Four Seasons
10-23-2007, 09:51 PM
Here is my situation:
I graduated from college in 2002 majoring in French and Spanish with a minor in Mandarin.
I really enjoyed it because learning languages and learning about the history and structure of languages and the way we use language and learning about other cultures etc is what I am most interested in. I am one of those language/grammar geeks.
I had the option to go on and do Honours in either French or Spanish (forgive me if the terminonlogy needs clarification as our system is different to the American system), but I turned it down because I was worried about getting a job.
I got an administrative job and started studying accounting. I hated both. So I then took a year out and worked in retail and travelled, both of which I really enjoyed. Since then, I've been working in another admin job.
I don't enjoy this job, although it's not as bad as the first one because it's a much better company to work for. I do make pretty good money and I've been able to buy my own unit with a fairly hefty mortgage.
My partner has just completed his teaching degree and has been offered a position for next year on-going. He says I should go back to study languages again because I'm good at it and I enjoy it. He is willing to take the burden of covering the mortgage for a while.
I don't know what to do. I would LOVE to go back to study, but I feel that that would be totally irresponsible. I would LOVE to keep studying as long as I can, basically up to Phd level, and then become an academic or a translator, however there are barely any jobs in either of those fields.
I guess I can't tell whether I should do the right thing by the "smaller picture" and stick at my job and pay off my mortgage and save up for retirement etc or do the right thing by the "bigger picture" and enjoy my life so that I won't have regrets when I'm 80.
Does anyone else feel like this? Does anyone else feel like doing what you want to do is irresponsible?
Does anyone know why most people are able to do jobs they don't enjoy whereas I spend all my time complaining about mine, when I really don't have much to complain about?
I graduated from college in 2002 majoring in French and Spanish with a minor in Mandarin.
I really enjoyed it because learning languages and learning about the history and structure of languages and the way we use language and learning about other cultures etc is what I am most interested in. I am one of those language/grammar geeks.
I had the option to go on and do Honours in either French or Spanish (forgive me if the terminonlogy needs clarification as our system is different to the American system), but I turned it down because I was worried about getting a job.
I got an administrative job and started studying accounting. I hated both. So I then took a year out and worked in retail and travelled, both of which I really enjoyed. Since then, I've been working in another admin job.
I don't enjoy this job, although it's not as bad as the first one because it's a much better company to work for. I do make pretty good money and I've been able to buy my own unit with a fairly hefty mortgage.
My partner has just completed his teaching degree and has been offered a position for next year on-going. He says I should go back to study languages again because I'm good at it and I enjoy it. He is willing to take the burden of covering the mortgage for a while.
I don't know what to do. I would LOVE to go back to study, but I feel that that would be totally irresponsible. I would LOVE to keep studying as long as I can, basically up to Phd level, and then become an academic or a translator, however there are barely any jobs in either of those fields.
I guess I can't tell whether I should do the right thing by the "smaller picture" and stick at my job and pay off my mortgage and save up for retirement etc or do the right thing by the "bigger picture" and enjoy my life so that I won't have regrets when I'm 80.
Does anyone else feel like this? Does anyone else feel like doing what you want to do is irresponsible?
Does anyone know why most people are able to do jobs they don't enjoy whereas I spend all my time complaining about mine, when I really don't have much to complain about?