When I decided to head back to college after a 13 year gap, I was not just looking for a piece of paper to hang on my wall. I was looking for an exit strategy from a retail career that felt like a dead end. I was looking for a way to turn my life around. Most of all, I was looking for an investment in me that would actually pay off.
That journey eventually took me halfway across the world to Taiwan and China. It was a trip that changed everything I thought I knew about education, success, and how systems work.
If you feel like you are just going through the motions in school or in your career, I want to share how a global perspective can help you stop being a passenger in your own life. You can become the person who hacks the system to find your life purpose.
The Taiwan Realization: Navigating the Unknown
In 2015, I landed in Taiwan thanks to a Benjamin Gilman International Scholarship. Before that, my world was mostly defined by what I saw in my own neighborhood. Suddenly, I was in a place where I could not read the signs, understand the conversations, or even navigate a simple grocery store without a plan.
This was my first lesson in system hacking. When you are in a foreign country, you cannot rely on the usual shortcuts. You have to observe. You have to ask questions. You have to find the gaps in the system to get what you need.
I realized that the educational system back home was just another framework I had to learn to navigate. In Taiwan, I learned that being an outsider is actually a superpower. When you do not fit the mold, you are forced to innovate. You are forced to look at problems from a different angle. This is the heart of what I call cross cultural intrapreneurship.
China and the Business of Innovation
After Taiwan, my path led me to China. I participated in an international business plan competition where my team placed third out of eighteen teams from twenty three different countries.
That experience was a wake up call. I saw students from all over the world approaching business and education as a strategic tool. They were not just there to learn facts. They were there to build networks, create solutions, and leverage every resource available to them.
In China, I saw how fast systems can change when innovation is the driving force. I started to ask myself why I was not applying that same level of innovation to my own education and career back in the states. Why was I waiting for someone to give me permission to lead?
I learned that intrapreneurship is not just for people in tech companies. It is a mindset you can apply to any organization, including your university or your current workplace. It is about being an entrepreneur from the inside out.
The Global Innovation Mindset
Having a global perspective is not just about having a stamp on your passport. It is about how you process information and solve problems. When you see how things work in different cultures, you realize that there is no single right way to do anything.
This realization is incredibly freeing. If there is no single right way, then you have the permission to create your own way. You can take the best parts of different systems and combine them to create something new.
In my work with Spark ED, I talk a lot about using education as a launchpad for success. A launchpad is not the final destination. It is the thing that gives you the momentum to get where you actually want to go. My time in Asia was fuel for my launchpad.
Hacking the System at Home
When I returned from my international studies, I did not just go back to being a regular student. I came back as an intrapreneur. I started looking for ways to hack the academic system to work better for me and for others.
Here is what hacking the system looks like in real life:
- Scholarship Strategy: I did not just apply for one or two scholarships. I built a system to find, track, and win them. I learned how to reuse my essays and how to network with the people making the decisions. You can read more about this in my guide on Scholarship Secrets Revealed.
- Networking Up: I stopped just talking to my peers and started reaching out to mentors, professors, and community leaders. I treated every conversation as a potential partnership.
- Purpose Driven Credits: I stopped taking classes just because they were on a list. I looked for courses that would actually help me build the skills I needed for my life purpose.
I realized that the bureaucracy of education is not a wall. It is a maze. If you know how to navigate it, you can find routes that others never even see.
Education as a Strategic Tool
The biggest lesson I learned from my cross cultural experiences is that education is a strategic tool, not a trophy. Many people go to college because they think they have to. They treat it like a chore.
When you treat education as a strategic tool, you are constantly asking how each assignment, each class, and each connection is getting you closer to your goal. You are not just a student. You are an intrapreneur managing your own career development.
This is exactly why I founded Spark ED University. I wanted to help other students, especially those who returned to school after a 13 year gap, to see their education through this lens. I want you to leave school with usable credentials, minimal debt, and a clear path to a purposeful career.
Throw Everything Against the Wall
One of my favorite pieces of advice is to throw everything against the wall and see what sticks. This is how you find your purpose. You try different things. You study abroad. You join clubs. You start projects. You fail. You get back up.
My time in Taiwan and China was a huge part of my "throwing everything against the wall" phase. It taught me that it is okay to be confused. It is okay to be behind. As long as you are moving forward and looking for ways to innovate, you are on the right track.
The Best Time to Start is Now
If you are reading this and feeling stuck, I want you to know that your background or your gap years do not define your future. Your ability to think like an intrapreneur does.
Take a look at the systems around you. Where are the gaps? Where can you add value? How can you use your education as a launchpad for your success?
The world needs more people with a global perspective and an innovation mindset. It needs people who are willing to hack the status quo to create something better.
Stay Connected and Keep Growing
I am constantly sharing more strategies on how to navigate education and career success with a purpose. If you want to stay updated and get more tips on how to become a system hacker, I invite you to join our community.
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Category: Global Perspective, Intrapreneurship, Career Strategy
Tags: International Study, Taiwan, China, Innovation, System Hacking
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