I'm having a mid life crisis already >.<

[Oishii 3,987]

I don’t normally post in personal But I need to get my feelings out about this or I’m just going to keep on beating myself up over this.

I’m still feeling conflicted about choosing a major, which sucks because I’ve been trying to choose a major for, what, 4 years now? The class I graduated with probably all have their degrees and are starting their lives, and I’m still in school taking courses only to change my mind yet again on my major.

 

However, I think I have it boiled down to two options. One, which is the path I’m on now, is to go to Japan and teach English as a second language. So right now my major is English and I’ll either minor in teaching or in Japanese. Right now I’m conflicted about this going into my EDU 101 class. I’ve been hearing that this is the class that shows whether or not teaching is for you. I’m starting to become scared that I’ll find out that teaching isn’t for me. I’ve tutored before and enjoyed it, but teaching is also making curriculums and having more responsibility over the students and such. And then I’ll be teaching in the Japanese education system and may find that I’m not equipped for teaching there.

 

So now I’ve been exploring the possibility of becoming a translator. From what I’ve read, the job looks really appealing. I would major in Japanese and then get work in Japan translating into English. There are always jobs and the market is growing, and the salary is about as much as teaching. But here I’m facing a lot of insecurities about changing majors yet again.

 

My biggest issue is my father. He is getting very impatient with me, and it seems like every time I change my mind the first thing out of his mouth is “How much is this going to cost me?” If I took the translating route, I would have to transfer to De Paul to get a degree (or another school in Japan I need to ask sensei about), which means paying a higher tuition and room and board, though since I would only need two years rather than three years more with the teaching route it may well balance out to the same price. I’m worried about having student loans after school as well, but I feel like I’m being pushed to avoid something that is unavoidable. The best I can do is apply for financial aid and try for some scholarships.

 

I’m in a spot where I feel very insecure about where I am. Right now, I’m just taking the EDU 101 to find about how I would do teaching, but also researching into translating to see which one suits me more. I even contacted Brian Gray who localizes most of the KH games asking him about his experience with going to school and getting a job and asking him tips about what I could do. I feel like a lot of what I do this semester will determine my future (oh the pressure!). I’m at least glad that I’ve realized that Japanese is my passion.

[xBerserkerSaix07x 125]

ANy trip to Japan sounds nice.If you really feel as though being a translator is your passion, i recommend it.As a translator, you are constantly on the go with you employer(meaning hearing less mouth with your father)and able to see the world!Hope this helps!

[animemylove 439]

you said yourself you liked tutoring kids and it's only natural to be afraid about your career. i recommend you do what comes natural to you, do what both appeals to you and you know you'll enjoy, don't let nervousness bring you out of it bud.

[waytothexdawnx 1,159]

Oh, I know exactly how you feel.

 

I went to school for cosmetology, got my license, worked the industry only to find out I hate it. Then I went to school for real estate, accounting and business only to find that I hate that as well. Now Im in school for video game art and design. I love it so far, but I feel like Im not good enough to make it in the industry. All I can do is proceed with school and see if I progress. The schooling is $56,000. Yeah, student loans are going to suck after school, so I hope I get better and get a job so I can pay it off. I also have an additional $6,000 I have to pay still for cosmetology school. *sigh*

 

All of my friends have their degrees, are planning their weddings, getting married, having babies… Im 24, in college until 2014, still live at home and barely make money because GameStop cut my hours by a lot… I have a boyfriend, but we've only been together for a month so I don't know where its going to go. All I know is that Im so far behind in life. I had a mid-life crisis on my birthday and have mini ones a lot lol.

 

As for you, you're obviously passionate about Japanese. Stick with it. You don't want to just have a job one day, you want to have a career. Something that you'll love to do everyday. I honestly think the translation thing would work for you really well. Just make sure you go with your gut instinct. They're usually never wrong.

 

Good luck and I hope you find your place in life!

[DChiuch 5,773]

My advice would be to stick with what you're doing now, and just finish your course without changing your major. Later on, when you have some experience *working* as an English teacher, rather than just studying it, you'll have a much clearer idea of whether you want to be a teacher or a translator. Then, if you decide so, you can try and get a job as a translator--

 

my main point here is that if you ever want to change to a translating job, having a teaching degree + teaching experience will be just as, if not more impressive than simply having a translating degree. Just my opinion You have to keep in mind that your degree does not define your job, as long as your degree is somewhat related then you'll probably have freedom in your career to move between different jobs.