructing at Penn State. Having a fulfilling career is one aspect of our life that's entirely my own, and it's something I'm incredibly proud of. Though I love our Air Force community, I also prioritize long-term friendships outside of the military Ask any military spouse, and they'll probably agree: Your friends quickly become family. We've made lifelong connections during our time in the Air Force, but that doesn't mean I neglect my other friendships. I won't blink an eye to fly across the country to see my college roommates or attend a best friend's wedding, even if I have to go solo. It can be refreshing to step away from our active-duty bubble and remember who I am outside of being a military spouse. These friendships keep me grounded and provide a sense of stability in our unpredictable military life. I'm reminded that no matter how much our lives change, these lifelong ties remain the same. I haven't given up on my dreams of traveling the world Traveling is a huge passion of mine. Even though my husband and I love traveling together, his work schedule is demanding and difficult to plan around. Between deployments, work trips, and training, he's rarely available to travel as much as I'd like. Rather than putting my dreams on hold, I choose to see the world with friends and family. Because we live across the country from our loved ones in the Midwest, traveling together provides quality time that I wouldn't otherwise have. Last fall, I spent three unforgettable weeks cruising across Australia with my parents and sister. Earlier in the year, I visited South Africa with a childhood friend to cross a safari off my bucket list. These experiences mean the world to me and help fulfill my sense of adventure. Read the original article on Business Insider Solve the daily Crossword
Daily Mail
24-05-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE I went to university on a cruise ship - here are the most annoying things about spending a semester at sea
University is often a time to expand your horizons. And that's certainly the case for students who sign up to the competitive Semester at Sea programme, which sees them spend a term travelling the world on a cruise ship. Twice a year, the MV World Odyssey, a 590 foot/179m ship, transforms into a floating home for students and faculty from all over the globe. But what's it really like to study at sea? MailOnline caught up with former Semester at Sea student, Carli Fogel, to find out. Carli, from Florida, completed Semester at Sea in 2018 and describes the experience as 'the best four months' of her life. She says: 'We left from California and we stopped in Hawaii and then went to Japan, China, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, India, Hong Kong, Mauritius, South Africa, Ghana, Morocco and Portugal.' But, while it might sound like a glamorous way to study, Carli reveals the ship was far from luxurious. She says: 'I shared a room with another girl. The rooms were really small, like crazy small. You just had a tiny window that would look out on the water. 'I definitely got seasick and it was claustrophobic. A bunch of people got a stomach virus and there was a doctor and nurse onboard.' A keen traveller, Carli reveals that she'd been set on doing Semester at Sea since the age of 12 when she met a family friend who had completed the programme. But she wasn't originally sold on the ship element. She explains: 'I'm from Florida, which is the home of cruises, but my parents hate cruises because they don't like relaxing on vacation. 'I never really went on cruises growing up. I only wanted to do this because I wanted to go to the different countries, I didn't want to live on a boat. But then it turned out the boat was the best part. 'Of course the countries were amazing, but the boat was home. You create this community onboard.' While Semester at Sea is running today, Carli explains that today's students won't experience one of her favourite parts of her trip. 'There was no WIFI on the ship when I went which was my favourite part,' says Carli. 'You were really off the grid and you couldn't be on your phone. 'You couldn't be on social media and you had to be really present. Everything you learned, you learned from textbooks. You'd learn something in class and then you'd go on a field trip that matched that learning.' The lack of WIFI meant that Carli and her friends weren't often able to plan their days on land which led to some spontaneous adventures. She reveals: 'Unless you had a field trip booked with the ship, not much was planned. You ended up doing unexpected things that you would never have given yourself time for if you had a planned a trip using the Internet. 'The kids on the ship nowadays are making TikToks which is cute, but to me, it misses the point. When you didn't have access to WIFI, you really got to know people and it was a little utopian society. 'If a group of students didn't like how a course was being taught, they were then able to teach the course themselves. The travel was amazing but the community was very democratic, in a way I don't think I'll ever experience again.' One of Carli's favourite memories from Semester at Sea was when she managed to persuade the ship's crew to turn off the top deck lights for 15 minutes at midnight. 'There were hundreds of students lying on yoga mats on the deck looking at the stars together. It was probably the best moment of my life,' she says. And, despite the challenges of a tiny room and seasickness, Carli says 'everything was so worth it.' 'It really changed my life and where I wanted to live and the work I wanted to do,' she finishes. 'I ended up living in Tel Aviv for four to five years after and then I travelled in Europe a lot. 'I made everlasting friendships that I wouldn't change for the world.
