Last week, the front page of the Chicago Tribune business section had an above-the-fold story reporting on young adults heading abroad for professional experience. And guess what the lede of the story was? That’s right. Opportunities in Israel. Check it out:

 

By Julie Wernau, Tribune reporter
February 1, 2010

 

After JPMorgan Chase laid off Adi Clerman as a recruiter in August 2008, the 26-year-old Chicagoan couldn’t find a job — any job.

“I was looking and looking for work and interviewing and interviewing, and nothing was coming,” she said.

 

So Clerman decided to go abroad. She grabbed a five-month internship in Tel Aviv, Israel, at an American marketing firm through MASA Israel’s Career Israel program, a partnership with the Israeli government that sends young people to the country for work experiences. It filled a huge gap on her resume.

 

“When people asked me, ‘You got laid off in August 2008, what have you done since then?’ I had a really great answer,” she said.

One month after returning to the U.S., she landed a job as an admissions representative at Harrington College of Design in Chicago.

 

You can read the full article here. There are many other people just like Adi who were able to find ways to advance their careers or spend a year after college doing meaningful volunteer work or other incredible experiences.