Globalization has increased the number of professionals deciding to leave their home country hoping to start a new life elsewhere. However, after moving some are faced with the idea that real globalization may not exist when we refer to engaging oneself professionally in a different country. Degrees acquired from respected universities in the home country are devalued. Accumulated years of professional experience are denied. We feel lost and confused, considering that the profession we choose contributes a lot for our sense of self-being. It is an intense and profound loss of identity and unfortunately only those who go through this experience is able to understand the magnitude of this loss. Can you imagine what it means to see years of professional investment in studies, work and trainings taken away from you suddenly? Despite the natives’ attempt to empathize, unfortunately, it is not possible for them to really understand the impact of this loss to someone’s life. And in this experience, we feel misunderstood and devalued.
Having my professional identity taken away from me abruptly was accompanied by constant losses and intense grief which seems to be endless, regardless of how long I have been living in a different culture. In facing the losses, first I felt a lot of anger, and astonishment, and a question came up frequently to me “What am I doing in a country which “rejects” me as a professional?” In facing the grief, I decided to accept the reality and regain the professional recognition. For some people it means to come back to university and repeat the same program, for others it means to change profession and start from zero. It is a daily struggle, just like elsewhere worldwide; however, it is accompanied all the time by questions like “Is it really worth being apart from family, friends and our own culture?”, One day will I be recognized in what I can contribute professionally?, Or will I always be a foreign professional?... And what does it really mean to be a foreign professional?
Yane, it is indeed a lonely road and hard to explain for the ones that have not been there. Depending of your career the transition is a bit easier, but it still takes time to build a new identity - not only professionally as a lot of our references are not long valid. A lot of who I am can be explain through my parents, friend, city/neighborhood, school I went to, places I like to hang around in my free time, etc... But abroad those references means nothing to others and you really need to build your identity from scratch again and it a long and something painful process. In the USA, I thought it particularly harder as people are extremely individualist.
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