I’m 24 and consulting for a big finance firm. But I wanna be among those twenty-something globetrotters asap !! Thanks for sharing your story, I’ve also subscribed to your blog, motivational stuff

The book I referenced is Delaying the Real World, by Colleen Kinder – http://www.amazon.com/Delaying-Real-World-Twentysomethings-Adventure/dp/0762421894

I bought myself the book while I was still in college. It has hundreds of ideas for out-of-the-box-but-financially-feasible things to do, that don’t involve going to law school or sitting in a cubicle in your hometown.

From this book I found out about CIEE Teach in China – http://www.ciee.org/teach/china/ – the program that brought me to China for the first time to teach English at a university. She also talks about fellowships, volunteer opportunities, internships, guide jobs, and so much more. Highly recommended.

Full disclosure: Colleen is now a good friend of mine. I didn’t know her when I read her book, but I emailed her at one point to thank her for helping me make such a life-changing decision. She put me on her email list, and earlier this year she reached out to me and dozens of other friends in a Kickstarter campaign to fund her second book, about Americans living overseas. Coincidentally, I was able to contribute a few bucks toward her trip to Beijing, where I was living! We hung out a lot in Beijing, and I introduced her to plenty of friends to interview for the book. The world of twenty-something globetrotters is so small!

You can read more of Colleen’s work at http://www.colleenkinder.com/Colleenkinder/home.html