Korean Job Discussion Forums

[HonedFury]

Hi everyone,

I just made an account on these forums pretty much to get some help with this issue. It has been bugging me for the majority of the year now and its almost time for me to commit either way. I am 21 years old and live in Brisbane, Australia.

I have been training Taekwondo for around 4 years and partway through this time I met a master who had moved here from Korea. I love TKD and really respect the Korean's work ethics, standards and lifestyle when it comes to TKD. I found out that there was an offer (through this master) for a student to go to a college in Korea (Taekyeung college near Daegu) to study a one year course followed by a one year internship in TKD (working as a junior sabomnim at a dojang).

At the same time I am in my final year of my Bachelor's degree (Biomedical Engineering) and have been offered a PhD position from my final year project supervisor. I did hear from my other supervisor that it isn't toooo difficult to get funding to do a PhD so even if I go on this scholarship then I could come back to study my PhD if I chose.

So I went to Korea in the mid-semester break to check it all out and stayed with the master in Australia's friends houses (also masters) and at some of their student's houses as a homestay. I really like Korean culture and lifestyle.

So here are my options at the moment it seems, I am thinking long-term, since this would probably be a bit of a large commitment decision-wise - I don't like to waste my time if I won't stay with something.


1) Go to Korea and do the Taekyeung scholarship. Then try to do either a Masters in TKD at a Korean university or work as a junior sabomnim in a dojang and work my way up to a master and open my own gym etc.

2) Go to Korea and do the Taekyeung scholarship. Study a Masters/Integrated Masters PhD in sports science, biomechanics or something relevant to both my Bachelor and TKD and then try to work in research for TKD.

3) Stay in Australia and do my PhD in Tissue Engineering (what my final year project is currently in). Would still be able to travel a lot etc due to the nature of the work but probably wouldn't go live in Korea.


So it seems to me like staying in Australia is the smartest choice, since I would have guaranteed funding (~$25k tax free for 3 years) and then probably a decent job in research. But at the same time, I love Korea and TKD and going to Taekyeung would let me experience life in Korea and let me know for sure what I want to do with my life.

However, I hear that earnings in Korea are very low (I read average wage is $30k rather than $65k in Aust..) and it seems a bit risky to drop everything and leave from a extremely well developed western country to a highly populated Asian country when I don't have any other ties to it apart from common interests, love for culture etc.


Please those experienced with earnings in Korea in normal jobs / TKD practitioners / Students of Masters or PhDs in Korea or elsewhere comment and help me make this ridiculous decision!! Thank you very much!

[johnnyrook]

Hey, I'm a fellow Brisbanite!

Dude, you're 21 years old. Plenty of time to do a PHD. It's only a two year commitment to begin with. If you love it and realise it's your calling, stick with it; if you decide it's not the way for you sounds like you'll still have opportunities waiting back home, and you'll still only be 23.

[Swampfox10mm]

No brainer. Get the Ph.D.

[matthews_world]

In Korea you could train and spar with some of their elite. Great experience when it comes in time for the Olympics.

You're just the right age and you don't wanna miss out.

If you were serious about it, I'd try to make your countries Olympic team first as it's held next year. This would look better before you went to Korea.

[kimchijigijig]

I'm originally from Brisvegas also But I haven't lived there for over 8 years. I assume you are going to UQ with your undergrad.

What I have learned in this short time of existence is that do what you think will make you more happy. Yes, going and doing a PHD at the grand old age of 21 is fab. But is it your passion? What does it do for you?

THen there is the Taekwondo opportunity. Does this make you happy. Can you see taking it further after one year and will doing the sports kind of Masters make you happy?

Life is about experiences - choose the right one with your heart and mind - but never separate them during the process

[Daithi]

To simplify it you have 2 options
1.)Got to Korea and do the TKD
2.)Stay and do a PhD


Is their an expiry date on either one? eg. can you do the PhD and then take the scholarship

It might sounds stupid but a pro and con list often does work.

Or simply imagine which one would upset you more if you were told the option was no longer on the table.

Or finally do what i do with most big decisions, imagine when your on your deathbed in years to come, which one you'd regret most not doing?

Also don't think exclusively about which is the best career move, think which one will make you the happiest. I know people who at 30/40/50 went back to college and started an alternative career, so if you make the wrong choice it's not the end of the world you just try again.

In summary: Aim for Happiness and nothing else!!! Hope this helps!

[tran.huongthu]

Long-term this shouldn't be that hard of a question. There are few countries around these days that I would buy bonds of and Germany is NOT one of them. Stay in Aussie and finish up school then reap the rewards of a stable monetary policy, gov't and economy with lower corruption than most developed nations. Korea is more than likely in a credit bubble and is going to get hit hard with a rush of investments flowing out of the country and to safety if there is another recession.

You might even find later that you grow out of TKD or find another sport that tickles your fancy.

The more I think about it its so simple of an answer I wonder if you are trolling us.

[Pojogae]

Some people really struggle with the concept that money and the esteem of others is not the sole motivation many people have for making important decisions.

[akcrono]

[HonedFury]

Thanks for the inputs everyone!


@johnnyrook: yeah I guess I am just 21 I just am feeling a lot of pressure about making the right decisions while it counts heaps..! You make a good point though.


@matthews_world: I wouldn't say I'm really Olympic level but yeah I guess that would be best for it in terms of getting right into competition etc


@kimchijigijig: I'm at QUT actually! Hmm that's the thing, I can't seem to decide if its an actual passion of mine or if its just what seems to be a good idea and is something that I could endure doing. I just dread that feeling of "waiting for the weekend" type thing - doing what I love most would be the best I guess but its a really hard call without all the relevant experience in it all


@Ruby Thursday: actually a few of the masters that I lived with train US army combat instructors soldiers in an army form of TKD that mixes in boxing and BJJ.. don't think that just because somebody is good in a certain type of competition they can't do anything else.


@Daithi: The thing is that I don't think there are expiry dates on either, obviously waiting will decrease the chances of success in either field but it does seem like a bit of a commitment/plan would be best to make for the long term. The pro/con list does help a lot I find! But in this case I think it shows that the PhD is a smarter career move but the TKD is more of a heart choice.?

@tran.huongthu: Yeah this is sort of a heart vs head decision, I do see that living in Australia is much more stable/rewarding in terms of money and health cover etc. But life in Korea would potentially be more rewarding in terms of passion and spirituality etc..

@akcrono: True, good point! I will think on it all more.. (as it seems to be all I think about in my free time)


Cheers again for all the help! If anyone has more comments/critiques/insights etc please keep posting them as all of it helps! I will hopefully come to a decision soon but its been really back and forth in my head so don't bet on it too much.

[SMOE NSET]

Why dont you get the phd and then work/research at a Korean university while also doing TKD?

[Daithi]

If there is no time limit on either then i'd personally go for the TKD, your young and passionate about it and you said it's what your heart wants to do.

Giving yourself extra time to get a little older and wiser will only help you with your PhD but with the TKD it might hinder you. Most people don't get to do PhD's untill they are in their mid 20's at least so taking a couple of years and experiencing something different will only help.

Plus if you were hiring someone would you hire the 30 year old PhD grad with lots of life experience,who has his travelling done and will thus probably stay in the job full time, or the 23 year old Grad who has little life experience and may leave to travel on a whim.

Plus the longer after you do a PhD you leave it till you start doing work in that field the worse i believe it looks. I did an MA two years ago and haven't done anything related to it and when i went looking for internships a few months back it really hindered my opportunites. So unless your willing to jump into a career after take your break now, travel, see the world do what you love and come back to it in a few years if it's still what you want.

30 is the new 20 and thats soon enough to start on the long road of a career(or so i keep telling myself)

Hope this post isn't too long and it helps!

[coralreefer_1]

Dude...send me a PM. I went through the very same program at Taekyung from 2005-2007..and can answer all your questions...but choose not to do it publicly (that is an indication of what you can expect)

[coralreefer_1]

I will say this publicly just in case these keywords come up in someone else's search years down the road.

If you want to come experience Korea by way of Taekyeung..its not a bad choice.(then again...neither is E2, tour...etc)

However, if you want to come experience TAEKWONDO via Taekyung..i urge you to look elsewhere. Folks serious about Taekwondo are urged to see past the "free" scholarship program, because coming from someone who went through their so-called program, I can say that when something is free...it has little value (and that is an understatement)

[HonedFury]

Yeah I guess I could try work in Korea after the PhD but I don't know much about the industry there and if I would have to be fluent etc.

Daithi, that really did sound helpful until I just read what coralreefer_1 said..! It is still relevant though in terms of just the decisions to try and go there to do TKD overall. There's a few other distant possibilities for me Korea/TKD wise though so I guess if the scholarship isn't 'ideal' then I could look more into those as quickly as I can (it seems that most deadlines for scholarships next year are in end of August/early September)


I can't PM until I get 25 posts though, is there some email I could contact you on? It would be really helpful to get some info about it! I emailed them a few weeks ago but they never replied.