Korean Job Discussion Forums

[kiwiboy_nz_99]

[ulsanchris]

some waygugin you still have hope. just think of ron jeremy

[The Bobster]

Hmm, I think everyone has childhood ambitions that never panned out, or at least haven't yet ... the question in the thread title seems a little different, though, seems to assume that a lot of fell into this line of work and the expat lifestyle, and that we'd be doing something else if things had worked out differently.

Not me.

Naw, it was not a childhood dream of mine to be an ESL teacher, but honestly, my big regret is that it took me so long to get around to this and that I spent so much life and energy doing things I hated so much more and living places that I really didn't like so well as Asia ... and when I do get tired of Asia, there are so many other places - I'm in no hurry at all to go home.

My childhood dream was to write and possibly photograph for a magazine that would send me places around the world to do it, you know, something like Natl Geographic, right? I had spent some time in S America as an exchange student in high school and I could see how different being a "traveler" is from being a "tourist," and I wanted none of the latter - later, I latched onto the further distinction of being an "expat," maybe from reading Hemingway in univ, don't recall exactly ... this is how I define myself now, it's who I am, and I'm happy with it.

And, yes, I enjoy teaching, too. Something very satisfying about being able to have a subtle or direct influence on a person's life, selling something that is intangible yet valuable, creating a change in them - and change something pretty inevitable when someone takes on a new language and starts to see beyond the worldview contined in their first one. Teaching abroad seems superior to the journalism dream of childhood because I can stay as long as I want, make friends that are truly friends, get to know the culture in a deep way rather than skimming over the surfaces.

"What should (I) have done?" I think I'm doing it now.

Am I the only one who feels this way about it?

[dumass]

Dream was become a Pilot.

Dream now is become a Millionare.

Im kind of following my old dream by travelling the world abit. I will save money abit later when I am old. Theres plenty of time for that.

[coolsage]

The guy who waves the checkered flag at auto races. He works one minute a week.