Hang out with grad students, want to become a grad student.
Hang out with English teachers, want to become an English teacher.
This is why I find it difficult to ask others for advice. Providing they like what they're doing, people will often promote their field of expertise to those seeking answers. And if you're like me, which is to say, without her own goal, then you eat up these words and everything just sounds like doable good ideas.
There's no right or wrong answer. But I need to find the best answer for me.
Back to square one, it seems.
Become a dinosaur.
ReplyDeleteLet me know when you'll find a dinosaur to hang out with; I want to be there with you.
Quite honestly though, grad studies are fun only if you have something you want to know more about. If you have no question in mind, it's going to be boring as hell (which makes me wonder how hell can be boring with that fire and stuff).
If you have 5 minutes for youself and like the idea of grad studies, ask yourself what you want to know.
Why did Kimutaku marry that ugly lady?
How some people can be so overly confident?
How is the doll industry in Japan? How did it develop? What does it mean historically?
stuff like that, anything. Find yourself something you want to know. and if it's about yourself, you can still turn it into a generalized question. (I made my eternal identity quest morph into my current research question of mental health and lolita. it's possible.)
but I still vote for dinosaur.
A GRAD THESIS ON KIMUTAKU?? WHY DIDN"T I THINK OF THIS? XD
ReplyDeleteThis is why I love you <3
To be honest, I've actually come up with a sort of broad topic... dealing with my deep love for hosts lol. I can explain it to you in a bit more detail on msn ^^
So that being said, I definitely think I would enjoy doing research for said project... But where will the money come from? Where could I do grad school? If I want to do it in Japan, I need to find a money tree. If I want to do it in Montreal, I have to wait till next September. T_T
At the same time, the idea of ending school and just getting a job is sort of appealing in a way.... I miss making money and the idea of a real job with real income is very tempting.
Bah... what do?
If you have a topic already, find a prof who could help you out with it. Let's say you want to study about the soft prostitution industry in urban Japan, try to find a book about it, and try to find an author who teaches at an university, regardless whether he/she's a prof or lecturer.
ReplyDeleteThen google search his email, go talk to him/her, let him know about the fact you'd like to do research about it but you don't know where... then he/she might give you hints! :D
OR write an email to prof Lamarre or any prof you had in east asian studies at McGill. it's better if the prof remembers your name... ask them who to contact in Japan, where would they suggest you to study etc. They could also give you ideas about how to get money for it.
But yes, work is SO appealing... I wouldn't stop you at all if you chose that.
Then again, if you do research on hosts, you might be *forced* to interview them as part o your fieldwork (if you do something that's sociological/anthropological).... you know, like, that's your job. Talking to hosts.