Careers for Globetrotters: Meet Victor Mings, Software developer in the Netherlands

Filming behind-the-scenes stunts, meeting international journalists, and interviewing actors - it's all in a week's work!

Before she started working as a unit publicist for major television productions, Allie Elwell didn't even know the job existed. However, once she got a taste of the whirlwind of set life, she was hooked. What was supposed to be a five-week contract abroad has turned into four years in the industry, with no end in sight. You can often find her running around on set and scheduling behind-the-scenes shoots, while chugging coffee and juggling three cell phones. She doesn't have time for sugar-coating the details, and gives us her no-nonsense take on working abroad. Watch her series of videos below.

Doug Lau didn’t originally plan to specialize in global public health, but opportunities led him to a specialty he now loves. He talks to us about being an Aga Khan Foundation fellow, gives us tips for making yourself valuable to a development organization, and why if you’re stood up for a meeting in Tanzania, you should head for the bar! Watch his series of videos below.

Victor Mings has worked in Austria and the Netherlands and made the switch from aerospace engineering to software development. He talks to us about switching specialties, what he did to salvage a bad interview and land his current job, and the magic of the IAESTE internship program (and why you should Google it right now). Watch his series of videos below.

Laura White got her start in television by playing dead. After offering to play a dead body for a friend’s feature, she made her first contact in the business - which quickly led to ten more. She talks to us about sending television crews around the world, gives tips on climbing the ladder in the world of unscripted television, and tells us what will get your resume sent to the bottom of the pile. Watch her series of videos below.

Michael Bouliane believes in being a life-long student, and is always learning and adapting to the new trends in his sector. He talks to us about working for corporate clients as well as NGOs, adjusting to Beer O’clock, and relishing the moments he gets to be in a “Robin Hood” role. With more than 15 years in the industry, he gives us his best advice on how to kickstart your career, and what he looks for most when hiring. Watch his series of videos below.

For more than 15 years, Rachel Faller split her time between San Francisco and Cambodia, running her no-waste ethical fashion company, tonlé. She talks to us about being a Fulbright Scholar, becoming an unintentional businesswoman, and what it takes to run a business in Cambodia. Find out how your closet and the Great Pacific garbage patch are related, listen to Rachel’s best advice for aspiring social entrepreneurs, and find out what lesson she had to learn when she first arrived in Cambodia. Watch her series of videos below.

"Things get lost in translation. For example, if a British person says 'Oh, that's really interesting', what they really mean is they absolutely hate it. But the Americans don't understand that, they think the Brits actually think that's interesting, but interesting in North America is a good thing. Interesting in Britain is not a good thing.""Do internships, try things on your own, make videos, run social media campaigns for your friends...and talk to everyone and tell everyone what you're doing. If you can't be a self-promoter, then you can't promote anyone else.""Networking 101. People will always ask you what are you up to these days, what kind of job are you doing, so you can use that to launch into either what you're doing or what you want to do. And I find it's really helpful, in any kind of context, to tell a story... It's an amazing way to kind of get on the same level as somebody.""I think the biggest mistakes I see are people not being honest when they make a mistake. You're so much better off admitting you did something wrong, than if you try to hide it, or that you pretend it never happened. Because it's amazing how those things can come back at you. But it's also amazing how often people don't really care if you make a mistake. They'd much rather know and help you fix it.""You need to know when to push and when to hold back. If you push too much, too quickly, if it's unnecessary to push, you could potentially ruin those relationships forever.""Don't be afraid of being lonely. Some of the hardest things I've found, certainly about moving to the Czech Republic, was being alone and trying to pretend that I was fine...You don't always have to be so strong with everyone all the time. It's okay to feel lonely, it's okay to feel isolated, and it's okay to talk about it."