I am 24 and I have no idea what I want to do

hit the road, Jack wrote:

Go teach English in Asia or somewhere. In some countries you can get free housing plus flights plus a decent salary (1500-2500 a month). Depending on the country, you can save as much as 15000 (Korea) and figure out if you like teaching or if you want to try something else.

As long as you have a degree you can probably find an acceptable job in one of those countries if you take a look.

This. A chance to travel, make decent bank, help people (teaching students who are actually motivated to learn), learn a new language, and make yourself attractive to any future employers if/when you decide to return to the States.

Plus I'd seriously recommend going to Johnson O'Connor (http://www.jocrf.org/) and finding out your aptitudes. It costs a few hundred (for two days of testing), but was well worth it for me--can point you in the direction of a career that'll be satisfying because it actually matches your natural strengths.

Should a teacher really use "literally" in that way?To the OP - it should take no longer that a year to get your teaching cert, 2 max if you want to add special ed. to it.

I love it when mediocre whot guys blame their wretched lots on others.if you lost a job to a minority or woman it's because you suck or are pathetic. They didnt get sometning they didnt deserve, rather That woman or minority is simply better than you.

I work for an organization that hires people at the $200k+ level. Our last three offers were to two Asians and a woman (one of the Asians was a woman). No reverse discrimination here; the white male candidates were simply minor league in comparison. It was like comparing Elite East African runners to elite US runners. You find very few US runners on the same level.

And folks, stop whining about affirmative action. If you get passed over, simply embrace your mediocrity. A colleague teaches in an elite business school that whines about not finding qualified minority candidates. They 5 black male students and 0 black female students in their incoming class of nearly 200. You think your chances would be that much better if there 5 more slots for whit guys? The reality os those 5 are probably better than you and there are probably dozens of other white and Asian candidates ahead of you in competition for those seats. As one commentator put it, white guys complaining about AA are le like drivers in a crowded parking lot who grumble about the handful of empty handicap spaces. The reality is that those spaces would be full as. Well if they weren't reserved.

I also laugh at your criticism of the President's policies. Be sure to give your Tea Party and Repub representatives full credit for shutting done gov in order to maintain privilege for the rich. Obama has been an incredibly weak president. He is so weak that we are essentially seeing Repub policies in place. If you think it's bad now, you'll really hate it when the Repubs get the White House back.

[quote]Patrickbateman wrote:

Truer words haven't been spoken. You are spot on about all office jobs going to women and minorities... I have a similar thread going to this, we are indeed the lost generation, only way to make it out there is to go medieval. Maybe move to LA become a standup or just start robbing banks.

[quote]bobonuts wrote:

Don't bother.

Its time to go Medieval. Find something that makes you happy. Something to sustain you. Grow your own vegetables.

The work will not be available for the next few years in this corporate environment. And any work will go to minorities and women. (Who are probably now in the majority of new hires)...

i agree with teaching abroad.

i taught in south korea. it was an amazing experience. i saved around 14k and did whatever i want.

do that for a couple of years and then come back and go to grad school in a field you enjoy.

I also have no idea what I want to do, but I know what I am - curious. And I know what I *don't* want to do - I don't want to be bored for the rest of my life. Find something that can hold your interest for as long as you live. Myself, I have chosen research, specifically astrophysics, which allows me to constantly learn new things and each new thing opens new possibilities for me. I never have time to get settled in an idea before a new one comes along. That is my own perspective, which might not jive with yours, but I think every person wants to avoid boredom.

Just because you are a janitor at a company that hires people at a 200k doesnt mean you know what your talking about. Technically I work at a place that hires people for $1,000,000+ but I'm not one of them and I'm pretending to be one on a message board.

To add my two cents to the 'teaching abroad' idea.

I was 22 with graduation fast approaching and not the slightest idea of what I wanted to do. I got a job in an outdoor sports store and started saving my money. By the time I graduated in Dec. I'd saved about $3000 so I bought a flight ticket to Guatemala and spent the next three months backpacking around Guatemala, Honduras, and Belize. I climbed an active volcano, studied Spanish for a month, worked in a hostel for a couple of weeks, did some volunteer work, got my OW Scuba certification, and generally had an absolutely amazing time. While there I tried figuring out what I wanted to do and started reading up on TEFL certificates because I really enjoyed being abroad.

I came back to the U.S. with about $300 to my name and got another part time job while living at home and continued researching TEFL. I saw loads of adverts for S. Korea which promised an upfront flight ticket over and a furnished apartment to live in along with a settlement allowance and a few other bonuses. Within a month of sending a introductory email to a recruiter I was on a plane. I paid off my students loans (10k) in my first year, saved another 8 grand and then spent six months going from Nepal and India through the Mid East and up through Eastern Europe, then to Peru.

Came back for another year in S. Korea, saved up another 15 grand, and spent another six months traveling through SE Asia, Europe and finishing up with a three month jaunt from Nairobi to Capetown. Went back to Korea and just finished up my third year and am about to start my fourth. I've discovered that I love teaching elementary students and will return to the U.S. to get a teaching certification in a couple more years.

Anyway, long story but the point is that there are loads of people in similar spots. If you're willing to go abroad, you could have a great adventure, pay off student loans, experience loads of new things, and maybe figure out what you want to do later on (with some start up money to actually do it). Of course, you could also end up having a horrible time where you spend all of your money getting wasted every night by yourself and stumble home a year later hating everything there is to hate about any country that isn't your own. Its not without its 'risks' and certainly requires some flexibility and open-mindedness and a bit of luck. Many teachers I know have been there for a couple of years, though.

Good luck.

I'm 50 - college degree, been employed since I graduated in 1983 - I still have no idea what I want to do.

waygookin, can you list some reputable Korean schools? I've been abroad for two years. I'm going to go back to the US to get a second BA in English, CELTA certificate, and maybe a master's in teaching English as a foreign language.

How can you teach English as a 2nd language if you can't speak Korean?

hit the road, Jack wrote:

Go teach English in Asia or somewhere. In some countries you can get free housing plus flights plus a decent salary (1500-2500 a month). Depending on the country, you can save as much as 15000 (Korea) and figure out if you like teaching or if you want to try something else.

As long as you have a degree you can probably find an acceptable job in one of those countries if you take a look.

Do this. I was in your shoes at 24, got an opportunity to live and work in europe for a few years and it was one of the best choices I ever made. Learning mandarin or sanother language won't hurt your resume either. Looking back, it's clear to me that my indecision meant I just wasn't ready to start the daily grind. Now I'm late 20's, and ready to buckle down in a career with no regrets.

@waygookin wrote:

waygookin, can you list some reputable Korean schools? I've been abroad for two years. I'm going to go back to the US to get a second BA in English, CELTA certificate, and maybe a master's in teaching English as a foreign language.

A CELTA AND a MATESOL is redundant and a waste of time and money, especially in Eastern Asia. I'd go for either/or.

As for reputable schools, sorry, not really.

There are tens of thousands of public schools and hagwons (private academies) and over 30,000 Native English Teachers teaching in them.

I don't want to say it's a crapshoot your first year, because there are certainly steps you can take to maximize getting a better job, but there really is no telling as managers, staff, and principals can all change and make the school a bit different than the year before.

I've worked in two different academies that are part of large chains (YBM ECC and Avalon) and had no problems and the general consensus is that the chain schools are the safest bet for a first timer.

Likewise the public school system is generally regarded as an even safer bet than the hagwons for first timers. The public schools are under the umbrella organizations of EPIK, SMOE, and GEPIK. Korvia is a reputable recruiter that recruits for them.

For the academies you'll generally have the chance to email a current and former teacher to see how things are. Being at an academy with other foreign teachers is a very easy way to ease into the expat lifestyle. At public schools you're generally the only foreigner there.

and

are the go-to places for all the info you could ever want about living and teaching in Korea and eslcafe is also a great resource for any other countries you may be interested in.

Silly Old Fossil wrote:

How can you teach English as a 2nd language if you can't speak Korean?

Fairly easily, actually.

It's quite amazing to see how much communication can take place without actually saying anything. With brand new learners I use a lot of nonverbal cues, actions, and repetition. The younger they are, the faster it seems they pick up new words. The speed of their progress can be mind-boggling at times.

When you get down to the basics of learning a new language, it's pretty interesting to explore teaching/learning methods and experiment in the classroom. Especially with kids, I employ numerous songs, chants, role-plays, dialogues, and speaking games to reinforce new words and terms and it's exciting to watch them continually build on that week by week.

Silly Old Fossil wrote:

How can you teach English as a 2nd language if you can't speak Korean?

I'm assuming you've never studied a foreign language abroad before (I have done several), because you'd only hear the native language spoken in that class.

It's called immersion practice. Korean kids have other classes where they get grammar concepts clarified in their native tongue.

I also taught in a Korean university, and speak close to fluent Korean, but never used it in class except for the odd occasion of translating a word.

To all of you guys complaining you can't get a job because of the economy, that's hilarious and more importantly, dead wrong. Sure, on an aggregate level, there may be 5 or 10 percent less jobs to go around, but on an individual level, those statistics are irrelevant. There will always be great jobs for top candidates, and elite candidates are recruited at just as high of a level as they always have been. I just graduated from a decent, not great, school. A state school with a top business program. 80–90% of us got job offers upon graduating, and if you eliminate the scrubs with sub 3 gpa, and the kids who chose to continue with schooling, the figure approaches 100%. This statistic is similar across all top business schools, and top academic programs in general. Very few kids who are decently intelligent and have been mature throughout undergrad end up with nothing to do, or working crappy part time positions. I myself wasn't close to the smartest at my school, but I was certainly focused on what I could get out of my degree, and with some hard work was able to get an entry level analyst job paying 140k in Chicago.

The post about Asian females was spot on. They are starting to take a big portion of the top finance and consulting jobs, although white and Asian males still are the most represented. At my school, these Asians usually had higher grades and superior technical knowledge, so it's no surprise they are strongly recruited.

In summary, the first thing the young and jobless need to do is accept the fact that what the government does has no bearing on your employment status. You don't have a job, or you have a shitty job, or you were beat out by someone else, because you were a mediocre candidate, most likely as a result of laziness. For those still in college, who want a decent paying corporate job, it's simple. Study hard, understand the recruiting process, get experience (internships), sacrifice a bit of partying, and have the perspective that you are in college primarily to further your career prospects and get a return on your expensive tuition - not to dick around.

peace corps... army...

I just met someone who is also a political science major. She taught English at a city just south of Seoul for a year. She came back to the US 3 weeks ago. She had a great time traveling and getting work experience, although she's now trying to find a job and is possibly going back to grad school. She's only 23 and you're 24...you're still young, so you could try to teach abroad and not only get work experience, but also the opportunity to travel and add something on your resume.

vox cursor wrote:

I also have no idea what I want to do, but I know what I am - curious. And I know what I *don't* want to do - I don't want to be bored for the rest of my life. Find something that can hold your interest for as long as you live. Myself, I have chosen research, specifically astrophysics, which allows me to constantly learn new things and each new thing opens new possibilities for me. I never have time to get settled in an idea before a new one comes along. That is my own perspective, which might not jive with yours, but I think every person wants to avoid boredom.

I've been thinking of getting back to school and studying astrophysics for the same reasons as you. The possibilities of the field seem endless. What kind of background did you have when you decided to do this, and how hard was it to get your education paid for?

Hey I would have to agree that teaching overseas is a great idea! You can get valuable new skills, meet new people, experience new cultures and it will be a really useful tool for applying for future jobs. There is a really good programme here http://www.realgap.com/China-Paid-Teaching-with-TEFL, you do the TEFL certificate for a month and then get 5 months teaching experience with an allowance, handy as you can then teach in other countries!