About Globe Year

We are building a community of social innovators and young leaders invested in exploring their passions through global, experiential learning. We believe that postgraduate travel should not inhibit future success, it should promote it. 

Our Mission

• Create a community of socially conscious citizens, innovators, and leaders 

• Inspire people around the world to travel, connect, explore, and play

• Re-frame travel as a vehicle that promotes both personal discovery and career growth 

• Promote cross-cultural understanding, communication, and collaboration

• Provide young leaders unique experiences, skills and resources to help them achieve their vast potential 

• Remind people that you do not have to choose between a successful career and personal happiness!

The Problem

College graduates desire the opportunity to travel the world, explore, and make a positive social impact; but do not want to do so at the expense of a successful career, particularly in today's tough job market. In addition, many recent college graduates long-term career potential is being severely hampered due to chronic underemployment, with nearly 50% of college graduates working jobs that did not require a Bachelor's degree according to the Center for College Affordability and Productivity. As a result, students are conflicted because they fear that if they travel they will be unable to get high-quality jobs and achieve their professional goals.

At the same time, we are living in an increasingly connected global economy and companies are struggling to recruit talented problem solvers, creative thinkers and globally-minded leaders who have real-world work experience and can navigate the complex challenges of today's marketplace.

Our Solution

To solve this problem, Globe Year recruits idealistic, talented recent college grads, sends them on a 12-month journey around the world, teaches them transferable skills, and provides them with a variety of real-world applicable experiences. Upon returning, Globe Year will connect fellows with excellent resources, potential employers, and career opportunities.

The program offers a two-fold solution to the issues listed above by offering students the opportunity to travel, learn, and explore while advancing their career marketability; and providing the workforce confident, globally-minded young leaders.

Long-Term Vision

The goal is for Globe Year Fellows to return from their travels as true global citizens, with a greater appreciation for the possibilities and problems the world has to offer. These remarkable fellows will make waves in the fields of social innovation, public policy, business, etc. As the program expands, the goal is to create a thriving community of lifelong learners, global citizens and socially conscious leaders who positively impact their communities and take aim at some of our world’s most pressing challenges. By 2020, we hope to have had 1000 fellows complete the Globe Year program with us. 

We have included a list of companies and organizations that we believe would make for excellent potential partners for the Globe Year program. We view many of these organizations more as role models than competitors, and believe that we can learn an incredible amount from their experiences and operational models.  We are not affiliated with any of these organizations at the moment, but it would be our honor to one day call some of these remarkable organizations partners. 

Potential Partners

• Clinton Global Initiative 
• Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
• UMD QUEST Program
• IVHQ
• Cross Cultural Solutions
• API
• ISL
• The Kauffman Foundation
• Semester at Sea
• Startup America
• City Year
• LearnServe
• Stanford D School
• Harvard University
• Americorps
• SIT
• The Mycelium School
• The Journey Network
• Institute of International Education
• Social Entrepreneur Corps
• Journeys for Change
• Outward Bound

Awesome Programs

• Global Citizen Year
• Thinking Beyond Borders
• Peace Corps
• Teach For America
• Teach Abroad
• Volunteer Abroad
• TechnoServe
• Venture for America
• Fulbright Scholars
• Hult University
• MBAs Without Borders
• Gap Year
• Millennial Trains Project
• IDEX Fellowship
• Atlas Corps
• Echoing Green
• YearUp
• Watson Fellowship
• AmeriCorps
• UnCollege
• Experience Institute
• Enstitute
• Think Impact
• SVA DSI
• Operation Groundswell

Potential Sponsors

• Google
• Deloitte Consulting
• Apple
• Facebook
• IBM
• GE
• National Geographic
• AFAR Magazine
• Travel+Leisure
• General Assembly
• WeHostels
• Points of Light
• Village Capital 
• The Aspen Institute
• Ashoka
• Acumen

Globe Year Founder, Sahil Rahman, has had a life-long passion for travel, adventure, and unconventional living. He founded Globe Year with the idea that individuals should not have to choose between a promising professional career, and a fulfilling personal life. 

At the age of 20, through an unexpected combination of studying, working, and volunteering abroad, Sahil embarked on a journey around the world that took him to eighteen countries, and four continents over the course of two years. Upon returning from this journey, he was amazed by how much he had learned in such a relatively short time frame. The variety of experiences, cultures, and individuals he had interacted with had impacted him in profound ways, and completely reshaped his perspective on the world. 

Upon returning, Sahil felt others could benefit from a similar experience and actively shared his story and encouraged many friends to take trips of their own. Unfortunately, he found that despite their desire to do so, many individuals felt they would be unable to travel as they feared it would negatively impact their job prospects, particularly in an unforgiving market.  This theory was given credence by the cautionary tales of friends who had taught abroad or taken gap years and struggled to find job opportunities that utilized their skills appropriately.  

Sahil's own experience, however, had indicated otherwise. He had bypassed a traditional corporate internship for an unconventional opportunity in SE Asia with Outback Steakhouse, and to his surprise found that having that experience actually helped him land multiple offers and a high-quality job. In fact, many recruiters told him that in the sea of sameness and cookie cutter resumes, having a non-traditional background and a globalized perspective had allowed him to stand out as it demonstrated initiative, creativity, and adaptability. Contrary to popular belief, travelling with a purpose had actually helped him land a job in today's competitive economy.

With this knowledge and a deep rooted belief in the transformative power of travel, Sahil set out to create the Globe Year program in 2013.  Through Globe Year, Sahil seeks to share the wonders of travel,  help individuals create adventure filled lives and empower people to believe they do not have to choose between a happy life and a successful career. 

The Globe Year Team

Sahil Rahman, Founder

Anna Roberts, COO

Anna comes to the Globe Year team inspired by the chance to encourage individuals to combine transformative personal experiences with marketable career building skills all wrapped up in a year of world travel. Anna has previously worked in education reform, her interests focused on educational equity for students of all socioeconomic backgrounds, primarily students of color. Anna graduated from Smith College with a B.A. in Sociology and History.

Rahul Vinod, CFO

Q & A

If you have any questions, hopefully this page should be able to help you answer them. If you still can't find what you're looking for, feel free to contact us  and we would be more than happy to help!  

How long is the program? 

Globe Year is a 12 month program.  

How much does it cost? 

The exact cost for the trip is still being determined. We are exploring many opportunities to make the trip as cost-effective as possible, and shall let you know once we have finalized program cost.

Is Globe Year currently accepting applications?

We are not accepting applications to the program at this time. We are hard at work to make the Globe Year vision a reality, and will be sure to let you know as soon as the program opens up applications.

Does the program offer scholarships? 

We are currently working on developing partnerships that would potentially allow for us to offer scholarships to accepted fellows. These scholarships will be merit-based. 

Is Globe Year a non-profit? 

We are in the process of determining the most appropriate corporate structure for Globe Year. We shall update the site with this information once a decision has been made. 

Who is eligible to apply once the application is opened?

Current Seniors in college, and recent college graduates with <2 years of full-time work experience are encouraged to apply to the program once applications are opened

What countries do you go to? 

USA, Chile, Kenya, India, and China  

Books

Throughout history, books have passed wisdom, stories, and lessons from generation to generation. Our recommended readings encompass a wide variety of topics meant to help promote personal and professional growth, happiness, and success.

Social Enterprise & Development

• Pedagogy of the Opressed
• Growing Social Business
• How to Change the World

Happiness Studies

• The Happiness Hypothesis

Career & Entrepreneurship

• The Start-up of You
• The Art of Non-Conformity
• ReWork
• The Lean Startup

Productivity, Creativity, and Project Management

• Making Ideas Happen
• Manage Your Day-to-Day
• Getting Things Done
• Drive

Interpersonal Relationships & Personal Development

• Emotional Intelligence 2.0
• Crucial Conversations
• What EveryBody is Saying
• Strengths Finder
• The 48 Laws of Power
• Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

Business - Sales, Negotiations, Change Management and Decision-Making

• Influence
• Negotiation Genius
• Switch
• Decisive

Cultural Awareness

• Culture Smart: Kenya
• Culture Smart: Chile 
• Culture Smart: China
• Culture Smart: India 

Fun Travel Reads

• The Alchemist
• On the Road
• Shantaram

Say hello! 

We love meeting new folks and talking travel. Please feel free to contact us with any questions, comments, or concerns. Our dedicated team of explorers is more than happy to help - so just let us know how we can be of assistance! 

Globe Year

18804 Sunset Hills ct

Gaithersburg, MD 20879

T 301-792-4545
E sahil@globeyear.com

Leave your contact information below if you would like to learn more about our program!