Montgomery G.I. bill and Studying Chinese

[phunkyphred]

Hello,

This is my first thread! So let me do a little introduction.

I'm currently in the U.S. air force, stationed in Germany. I have 2 years left of my 6 year obligation. So I am finally buckling down and trying to work on getting some education. I currently am using Rosetta Stone and Pimsleurs software to help learn chinese. I have about 8 language exchange chat buddies but I only talk to 2 frequently.

My major issues with learning chinese have to do with not having anyone to talk to about chinese culture or language around me. Pretty much any time I mention china I think everyones ears turn off and they move onto other subjects, like video games or football. haha.

So, all that aside, has anyone here served in the military and got out to use their Montgomery G.I. bill to get a degree in chinese or east asian studies?

what are you currently doing with your degree now?

Also, is it possible to attend school in Taiwan or China using funds from MG.I. funds?

i'm just looking for possibilities. While i'm in and my school is 'free' I am taking general education classes so that I can transfer them wherever i'm going, and so i don't just sit about. To learn, one has to be in a learning mode! I also am planning to take some cleps.

even if you didn't use your mgi bill to go to school, if you went to school for chinese or east asian studies chime in and tell me what you use your degree for now! lets get a discussion going.

thanks in advance.

Phunky.

[Koneko]

Welcome to Chinese Forums.

This is the place where we can discuss the Chinese langauge, culture with people of diffent backgrounds but with a common interest - passion towards the language, culture stuff.

Upon completing a foreign language degree, can certainly help you to get your dream job of working for a foreign firm easily. But it's not a 100% guarantee unless you have something else, say some kind of technical knowledge, the firm is looking for.

If you can cope with your financial and study pressures, I would advise you to do a double degree. Take up one subject as your favourite and learn Chinese as a hobby.

Just some thoughts.

Hope it helps.

K.

[novemberfog]

phunkyphred,

Welcome to the forum.

Like Koneko said, in the private sector a degree alone in East Asian studies or Chinese is not a hot ticket. You need a business or technical skill that is in demand for international firms. Think about it, why would anyone hire you to do work relating to China or Taiwan when they could hire a native-speaker with experience in their area of business? If you had Chinese language skills AND a valuable skill to a business, then you will have much better chances.

So if you want to go that route, I would recommend double majoring. My friends with degrees in Japanese and East Asian Studies are not doing anything related to the language. One is a telephone insurance agent for Geico auto insurance, and the other is working at a book store. However, my friend with a degree in finance worked for three years in the US and now he is living an expat dream life in Hong Kong trading on the futures market. His company pays for everything, even Chinese lessons in the evening. I am sure if you have lots of connections and know the right people your degree does not matter, but if you're not hooked up, then a double major is a safer bet.

........

However, since you are serving in the military, that alone will open up a lot of US government jobs. You already have credibility over the average civilian. Before you get out of the Air Force, have you looked at government training for languages? Have you looked into the possibility of attending the Defense Language Institute? Even if your MOS is not linguist, you might be able to attend the school. They have a fast-paced language immersion program which is much better than any courses you could take in a University. 25 hours of classes a week, 3-4 hours of homework each night, and you and your classmates can only speak to each other in your target language. Your instructors are all natives as well. I have an acuaintance who studied Arabic there for the Army for a year. He then did 6 years of Arabic translation and interpretation for the Army, and when he finished his service he had lots of job offers with defence contractors and private firms to do the same thing. He ended up taking a scholarship to study French and Arabic in a French University in Paris.

If you do go to school for East Asian studies and you end up with a M.A. or Ph.D., with your military background, you will have a better chance of landing analyst positions with the DIA or even CIA. Other options would be applyiing to the State Dept. to work as a Foreign Service Officer as long as you also had very strong written and oral English skills and decent knowledge of US history and modern US foreign policy.

...

When people have a dream, I like to remind them of the famous British comedian Rowan Atkinson (aka Mr. Bean). He has always given me a lot of inspiration. While attending Oxford he was very interested in acting and theatre. However, he completed B.S. and M.S. degrees in electrical engineering science as a student. In his free time he worked with the stage groups and theatre groups at Oxford and made a name for himself. When he graduated he did find a way into a career in show business, but he said his studies were a back-up in case things did not work out with the stage. He has exceled on the stage and never used his engineering degrees. However, I think it was a very rational way of thinking about the future.

[phunkyphred]

thanks for the post Novemberfog, before i post a response i'll definently look into those other things.

I have spoken with linguists and they didn't think it was possible for me to go to DLI just to go. but, we'll see. I can't cross train into a linguist because they don't always let you pick what language you learn and i would have to re-enlist. Which i'm not too thrilled about doing.

i'll contact the school house and see what they say.

thanks so much!