Career changes and what not

[Ramsus]

So this month I separate from the Air Force and return to being a regular college student again. In the four years I was enlisted, I learned a foreign language as a military linguist, lived in Asia for 2 years, became a Staff Sergeant, worked 50 hour work weeks for months on end, and trained two dozen or so people in my role as a senior instructor for a few linguist certifications in our area of operations.

But honestly, the only real benefit I earned from the experience that I walk away with now will be a sense of achievement and a solid sense of confidence in my ability to learn, teach, or do anything I want to. Of course, by being a part of the military, I also helped propagate the American military industrial complex to a certain degree, but now that I'm moving past that, I have the opportunity to possibly help American society in much more progressive ways.

And despite my reservations, returning to student life again feels exciting. I can finally resume my pursuit of illustration, design, and computer science, and take my more recent interests in music to a whole new level now that I don't have a lot of extra duties and responsibilities to worry about.

Which makes me wonder, what are my fellow Compendiumites up to lately?

[Samopoznanie]

Interesting stuff!  Being an infrequent poster, I didn't actually know you were in the military.  Whereabouts were you posted in Asia? 

I find myself in almost the opposite situation as you at the moment.  Come September, this will be my ninth straight year of university. And for the first time since being put on academic probation in my freshman year, I'm considering taking a break.  Ph.D has been mixed bag, really... I've really enjoyed the teaching side of things.  The dozen or so outstanding students you get make it worthwhile.  I've actually been flogging free unwanted books on them this summer, as I have to move at the end of August and won't have the shelf space for all of them.  Relocating from the downtown core to a Polish community nextdoor to a 400 acre park, so it'll be a welcome change of scenery.

I'm looking forward to teaching again in the fall, but the flip side of things -- applying for grants, jumping through hoops to publish, and generally erratic sleep/eat/work schedule has me pretty burned out.  After this year's comprehensive exams (got a list of 200 books to cover for 'em) in January, I'm taking a year off.  I've had some neat job invitations pass me by in light of deadline or travel obligations in recent years, so I'd like to refocus and see what I can secure with just the MA to my name.  I feel I have a pretty good chance of getting some work in the former Yugoslavia with the contacts I've made, so I'll be auditing some Bosnian/Serbo-Croatian language classes this year. 

First weekend in September will be the annual 3-Day Novel Contest, so that'll be my last big extra-curricular venture before the fall term kicks off.  I got 30-some pages in last year, aiming for 60 pages this time around (you need 100 to be considered for a prize or publication).

[ZeaLitY]

Yeah, I love the sense of confidence that racking up some distinguished achievements over a consistent period can bring.

I'm preparing to do the CELTA at the end of this year or the beginning of next. I'm frustrated at my inability to design out the complete risk of failing it. Even though I'll be crazy prepared, I've read numerous horror stories about favoritist tutors. I may leave some time open to do a no-fail TESOL course in February 2011 if I do unfortunately fail the CELTA.

Then I'll get a position teaching English in middle or western Slovakia. After that, depending on the atmosphere, it might be advantageous to go into self-employment with a trade license for a year or two. In the meantime, I can explore Europe and rack up the interesting experiences while augmenting future ambitions with precious fuel. And I'll be in a country with the best candy and soda in Europe. (I'll have to reach my goal of 5 km a day sooner rather than later.)

And then, I remove sexism from the world.

[FaustWolf]

Still working on Stage I of my plan, which is earning my Master's in Economics in hopes of achieiving a much greater income level than I have now. Long-term, I hope to combat sexism through art in some way, funded by said expected income. Given my interest in videogames...we'll just have to see.

Oh, yeah, completely revolutionizing the international economic landscape isn't out of the question either.  

[tushantin]

Dang, I didn't know you were in the military, Ramsus! (Why do I keep thinking Rasmus?) A part of me is usually freaked out by the terms "military" and "air force" due to you-know-what-reasons, yet another part of me has unshaken respect towards soldiers, army doctors and pilots, awakening the fire of enthusiasm and thrill of patriotism and valor within me.

I've got no life as adventurous as you blokes but I've been struggling in my own (mundane) way. Doing two things is hard, and I'm juggling with three. Already I need to finish my novel, alongside a 2D animated movie in order to secure a portfolio for a job, and now I'm being horrifyingly bombarded with 3D/Maya assignments. I wish I could use Kage Bunshin no Jutsu... But anywhos, the movie's gonna show my potential as an animator/director, the novel's gonna help me influence the world with simplified complex train of thought, also if it turns bestseller I might get enough money to go to filmmaking college, otherwise go do some wishy-washy literature college.  When that's outta the way, I'll be on my mission to WORLD DOMINATION!

[Boo the Gentleman Caller]

I'm finally in the middle of a career change as we speak - it's monumental stuff. I find it quite ironic that I haven't come around in a while to focus on preparing myself for these major life changes, and the first new thread/topic when I log in was this one. I'm leaving the banking industry to work as an enrollment counselor in a university. The university will pay for any degree I do, so I definitely plan on doing my master's soon (can't beat 100% reimbursement).

Good luck, Ramsus and thanks for your years of service!

[ZaichikArky]

That's cool, Ramsus. I remember talking with you about that a while back. I mentioned my friend did the same program as you, and the same language, but she went to Hawaii instead. She told me that most guys in her program went to Korea, and the girls went to Hawaii.  She actually re-enlisted, so she will be with the army for another 5 years.  They're overworking her a lot too, and that's the reason she remained a specialist and didn't go on to being a staff sergeant. She didn't want all the crap dumped on her with no assistance whatsoever. They gave her a hard time about that too since it "made them look bad" when her superiors put her up for promotion and she refused it. She actually sent down her whole family, including me, to visit and see her re-enlistment ceremony. I was supposed to pay for my own ticket, but I was broke and was telling her I won't be able to come when she bought me a ticket too : ). That was really nice of her.

And me, as for what I'm doing, I'm busy working on my Master's Degree in Library Science with a focus in Archives. I have been doing internships at several different archives around my area and now have lots of experience that will help me get my first "real" job when I graduate in December. Just two classes left wooo. The archives profession is very small, so I imagine I'll have to be moving out of state when I'm done as it's hard to limit yourself even to one state... At least I don't have a husband/children to worry about.  I hope I will find a nice location somewhere on the East Coast or maybe stay in California. I'm applying for positions right now anyway, despite my degree not being done yet and right now I'm applying to a place in Oklahoma. I'm not sure if being in the Midwest will really suit me, but I guess it's better than the deep south.

[chi_z]

what's with the sexism thing on this board lol? not that I'm for it, but this is a video game forum not some anti-islam site....did I miss out on some misogynistic troll that hung around the compendium a few years back or something? I bring this up because sexism has a little bit to do with my chosen profession. for a while I wanted to do something with games, but the past year I've been working on becoming a musician.

I am going to become a composer of 'serious' music. pop, rock, etc can be defined as light entertainment. I will be making symphonies etc, and maybe some operas and game scores.  For those who don't know, the typical symphony is divided into 4 'movements'. Each movement has had a couple different structures common to it throughout the years. However the first movement is almost always in sonata form. This is where the sexism takes over. Apparently, there is this feminist that believes sonata form is misogynist. In sonata form, you start off in the tonic, or 'home key'. you present and develop several themes, the first in the tonic and the 2nd in the dominant key. By the end of the movement, the last section of sonata form being the exposition, any theme not yet presented in tonic form will be transcribed to it in the exposition. this one lady thinks that represents a very old world male dominant society way of looking at things; that the tonic key is fighting the dominant, exuding dominance over it etc. Some people look to far into this stuff. I don't go around saying light entertainment musics' verse-chorus format is misogynistic just because the chorus is more 'lyrical' and 'expressive' than the verse....

But I'm currently recording a 25 minute asymmetrically structured metal-orchestra 'epic' of sorts. next I will be making a light entertainment ethno-metal piece. and then I will work on each form (sonata, adagio, minuet, scherzo, and rondo). after that I will make a 2+ hour metal symphony.

[FaustWolf]

That's certainly an interesting take on traditional music composition! Definitely a radical interpretation (not that there's anything wrong with being "radical." It's like being a "Radical" Dreamer after all!). It may seem silly at first, but it's always worthwhile to question power dynamics. Sometimes changing those dynamics can lead to even better things!

While I can't put words in others' mouths, I'd guess that such abstract criticisms are a bit lower on the totem pole for most than promoting the ability of one sex to empathize effectively with the other. Lots of people roll their eyes at the suggestion that we still have a problem with this in places like the US, but delving deeper into this over the past year has really sounded alarm bells for a lot of us. It was only within the past year that I began to realize, for example, that women and children are routinely trafficked against their will through the Midwest -- that bastion of wonderful moderatism I would have been the first to laud before learning this. Demand for that trafficking is fueled by people who could very well appear normal on the outside, but have seriously messed up things going on in their minds. That's only the most egregious of what's happening within the fabric of our society; the "F!ck Sexism" thread documents others of note.

It's not necessarily the case that the Compendium's mission has somehow shifted from documenting videogames to combating sexism, but rather that a lot of people interested in these issues also happen to be Chrono fans. That said, there's been some great synergy through our conversations here over the past year, and it's no surprise to me that our goals and outlooks have been sharpened enough that addressing sexism has become an important part of our plans for the future.

[chi_z]

wow I wasn't aware about the trafficking in the Midwest. It does make sense though, I'm from the middle of nowhere Missouri and there are some odd fellows running about there. Freud would've had a field day with these people I'd bet.

[Sajainta]

wow I wasn't aware about the trafficking in the Midwest.

Yes, it's...horrifically more common than people would like to believe.  Most people don't know it exists in the US.  They don't want to believe it exists here and would like to think that kind of thing only happens in Eastern Europe or South East Asia.  It's a harsh reality--one that the vast majority of Americans doesn't believe happens in this country.  Some of them blatantly choose to ignore it.  And the police are frighteningly unhelpful when a US citizen who was formerly trafficked starts pressing charges.  It is terrifying and obnoxious.  I'm one of those people, and so far for the most part what happened to me is registering more to the police as "underage prostitution" and rape.  Sometimes even statutory rape.  The police I am working with seem to only take interest because I saw people being murdered while I was being trafficked.  "Murder" registers more to them than "slavery".  Because, you know, we abolished slavery in the 19th century.  That shit doesn't happen anymore.

Freud would've had a field day with these people I'd bet.

With the people who use the services of unwilling prostitutes, or the trafficked people themselves?

[chi_z]

now that I think about it both, but I originally just meant the traffickers themselves not the trafficked.

[Sajainta]

Well, I'm sure Freud would have a huge field day with people who've gone through that shit.  I'm sure he'd have a fantastic field day with me, I'm more fucked-up than most people know.  I'm not sure if he could be of any help though.  I'm very cynical when it comes to psychologists.  I'm sure they do wonders for other people, but they don't know how to handle me--and I've seen a lot of shrinks.

[Yourgingerestfan]

Im currently taking A lvls , and then its ....maybe off to Uni for me .
I picked subjects which I was good at ....but thats totally different to subjects that I 'like'.
As for Career choices .....Im totally stumped on that :S

[Jormungand]

Apparently, there is this feminist that believes sonata form is misogynist. In sonata form, you start off in the tonic, or 'home key'. you present and develop several themes, the first in the tonic and the 2nd in the dominant key. By the end of the movement, the last section of sonata form being the exposition, any theme not yet presented in tonic form will be transcribed to it in the exposition. this one lady thinks that represents a very old world male dominant society way of looking at things; that the tonic key is fighting the dominant, exuding dominance over it etc. Some people look to far into this stuff. I don't go around saying light entertainment musics' verse-chorus format is misogynistic just because the chorus is more 'lyrical' and 'expressive' than the verse....

That could possibly be the dumbest thing about music I've ever read. Who is this person so I know to avoid anything authored by her?

I once had aspirations to compose for a living too, and while I have written music from some games professionally, I know it won't be a career by which I can sustain myself. Nevertheless, it'll be a lifelong hobby, and I wouldn't mind trying my hand at a few symphonies or operas myself. chi, I don't want to discourage you, but you might think of pursuing something on the side that'll lead to a  stable source of income--and heck, for all I know you already have something lined up. But yeah, keep on composing.

Lot of people here interested in teaching or something in the education field--I think that's great. In a strange turn of fate, and even though I had never even considered the field, I am now on my way to becoming a teacher. Not even a music teacher, but just plain ol' regular elementary education. What's strange about it is that I've never felt more sure about anything in my life--becoming a teacher just feels 'right'. And believe me, I don't give the idea of 'fate' much credence. I'm just happy I was able to have had the opportunity to snag a job as an education assistant which is what led me to the crazy idea of being a teacher.

I'm not thrilled about going back to college after I already have a degree, but fortunately it's an accelerated program. And the student teaching practicum will be a breeze--I've been working closely with K-12 students in a variety of capacities (both as an assistant and a lead teacher) in both classroom and recreational environments literally almost every single day for the past year. I could walk into a K-5 classroom right now and take over. (Er, OK, not kindergarten, they're annoying. Fortunately the certification I'm going for is grades 1-8 which means I can't be coerced into doing a combined K-1 classroom. Victory!)

I'm also interested in adding an ESL (English as a second language) license as I continue my education past initial certification. Pretty much every group I've worked with so far had a high percentage of ESL/ELL students, and I enjoy that part of the job a lot. I'd also like to pursue a Masters, 'cause everyone likes more money. And who knows, as a music major, and with a teaching license, I should be able to earn music education certification with very few credits. It would be hard for me not to find a job with elementary + Master's, ESL, and music ed. certifications.

But honestly, the only real benefit I earned from the experience that I walk away with now will be a sense of achievement and a solid sense of confidence in my ability to learn, teach, or do anything I want to.

I'd say that's a pretty huge benefit. And someone with your experience would be a huge asset to the world of education--that's a lot of young lives you could potentially influence for the better. Either way, having the confidence to do what you want is the most valuable resource you have as an independent adult.

Then I'll get a position teaching English in middle or western Slovakia.

Out of curiosity, why Slovakia? That sounds quite exciting.

I'm very cynical when it comes to psychologists.  I'm sure they do wonders for other people, but they don't know how to handle me--and I've seen a lot of shrinks.

But have any of them been any good? Well, I'm a bit surprised about this trafficking thing too. Must not be my part of the Midwest (WI), pretty sure I'd of heard about something like that.