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Going to College. (SOLVED)
Clawshrimpy
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I will be attending the University of Toledo in January, and, allthough I feel a little nervous talking about College plans on the internet (I've been teased before on other forums.) I thought I'd talk about it here in H&A as well.
this is what I plan on taking:
Major: Foreign Language: Japanese.
Minor: Asian Studies
Now, I have been downtrodden with crap about how "learning to speak Japanese will get me nowhere as far as a career is concerned." but that's just it, I'm not looking for work, I'm a disabled individual who is only going to college to learn new things and to have the "experience" of going to college. I've allready made peace noone will ever hire me anywhere because the barrier for a lot of employers to hire an Austism sufferer, even one with a degree, is too great.
this is what I plan on taking:
Major: Foreign Language: Japanese.
Minor: Asian Studies
Now, I have been downtrodden with crap about how "learning to speak Japanese will get me nowhere as far as a career is concerned." but that's just it, I'm not looking for work, I'm a disabled individual who is only going to college to learn new things and to have the "experience" of going to college. I've allready made peace noone will ever hire me anywhere because the barrier for a lot of employers to hire an Austism sufferer, even one with a degree, is too great.
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Not with that attitude they won't.
May I ask why you think your Autism will deter you from ever gaining a career? You have as much chance as getting into a good career as someone who doesn't have Autism. Don't have your future ruled by it.
Were there any specific things you wanted to know or wanted advice on about going to college?
"And this is his sofa, is it?" said Arthur.
As for my Autism, I'm a sufferer of Asperger's Syndrome. I have tried to get odd jobs before, and I have been turned down, even by "Job Coach" services because I need supervision. and I think a lot of Employers don't feel comfortable with a lot of my tendencies and as a result, I just don't seem to be "on the radar." It mostly came down specifically to me having to get benefits, but at the same time, I don't like the idea of sitting at home all day. I for example, talk to myself sometimes. but I do NOT have Scizophrenia. I simply think aloud.
So I'll give you some general advice: Minor in Japanese. Major in something else you enjoy.
I majored in Japanese because I wanted to learn Japanese, and I really enjoyed college and my classes and the experience of learning Japanese, but it was not the right thing to do. I should have taken a minor, and majored in something else. That is what you should do too. Majoring in a foreign language is really a terrible idea unless you have another skill lined up, because I don't care if you say you're disabled, you should still have something you can do, unless you are not high-functioning enough to leave your house.
Do not go to college with the feeling that no one will hire you anyway so you don't have to try for a career. Pick a field you enjoy (for example, Language is not a field, but Linguistics is) with a job you think you would like to do in mind, and go for it. Speak with an adviser about it, and work from there. If you are learning-disabled or have special needs, tell them. Most public colleges will bend over backwards to work with you, because it looks very bad for them if they don't.
A Linguistics degree should not require any math. There are social science degrees and the like. Really go through the majors offered by your school and see if you can get excited about one that might be a fit. You should be able to find the requirements for each major.
Basically, you're spending a lot of (somebody's) money to go to college, and during that time regardless of your major you're going to have to take a whole lot of classes you don't want to or else you won't graduate. Make it count, learn something useful to a career you'd like to have while you're there, and employers will be more likely to say "Hmm.. he has this thing, but.. he was able to finish college so we'll give it a shot."
Attitude is a large part of this equation, so you might want to consider replacing yours with one that is useful.
this is true.
You could always freelance after graduating...a lot of companies always need translators and such for documents.
However...I am of the school of thought that social diseases are cured by interacting HEAVILY with people, so college is the best decision you could make.
I majored in a social science, and it might not have been the best choice economically, but I didn't really regret it. Let's face it - only like 10% of college majors have common practical applications. Mostly, you go to school for the experience, like you said, and for getting a better feel for how society works and stuff.
edit: people with social disorders don't really fit in at college, either. though I never took a Japanese studies class, I bet there are a lot of them there.
I will second that. I had much more trouble with college than employment.
Taxpayers' money has been wasted on a lot stupider things than giving someone an education. Maybe he "knows" now he won't use it, but after 4 life changing years he will be in a different disposition. This was in my opinion just terrible "Oh look at me I am going to give you the tough treatment to turn your life around" type of advice.
But I do agree on minoring in a language, not majoring. Whenever I think about people getting a degree in a language I always have to think about those kids who grew up bilingually when their parents moved to the US. They know two languages and cultures fluently BEFORE they even went to college to get a degree. What insights do you have into their language and culture that they didn't have at 16?
Honestly guys, he is just asking for advice so cut the forum drama. We just have to take his word on the degree of his disability.
I just don't know what else I want to Major in. I just want to make sure I will become Fluent in Japanese, so I can maybe do this "Freelance Translation" you guys are talking about, If I'm gonna get work, a Freelance job out of Home might really work for me.
not really, I was just trying to be realistic since this is the help/advice forum
Then by all means go for it...Slap yourself and talk to people. You are going to college, so chances are you will meet people who are also socially "disabled". Everyone goes through a non-social period, but the problem is that now they are calling it a disease, or chemical unbalance or some shit like that.
You might just need to get outside more, man. Go to college and force yourself to participate in social events even if you hate it at first, even if you feel awkward as hell. The worst thing you can do is bitch about it. Going to college might be the best decision you can take.
I am trying to get out more.
This doesn't mean anything. You might be diagnosed as socially disabled, but my point is that it should not be a condition you scape-goat to if you can write coherently on an internet forum. Complain about me "offending" you if you can't even talk or just walk in circles all day. You seem to be trying, from what you say, so just stop mentioning the disease and do it.
I really don't give a fuck if you go to college or not. I'm not trying to offend you. I met a lot of people in my life that were diagnosed with social disease who just said "fuck it", some by themselves, some with their parents' help, and now lead a normal life.
Like I said, if you are coherent enough to be writing here "interacting" with people, then you can interact outside. You just need to do it.
I really should stop using quotation marks.
He may be coherent enough to interact in the outside world, but his posts here aren't the proof for it. Many people who are autistic have a lot of trouble recognizing facial expressions. That's a pretty big hindrance for social interaction.
Woah there. You weren't diagnosed with full-blown autisim, you were diagnosed with Aspberger's Syndrome, a mild form of autism. Yes, it's a bit of a disability, but people with Aspberger's Syndrome can be perfectly functional in society. See: Bill Gates.
It really sounds like you're holding yourself back and not really trying to find out what you can really do.
It's all in the attitude, like others have said, and self-deprication is just going to make other people pile onto you, too. And you need to stop making excuses for yourself You're going to need to get over that before you even think about picking a major.
There are tons of jobs in translation, though make sure this is something you could wake up every day and do, not something you want to do because you like anime.
It seems crazy hard, but they're good at it. And they're very much needed.
Let 'em eat fucking pineapples!
Uh, yes it does? Are you a professional pyschiatrist, or whatever? I didn't think so. So you and everyone else trying to second-guess whether this guy has a "real" disability need to stop. It's not helpful and it doesn't count as advice in my book. This is the internet; you don't know anything about the man other than what little he's chosen to tell you, and the impression you've formed of him based on that is probably wrong.
Which isn't to say, Clawshrimpy, that trying to get out and socialise with other people isn't a better idea than staying in your room all day. With practice it does get easier. And yeah, maybe putting more thought into what exactly you want to do at college and how it's going to help you get a career. But if majoring in Japanese is definitely what you want to do then go for it.
"And this is his sofa, is it?" said Arthur.
Shogun Streams Vidya
It is indeed true that language skills can open up your options, but majoring specifically in a language can be limiting to some extent. While I don't really regret what I did (I studied something I love and ran with it), I recognize that I might have been more diversified had I simply minored in it and chosen a broader major.
Written translation is indeed a valid path for a language major, but it can be very dull work. Spoken interpretation is, like, fifty hojillion times harder and requires far higher fluency than can be gained through a four year degree program.
By all means, plan on taking your first two years of Japanese early on and see how it goes. But, if you don't love it to death before that third year, I would seriously consider switching it to a minor. Most people who are in it for the wrong reasons will wise up by this point, but I did see some hardcore otaku types make it to their fourth year, only to realize at the last minute that they secretly hate Japanese and don't know what they're going to do after graduation.