Major issues
I know I didn't mention this before, but I got my Enviro Econ exam back last week. I got a B- on it, which isn't bad at all, and exactly what I expected -- but I still have to do EXTREMELY WELL on the last problem set (which we do in groups, so that helps) and the final exam if I want to pull my grade out of the metaphorical gutter.
But lately this and other examples like it this past semester have made me reconsider whether or not I want to continue with my environmental policy major or if I should do what I've been thinking about doing for some time now and switch to Japanese studies (I blame![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
mcollinknight's entries on her switching her major a month or so ago for stimulating my own little mini-crisis :P). I've been feeling extremely tired and burned out by what I've been learning in my ES-related classes, and as a result I've become paranoid about my grades, what I feel I ought to be doing, and in a sense what I'll be doing after I graduate. So I've got a decision to make, and I have to decide by Friday morning, when I register for spring courses.
Let's get this out of the way: While I still don't really have a clue what I want to study here (even though this is my goddamned junior year), I have at least a couple of ideas, neither of which I can successfully pull off without having to put off graduation a couple of years and blow hundreds of thousands of dollars more. One of them would've been East Asian studies; even though I've been very interested in studying Japanese language, culture, and issues, if I wanted to have a job or career that had anything to do with East Asia, I would have to be taking classes in Chinese language and culture and issues as well. Not because I'd feel like I'd have to, but because a.) anything Chinese interests me as well, and b.) even though Japan is still a major player in the world economy and a significant cultural exporter, it's China that has all the cool political and environmental issues and natural landscape (not to mention that I would probably love to learn more about its history and literature and philosophy as well, which I know zilch about -- I have J.A.G. Roberts' immense The Complete History of China at home, and because it's so huge and looks like dry reading I'd rather take a class on it, LOL).
The other big thing I would've liked to study is international sustainable development/public health issues, which there really isn't a major for, though International Studies, International Politics and Economics, and a self-designed major would come close (mcollinknight is also to blame for this, but then again I've always had a nagging interest in that sort of thing for a long time now). But it's too late to change my major to International Studies or anything like that. Besides, I've heard so many horror stories of people majoring in IS simply unable to find a job, it's ridiculous. Of course, it's more the economy than anything else, but as much as I'd like to major in something because I want to and not because it would make a good job or career, I'm not naive either. (I know one's major and one's job/career don't have to correlate, but when I graduate I'd rather be doing something that I've actually had some experience in.)
Which is basically what this boils down to: doing what I believe is right and doing something really important (environmental policy) versus doing something that I love (Japanese). Before this past weekend I thought I could have both worlds -- ES policy major, Japanese minor. I've been planning on taking Geographic Information Systems this year, which is a required class for my major, and is just as tedious, time-intensive, difficult, mind-numbing, and soul-crushing as it sounds. D: For my minor, I need to finish second-year Japanese this year as well (going beyond that isn't required, though I'd like to anyway). There were a couple of other classes I was thinking about taking, to help fulfill my major, and to get my College Writing credit out of the way as well (CW being a writing-intensive class).
Guess what? GIS, Japanese, and the CW class I was looking at ALL MEET AT THE SAME TIME. DDDDDDDDDDX
So....yeah. I have a couple of decisions to make.
( Read more... )
But lately this and other examples like it this past semester have made me reconsider whether or not I want to continue with my environmental policy major or if I should do what I've been thinking about doing for some time now and switch to Japanese studies (I blame
mcollinknight's entries on her switching her major a month or so ago for stimulating my own little mini-crisis :P). I've been feeling extremely tired and burned out by what I've been learning in my ES-related classes, and as a result I've become paranoid about my grades, what I feel I ought to be doing, and in a sense what I'll be doing after I graduate. So I've got a decision to make, and I have to decide by Friday morning, when I register for spring courses.Let's get this out of the way: While I still don't really have a clue what I want to study here (even though this is my goddamned junior year), I have at least a couple of ideas, neither of which I can successfully pull off without having to put off graduation a couple of years and blow hundreds of thousands of dollars more. One of them would've been East Asian studies; even though I've been very interested in studying Japanese language, culture, and issues, if I wanted to have a job or career that had anything to do with East Asia, I would have to be taking classes in Chinese language and culture and issues as well. Not because I'd feel like I'd have to, but because a.) anything Chinese interests me as well, and b.) even though Japan is still a major player in the world economy and a significant cultural exporter, it's China that has all the cool political and environmental issues and natural landscape (not to mention that I would probably love to learn more about its history and literature and philosophy as well, which I know zilch about -- I have J.A.G. Roberts' immense The Complete History of China at home, and because it's so huge and looks like dry reading I'd rather take a class on it, LOL).
The other big thing I would've liked to study is international sustainable development/public health issues, which there really isn't a major for, though International Studies, International Politics and Economics, and a self-designed major would come close (
mcollinknight is also to blame for this, but then again I've always had a nagging interest in that sort of thing for a long time now). But it's too late to change my major to International Studies or anything like that. Besides, I've heard so many horror stories of people majoring in IS simply unable to find a job, it's ridiculous. Of course, it's more the economy than anything else, but as much as I'd like to major in something because I want to and not because it would make a good job or career, I'm not naive either. (I know one's major and one's job/career don't have to correlate, but when I graduate I'd rather be doing something that I've actually had some experience in.)Which is basically what this boils down to: doing what I believe is right and doing something really important (environmental policy) versus doing something that I love (Japanese). Before this past weekend I thought I could have both worlds -- ES policy major, Japanese minor. I've been planning on taking Geographic Information Systems this year, which is a required class for my major, and is just as tedious, time-intensive, difficult, mind-numbing, and soul-crushing as it sounds. D: For my minor, I need to finish second-year Japanese this year as well (going beyond that isn't required, though I'd like to anyway). There were a couple of other classes I was thinking about taking, to help fulfill my major, and to get my College Writing credit out of the way as well (CW being a writing-intensive class).
Guess what? GIS, Japanese, and the CW class I was looking at ALL MEET AT THE SAME TIME. DDDDDDDDDDX
So....yeah. I have a couple of decisions to make.
( Read more... )