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byrddogs
Joined: 19 Jun 2009
Location: Shanghai
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 Posted: Fri Jul 02, 2010 5:09 pm Post subject: Do you have an exit plan? |
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| I've been contemplating going home. I have many resources back home to get me going, but I have an uneasy feeling about doing so. I also think to myself, it's just another year if I choose to stay. |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Fri Jul 02, 2010 5:14 pm Post subject: Re: Do you have an exit plan? |
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| byrddogs wrote: |
| I've been contemplating going home. I have many resources back home to get me going, but I have an uneasy feeling about doing so. I also think to myself, it's just another year if I choose to stay. |
exit plan = 4 sq. meters of land, a 6' hole in the ground and a wood box to rest in.
Why go home (unless you are ready for the exit plan) ?
It is a big world. Get out and experience some of it.
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byrddogs
Joined: 19 Jun 2009
Location: Shanghai
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| Posted: Fri Jul 02, 2010 5:38 pm Post subject: |
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That is a good point. It certainly is a big world and I have gotten out and experienced a lot of it. N America=done, Asia=done, Europe=dabbled a little, C America=dabbled a little. There is still so much more to see.
The only reason that I really consider going home is that my parents are surely getting older. |
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AsiaESLbound
Joined: 07 Jan 2010
Location: Truck Stop Missouri
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| Posted: Fri Jul 02, 2010 6:57 pm Post subject: |
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| I think you need a visit home. The thing about these teaching jobs is you don't get to go home often enough, but in companies, you would hop the pond more often. This is why companies tend to send their people on short term assignments instead of 1 long year at a time. ESL seems to be great for those who don't care much about visiting home or simply don't have no one to visit. I know one American with no living relatives who says he'll never return to the states again. He's only like 34 years old, but his people are already dead. I have my mom and 2 siblings, but that's it. When you leave for a long endeavor like this one you do wonder if you will see your parents again, but it's not feasible to hang out at mom's waiting for her to die if your work isn't there. |
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climber159
Joined: 02 Sep 2007
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| Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2010 1:57 pm Post subject: |
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| byrddogs wrote: |
| N America=done, Asia=done, Europe=dabbled a little, C America=dabbled a little. |
You must be old as dirt if you've experienced all there is to experience in North America and Asia. I'm not going to guess how much time YOU spent on either continent, but the people I've talked with who've "done" a country or continent have done nothing more than visit a few major cities using an airplane or high-speed train to connect them. Perhaps they also visited a trendy local bar and/or cafe to soak up the local culture. Unless you've lived there, had a job there, and incorporated at least some of the local language and customs into your life, then the word "done" isn't what you're looking for.
If you're really at that much of a loss about what to do with your life, I suggest not going back to your home town/state. Pick somewhere else (anywhere) to find a job and immerse yourself in the culture for a year or two. |
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byrddogs
Joined: 19 Jun 2009
Location: Shanghai
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| Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2010 3:17 pm Post subject: |
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| climber159 wrote: |
| byrddogs wrote: |
| N America=done, Asia=done, Europe=dabbled a little, C America=dabbled a little. |
You must be old as dirt if you've experienced all there is to experience in North America and Asia. I'm not going to guess how much time YOU spent on either continent, but the people I've talked with who've "done" a country or continent have done nothing more than visit a few major cities using an airplane or high-speed train to connect them. Perhaps they also visited a trendy local bar and/or cafe to soak up the local culture. Unless you've lived there, had a job there, and incorporated at least some of the local language and customs into your life, then the word "done" isn't what you're looking for.
If you're really at that much of a loss about what to do with your life, I suggest not going back to your home town/state. Pick somewhere else (anywhere) to find a job and immerse yourself in the culture for a year or two. |
Fair enough. By "done" I simply mean I have seen/experienced what I wanted to there. |
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climber159
Joined: 02 Sep 2007
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| Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2010 5:06 pm Post subject: |
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| byrddogs wrote: |
| climber159 wrote: |
| byrddogs wrote: |
| N America=done, Asia=done, Europe=dabbled a little, C America=dabbled a little. |
You must be old as dirt if you've experienced all there is to experience in North America and Asia. I'm not going to guess how much time YOU spent on either continent, but the people I've talked with who've "done" a country or continent have done nothing more than visit a few major cities using an airplane or high-speed train to connect them. Perhaps they also visited a trendy local bar and/or cafe to soak up the local culture. Unless you've lived there, had a job there, and incorporated at least some of the local language and customs into your life, then the word "done" isn't what you're looking for.
If you're really at that much of a loss about what to do with your life, I suggest not going back to your home town/state. Pick somewhere else (anywhere) to find a job and immerse yourself in the culture for a year or two. |
Fair enough. By "done" I simply mean I have seen/experienced what I wanted to there. |
Not to harp on you too much, but this is exactly what I was getting at in my first reply. By seeing and experiencing only what we want to in a travel destination we're presupposing that we're already aware of the important and interesting facets of that place and culture. I've found it's what we don't expect to be the most interesting. And, more of these unexpected experiences arise the longer you stay put.
I realize that we all have our own preferred ways to travel and see the world. Mine is to live somewhere for a year or two, pack up, move on, and do it again and again. Yours may be, and likely is, different. Just don't go "home" and stay put there.
Last edited by climber159 on Sat Jul 03, 2010 5:29 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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byrddogs
Joined: 19 Jun 2009
Location: Shanghai
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| Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2010 5:27 pm Post subject: |
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| climber159 wrote: |
| I realize that we all have our own preferred ways to travel and see the world. Mine is to live somewhere for a year or two, pack up, move on, and do it again and again. Yours may be, and likely is, different. Just don't go "home" and stay put there. |
Yes, we do have different ideals as far as that is concerned. Thanks for the insight; it is appreciated. |
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4567654
Joined: 21 May 2010
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| Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2010 3:18 pm Post subject: |
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the better question would be:
do you have an emergency exit strategy, in case you needed to leave South Korea in a REAL hurry, assuming A LOT of other people were trying to do the same thing? |
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nomad-ish
Joined: 08 Oct 2007
Location: On the bottom of the food chain
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| Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2010 3:26 pm Post subject: |
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my exit plan just involves hopping to another country after this one  SO close! |
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Reise-ohne-Ende
Joined: 07 Sep 2009
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| Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2010 5:15 pm Post subject: |
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4567654, that's a good question. I'm gonna start a new thread about that.  |
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djsmnc
Joined: 20 Jan 2003
Location: Dave's ESL Cafe
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| Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2010 5:59 pm Post subject: |
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| My initial exit plan was to just pull out, but now I wrap it up because I am really not ready |
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brento1138
Joined: 17 Nov 2004
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| Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2010 8:13 pm Post subject: |
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Honestly, I think that many of us have a negative inclination towards "going home." I totally understand the OP. It's not about waiting for your parents to die, but I have a deep connection to them and want them to live out their later years in happiness. I've noticed when I am absent, they seem to age more... they get lonely. And you know what? I want them to play with my future grandchildren! I want them to live their last years as best as they can, so I plan on being there for them.
As for me, I thought it would be a good idea to go back and get education. But actually, I think I'll just be more aggressive with my job search. Luckily I have contacts in the telecommunications industry that I haven't yet made use of. I think that it will not be easy, because when we go back home after living abroad, it's like we're starting fresh. Come on, we're moving to a whole different country and have to start from the ground up.
And that's something many of us are not willing to do at this point. Everyone back home had to start with the crap hours, crap pay, low-end of the job scale. But you know what? My friends are working their ways up the ladder and doing well. Getting the better paying positions... more benefits at work... etc. It's not all doom and gloom out there, I'm afraid. I've got a Communications degree and may actually end up going into that field after all. I don't have any experience in it but you know what? I've got awesome presentation skills and could be an employee trainer as I can teach people stuff.
I think we should all be more positive about going back home. Let's enjoy our time out here in Korea, but not feel shackled by it or held back by it.
Having an exit plan is great. Mine isn't the best exit plan, I know, but as long as you have money rolling in and no student debt, I think you're doing just fine. So, my exit plan is simple: move back to Vancouver, look for a job, get valuable work experience in a new, hopefully exciting field. Work my way up, put in my time, bite the bullet, and hope for the best. I'll be with the 24 year old newbies in the entry level position, and you know what? I'm fine with that... especially if they're hot women. |
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byrddogs
Joined: 19 Jun 2009
Location: Shanghai
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| Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2010 9:23 pm Post subject: |
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| brento1138 wrote: |
Honestly, I think that many of us have a negative inclination towards "going home." I totally understand the OP. It's not about waiting for your parents to die, but I have a deep connection to them and want them to live out their later years in happiness. I've noticed when I am absent, they seem to age more... they get lonely. And you know what? I want them to play with my future grandchildren! I want them to live their last years as best as they can, so I plan on being there for them.
As for me, I thought it would be a good idea to go back and get education. But actually, I think I'll just be more aggressive with my job search. Luckily I have contacts in the telecommunications industry that I haven't yet made use of. I think that it will not be easy, because when we go back home after living abroad, it's like we're starting fresh. Come on, we're moving to a whole different country and have to start from the ground up.
And that's something many of us are not willing to do at this point. Everyone back home had to start with the crap hours, crap pay, low-end of the job scale. But you know what? My friends are working their ways up the ladder and doing well. Getting the better paying positions... more benefits at work... etc. It's not all doom and gloom out there, I'm afraid. I've got a Communications degree and may actually end up going into that field after all. I don't have any experience in it but you know what? I've got awesome presentation skills and could be an employee trainer as I can teach people stuff.
I think we should all be more positive about going back home. Let's enjoy our time out here in Korea, but not feel shackled by it or held back by it.
Having an exit plan is great. Mine isn't the best exit plan, I know, but as long as you have money rolling in and no student debt, I think you're doing just fine. So, my exit plan is simple: move back to Vancouver, look for a job, get valuable work experience in a new, hopefully exciting field. Work my way up, put in my time, bite the bullet, and hope for the best. I'll be with the 24 year old newbies in the entry level position, and you know what? I'm fine with that... especially if they're hot women. |
That is a refreshing response and seems to be coming from a genuine person. Thanks! |
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southernman
Joined: 15 Jan 2010
Location: On the mainland again
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| Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2010 9:34 pm Post subject: |
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I've always got my old Government job. My old Supervisor is now the Head of my Province. We still keep in touch periodically, so it's all good. There's a job for me anytime, I just have to give her a few months notice
I could also do the same job in many countries, if I wanted
Like many here, I've also always got my Visa card and a couple of bank cards cashed up, if I had to leave here quickly for any reason.
I like to be organised in case anything goes pear shaped |
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