Why are so many more students choosing to put themselves in harm's way for what many Gen X'ers and Baby Boomers looked upon as a quasi-vacation? Career development. Today's students and their parents believe that it's "good to have an exposure to a country that's particularly unique...to get an employer to pay attention," said Peggy Blumenthal, the chief operating officer of the Institute of International Education, a non-profit organization that helps to organize international exchanges such as the Fulbright program.

Yet is it really the case that employers are paying attention to these high risk trips? Corporate recruiters don't seem to be as enthusiastic as are the candidates.The recruiters typically feel that study abroad experiences don't make a good candidate, but they can influence a decision about a candidate if that candidate's credentials are very close to another candidate without a similiar experience on their resume. "It depends on how much [the students] immerse themselves in the program and how much time they are spending there," said Danielle Domingue, a senior recruiter at JPMorgan.

Employers like study abroad programs because they expose students to global business environments and help students to prove that they can take initiatives, risks, have an adventurous side, and know how to stay safe in hot zones.

-- Source: Wall Street Journal