I don’t think this is a very common route but I’ve been having a lot of doubts so I wanted to ask.
I am from the US, younger than 25 with a Bachelors degree in English and no full time work experience. Currently living with family so I have many things covered for me that I am grateful for. I was accepted into an English-language based master’s program (2 years) in Japan with an 80% tuition reduction (so money isn’t an issue). The degree would be a Master’s of Science in Asia Pacific Studies. On paper that sounds like an amazing opportunity that I would be stupid not to take. However, I’ve been rethinking my motive for attending.
I mainly want to learn the language and experience the culture. Grad school would provide some avenues for this, but academics would be the focus, I imagine. I am not really interested in academia or research, but when applying I thought that obtaining a master’s degree would be more beneficial than just going to language school.
My original goal with my English degree was to work in publishing, but it’s a hard industry to break into. With AI creeping into everything I’m also worried about the future of writing, editing, and proofreading work. I think learning Japanese could open doors to more niche work in publishing, such as with manga publishers. It would open doors in general, since even book stores like Kinokuniya require conversational Japanese for clerks.
More personally, I have been struggling with mental health issues for a while and dropped out of university for a semester to deal with it. I did eventually graduate, but my self-confidence is so low I’m not sure what’s realistic or what’s just fear taking over. I’m not great at making friends or “putting myself out there,”but perhaps the pressure from being in Japan would propel me forward. Self-studying is difficult as I find I do better with external structure, and full immersion in Japan might be most beneficial.
My options are thus:
– Attend the graduate program. Maybe I’ll like it/be fine with it and my fears are overblown
– Attend the graduate program. I get overwhelmed and drop out, going back to the US
– Attend the graduate program. I find that I don’t like it and try to apply for language school (this one I’m unsure about)
– don’t attend the graduate program. keep job searching in the US. Potentially apply for language school in a few years
TLDR/All this to say: if I went to Japan for graduate school, could I switch to a language school at any point?
If you’ve read all of this rambling post, thank you lol
by -Yazhi-