Advice~
Okay everyone, I need some help here. I've got a few different options I'm thinking about for the future, but I need some other opinions on it. And please, do give me what you really think. I'm open to discussion; actually I really want some discussion in trying to figure this all out.
So here we go:
1) This is what I've been saying I'm going to do: go back to Korea and study language at a university. And I'm really drawn to the idea because I get to go back and study and because I could work on my Korean. But at the same time, I'm not sure I really want to do that. I loved study abroad before, met my best friends, but I'm just not sure if another experience could add up to that. And that would disappoint me. Plus, I wasn't exactly in love with my language classes before. I want to learn, but I'm not sure I could be a person that could just go and focus on those classes and then have half a day to myself or something. I would need to be busy all the time. So I'm not sure if I'm just looking at this option as a way to get back to Korea, just like teaching was and it would end up the same way. Of course, it could turn out better, I could meet more people and if I were in Seoul I do know some people there I could meet up with.
2) Grad school. I've always said this is the ultimate goal. To go back and get my master's and then to teach. But the thing is, I really don't know that I want to do that any time soon. I'm actually kind of scared of it. My last year of university really killed my confidence in my writing skills and research skills and showed me I lack a lot. Well, with a master's in history or Asian studies, I would definitely need to improve on that. Plus, I need a research topic. A thesis. And I don't know how it is for most people, but I hear all these awesome topics and I'm like how will I ever come up with anything that isn't too broad, isn't out of my league, or whatever? Maybe someone who knows a little more about it can advise me on the subject. And also, I feel like I need more experience and definitely more fluency in my languages before I try it. You have to have lots of primary sources and they can't all be in translation for master's work. And I am nowhere near being able to have all of my primary sources in Japanese and translate them myself. Let's forget for the moment that I'm nowhere near fluent and my kanji knowledge is pitiful, and go back to the fact that I have concentrated thus far on 16th to 18th century political relationships between Korea and Japan. I'm pretty sure that Japanese is much different than even my little bit goes.
3) Okay so this is the idea that has been growing on me the most recently. Because obviously, I just don't know what I want to do. I do know that I want to teach. I'm actually kind of excited to teach. I would like to be the kind of teacher that makes kids actually like history. I don't care if they don't know every date and name, I just want these kids to realize there's a big world out there, and it's getting much smaller. Call me idealistic, but I think any teacher needs that idealism. If you start out a cynic, then you'll never go anywhere. Let me start out idealist and learn what works and doesn't work while holding on to that dream. But anyways, (XD) what I've been tossing around is going back for teacher certification. But-- at the same time working on my Japanese. Finding a school where I could do both at the same time, kind of like adding on to my degree. (If that's possible.) And maybe I could sneak a trip at least to Japan in there. Then I could teach, have a steady job, have summers off to work on other things or go travel and I can maybe go back for my master's later. I don't want to put it off too long if it's really something I want to do, but I feel like I need time, to see more of the world, learn more before I can really have a thesis worth writing and supporting.
So those are my ideas. And really guys, no one comments often, but I'd love your opinions on this. I'm stuck not knowing what to do. I work at a fast food restaurant and it's actually not a bad job. Not a career, but it's been decent so far. And I'm being considered for a promotion to management. But I want to have a plan and stick to it so I don't get stuck in this job. Right now, it's a way to make money and support myself while figuring things out. Whatever I decide I'll definitely need the money. But I need a light at the end of the tunnel so I don't get sucked into looking down at myself for the type of job I have or whatever. I wrote down the other day about leaving my teaching job, "I don't regret my decision. And I want to stop feeling like I do." And to do that, I need goals and a plan for how I'm going to go about things now. So help? Please? :)
So here we go:
1) This is what I've been saying I'm going to do: go back to Korea and study language at a university. And I'm really drawn to the idea because I get to go back and study and because I could work on my Korean. But at the same time, I'm not sure I really want to do that. I loved study abroad before, met my best friends, but I'm just not sure if another experience could add up to that. And that would disappoint me. Plus, I wasn't exactly in love with my language classes before. I want to learn, but I'm not sure I could be a person that could just go and focus on those classes and then have half a day to myself or something. I would need to be busy all the time. So I'm not sure if I'm just looking at this option as a way to get back to Korea, just like teaching was and it would end up the same way. Of course, it could turn out better, I could meet more people and if I were in Seoul I do know some people there I could meet up with.
2) Grad school. I've always said this is the ultimate goal. To go back and get my master's and then to teach. But the thing is, I really don't know that I want to do that any time soon. I'm actually kind of scared of it. My last year of university really killed my confidence in my writing skills and research skills and showed me I lack a lot. Well, with a master's in history or Asian studies, I would definitely need to improve on that. Plus, I need a research topic. A thesis. And I don't know how it is for most people, but I hear all these awesome topics and I'm like how will I ever come up with anything that isn't too broad, isn't out of my league, or whatever? Maybe someone who knows a little more about it can advise me on the subject. And also, I feel like I need more experience and definitely more fluency in my languages before I try it. You have to have lots of primary sources and they can't all be in translation for master's work. And I am nowhere near being able to have all of my primary sources in Japanese and translate them myself. Let's forget for the moment that I'm nowhere near fluent and my kanji knowledge is pitiful, and go back to the fact that I have concentrated thus far on 16th to 18th century political relationships between Korea and Japan. I'm pretty sure that Japanese is much different than even my little bit goes.
3) Okay so this is the idea that has been growing on me the most recently. Because obviously, I just don't know what I want to do. I do know that I want to teach. I'm actually kind of excited to teach. I would like to be the kind of teacher that makes kids actually like history. I don't care if they don't know every date and name, I just want these kids to realize there's a big world out there, and it's getting much smaller. Call me idealistic, but I think any teacher needs that idealism. If you start out a cynic, then you'll never go anywhere. Let me start out idealist and learn what works and doesn't work while holding on to that dream. But anyways, (XD) what I've been tossing around is going back for teacher certification. But-- at the same time working on my Japanese. Finding a school where I could do both at the same time, kind of like adding on to my degree. (If that's possible.) And maybe I could sneak a trip at least to Japan in there. Then I could teach, have a steady job, have summers off to work on other things or go travel and I can maybe go back for my master's later. I don't want to put it off too long if it's really something I want to do, but I feel like I need time, to see more of the world, learn more before I can really have a thesis worth writing and supporting.
So those are my ideas. And really guys, no one comments often, but I'd love your opinions on this. I'm stuck not knowing what to do. I work at a fast food restaurant and it's actually not a bad job. Not a career, but it's been decent so far. And I'm being considered for a promotion to management. But I want to have a plan and stick to it so I don't get stuck in this job. Right now, it's a way to make money and support myself while figuring things out. Whatever I decide I'll definitely need the money. But I need a light at the end of the tunnel so I don't get sucked into looking down at myself for the type of job I have or whatever. I wrote down the other day about leaving my teaching job, "I don't regret my decision. And I want to stop feeling like I do." And to do that, I need goals and a plan for how I'm going to go about things now. So help? Please? :)