I'm a university student and taking Spanish language courses and attending classes on Spanish linguistics. I'm too advanced in my studies to drop Spanish and opt for an area of studies that doesn't involve foreign languages except for English. Not that I don't like Spanish per se but I don't see a need for it in my future. Anyhow, I still have about three semesters of learning Spanish ahead of me. I try to motivate myself by listening to Spanish music but it doesn't suffice to engage myself seriously into learning Spanish. My current knowledge is enough to pass the respective exams but I feel it's a waste of time and a distraction from Japanese. I still have a long way to go but I strive for excellence in my Japanese studies. I'm only at university for the sake of a degree in a field that has little value in a business oriented world. Well, now there is no turning back.

I don't know what is your native language, but if I were you I'd try to graduate in Spanish in something like Spanish as a Foreign Language and go teach Spanish in Japan.
If your degree is in literature, then go to the M.D. and go teach Spanish Literature in Japan.
And any linguistics is useful to learn. The insight you gain on a language is never wasted: it will give you comparison points when learning Japanese.
Good luck!

ps: and what are 3 semesters in a life?

EratiK Wrote:I don't know what is your native language, but if I were you I'd try to graduate in Spanish in something like Spanish as a Foreign Language and go teach Spanish in Japan.

I wouldn't be competitive against native speakers regardless of my Spanish proficiency. Since my native language is German I don't see much opportunity to build a career on it in Japan. As I understand the job situation in Japan you can either work in an international company that uses English or in a Japanese company that chiefly uses Japanese which means your must have near-native language skills.

EratiK Wrote:And any linguistics is useful to learn. The insight you gain on a language is never wasted: it will give you comparison points when learning Japanese.

I agree but the insight won't impress future employers.

So you're getting a degree in Spanish, even though you don't like it, and don't want anything to do with it? And you're just going through the motions?

I'd recommend rethinking that. It's easier to change courses while you're still in college than when you're already out in the world and realize that you have a marginally useful degree in a field you have absolutely no interest in.

So I recommend nipping that sort of thing in the bud.

If you were passionate about Spanish, I'd say the degree would be much more useful, but since you're not excited about it at all, it would make more sense to major in something that's more marketable, or better yet, something you feel passionate about. (Or even better, something you feel passionate about that can also put food on the table.)

I had no problem forgetting 6 years of French when I realized I would never live in France.

cchanji Wrote:I wouldn't be competitive against native speakers regardless of my Spanish proficiency. Since my native language is German I don't see much opportunity to build a career on it in Japan. As I understand the job situation in Japan you can either work in an international company that uses English or in a Japanese company that chiefly uses Japanese which means your must have near-native language skills.

Actually, in institutions, the teaching business is about degrees, not about native languages. For example, I'm French, and if I had a Ph.D. in English, I could probably teach English anywhere. It's probably the same for Spanish.
About companies, you forgot the Japanese or Gaijin companies in Germany and which have subsidiaries in Japan. But you would probably have to do a MBA or something (Japanese in option), and who wants to do that?

rich_f Wrote:So you're getting a degree in Spanish, even though you don't like it, and don't want anything to do with it?

Fortunately, Spanish is only part of my degree but I had to choose a second language. Unfortunately, Japanese was not an option, so for me Spanish was the most reasonable choice.

rich_f Wrote:I'd recommend rethinking that.

Everytime I did some rethinking I came to the conclusion that there is no way around Spanish without expanding my university stay or jeopardizing my grade-point average. Now, I'm trying to make the best out of the situation.

To make my cv attractive for potential employers I focus on gathering experience out of university. By the time I graduate I hope I'll have gained enough work experience (incl. at least one internship) to get a job in a field that eventually allows me to work in Japan. That's my goal for now.

Ah, I thought your course was Spanish only. So you can't study Japanese at university. Okay. What was the problem again? Not getting a degree in Japanese? Who cares if you're fluent? Once you have your major (what is it by the way?) and your fluent, the biggest part of the work will be done. You can still go to Japan as an expert on your non-business related field.

EratiK Wrote:About companies, you forgot the Japanese or Gaijin companies in Germany and which have subsidiaries in Japan. But you would probably have to do a MBA or something (Japanese in option), and who wants to do that?

Yes, a business degree would be the way to go but I'd probably go insane along the way.

EratiK Wrote:You could simply buy a plane ticket, and go work as a waiter or a temp, and stop worrying about the money.

The idea of taking the plunge of flying over after university, looking for a job and working my way up, so to speak, has crossed my mind. The longer I stay at home the higher the possibility that I'm going to have a career in Germany. Nothing wrong with that as I quite like it here but I don't want to regret missed opportunities later on.

How realistic is this idea?

EratiK Wrote:Ah, I thought your course was Spanish only. So you can't study Japanese at university. Okay. What was the problem again? Not getting a degree in Japanese? Who cares if you're fluent? Once you have your major (what is it by the way?) and your fluent, the biggest part of the work will be done. You can still go to Japan as an expert on your non-business related field.

I don't have a major as in the sense that there is an attached minor but I have to focus on certain areas. Spanish is one of them. I study something along the lines of linguistic and journalistic studies. My problem is to manage the transition from university to the real world.

Since you're in journalism, how about correspondent for a German journal in Japan? Okay it's not business related, but since you'll be working for a company, there is really no difference.
And why are you so vague about your formation? What is your main subject, journalism? Spanish? both? applied linguistincs of Spanish in contemporary papers? What will be written on your diploma?
You probably got senpais at your uni that already explored the foreign possibility? Have you inquired that? What did they say?
So far I still don't see the problem. And what are 3 semesters of Spanish in a lifetime? I know you're not a little wuss.

I have a similar situation with German (no offence), except it is not really a part of my degree. I do sometimes feel like it is a waste of time and a distraction from Japanese - just like all my other classes . Hence, I treat it like just another class - do my homework, study for tests and learn Japanese in the remaining time. In other words, while my goal in Japanese is to learn the language, my goal in German is to pass the class (and the German class in my college only has a pass/fail grade, so it will not affect my GPA). I have been studying German since middle school, so I am absolutely sure I will not fail it. Because of this I do not even bother trying to motivate myself to seriously learn it. If you are in the same position with respect to Spanish, then you can keep studying it without having it interfere with your Japanese too much. But if you feel like your GPA will be threatened if you ease up on Spanish a bit, then it might be a better idea to keep studying the same way you have been doing it before, and then intensify your Japanese learning after you graduate in order to pass the JLPT N1 as soon as possible. With that and some work experience you can greatly improve your chances of getting a job in Japan.

I really appreciate your help.

EratiK Wrote:And what are 3 semesters of Spanish in a lifetime.

You're right, that shouldn't pose a problem. I just wish I could get more into Spanish. I think my working life will be mostly determined by the decisions I make after university not merely by the diploma (the terminology is misleading in a way, so linguistic + journalism is a good way to describe my studies). Initially, this piece of paper makes seeking for a job significant easier. But once I've gained some years experience my degree becomes increasingly irrelevant.

It's probably best to stick with it and get that degree. However, if Japanese study interest you more, you might wanna consider Khatz's Critical frequency idea. Where you frequently expose yourself to the language rather then constantly.

AJATT: Critical Frequency: A Brand New Way of Looking At Language Exposure

You could also do this with Spanish exposure, just might be a way to keep things more interesting for yourself. Just an idea.

Oh well. Life's tough, but perhaps in the future you'll have a chance to take Japanese classes at the college level after you've graduated.


I've been out of college for 1.5 years now, and I'm just waiting for the day I can afford to take more classes in Mandarin and begin classes for French and Russian. It's just a matter of time before I can afford a nice summer course