ACE Alum Nathalie Goldstein Enjoys Working Abroad
Nathalie (Vu) Goldstein, a member of the ACE 2015 cohort, is currently Chief of Staff at Cisco Austria, which means that she is a business operations manager working with budget management. Unlike most SCU alums at Cisco, Nathalie does not work in San Jose. She relocated to Cisco’s office in Vienna, Austria, a year ago to pursue her job in another country. Nathalie originally wanted to work abroad after meeting her Austrian husband while studying abroad. Unfortunately, she was not able to relocate to Austria directly after graduation, and consequently started out in Cisco’s San Jose office. Eventually, as Nathalie continued to network, she met a Cisco manager who worked with both the San Jose and Vienna offices and supported her transition to Austria.
Nathalie says that her favorite part about working abroad is the work-life balance in European culture. She is able to take many vacation breaks and truly have a 40-hour week. For students who are thinking of working abroad, Nathalie recommends three ways of carving a path. First, individuals can pursue graduate school in another country. Many European colleges offer affordable English programs, and students can have a part-time job on a student visa. Another route is to research companies that may have international rotational programs. Finally, Nathalie recommends her method, which was to network with people who work abroad. By being proactive in the job search process, Nathalie says that students can work abroad after graduation.