Traveling Jobs in IT?

wed128 asks: "I am currently a freshman at Penn State University, studying for a Computer Engineering degree. However, I look at the graduates ahead of me and many of them are cubical warriors. This doesn't really bother me, however i'd like to see the world before being confined to a cube for the rest of my life. Are there any jobs in an IT field where I can travel? How would I go about getting the right contacts regarding this? I have 4 years till graduation, so this isn't a direct plea for a job..."

Comments

You will have to work to not travel.

[(H)elix1]

This doesn't really bother me, however i'd like to see the world before being confined to a cube for the rest of my life. Are there any jobs in an IT field where I can travel?

You have got to be kidding me. Join most any company that has a significant consulting services or sales branch, and it is easy to see the world. Within the next six weeks I'll hit cities in four continents.... Surprisingly, the view is about the same as a cube. A card table if the client planned ahead, a hotel every nigh where you spend the rest of the evening making magic, and eating at whatever restaurant is nearby. I know where the plane is on some international flight just by the snack cart shuffling about.

There was a point - travel is easy. If you want to spelunk the world and enjoy it, better to do it as a vacationer than trying to 'see the world' after a shift is done. I saw more of Europe backpacking on the cheap in college than I have 'commuting' back and forth.

As a bonus, make sure you pick a career that affords you the purchasing power to see the world. Air and hotel miles are a brutal way to do it... (grin)

Re:You will have to work to not travel.

[PD]

I disagree completely. I travel between 20% and 40% of my time in any given year, and I've seen many things that I wouldn't have bothered to see otherwise.

You will as often find yourself in Lizard Lick, North Carolina as you find yourself in Paris, France. The difference is that while you might go to Paris for a vacation, you'll never to to Lizard Lick on your time off.

But if you make it a point to dig up something interesting no matter where you are, you will always be able to tell stories about that time you were stuck in Lizard Lick. Every place you visit has something interesting to see. If you rely on a big sign and a line of people with cameras and big hats to find something interesting, you'll hate it. If you can talk to people and don't mind walking out of your hotel with the goal of seeing something before you know what it is you will see, you'll like it.

You may not be able to backpack your way down the Appalachian Trail on a business trip, but there's plenty of other ways to see cool things in Virginia if you're sent there.