A Decision That Changes My Life

張貼日期：Dec 04, 2010 8:38:55 AM

A Decision That Changes My Life

Pace Chen

      I think I made the right decision about going back to school for further studying. It was not an easy decision. I had to convince my mother who considered earning money was much more practical. Maybe she was right during the generation when a university degree was not that valuable. A college degree was not a must when people looked for a job about ten years ago. Nowadays, the same degree is still not a guarantee for a better job. Even so, going back to study at the university has taken me to another stage of my life. During these years at the university, I learn more about English, try my best to get along with the classmates and cherish the opportunity of being a full-time college student.

      After studying at Chinese Culture University, my ability of reading English improves. The courses here require me to do a lot of reading, which forces me to read English everyday. I have realized that I love reading novels in English more than the ones in Chinese. This is a good habit I have kept since I entered the university.

      The second thing I learn is to get along with classmates who are younger than I am. It is not that difficult as I thought. I am introverted. This personality trait makes me spend more time getting to know people well. Although it takes time to make good friends, I find some ways to shorten the distance between people. Being friendly and greeting people first are ways to increase chances to talk with the classmates. Finally, I also realize that most classmates are friendly and easy-going. Most of them are shy to be the first one to talk with one another. So, why don’t I take the initiative and show my friendliness first?

      As I learn more fields, courses, or knowledge about English, I have more chances working in different fields. I used to have hard time finding a job because of the educational background. The job I wanted to do was teaching English at cram schools. I did have a couple of interviews in teaching. The problem is my pronunciation is not good enough and that I don’t have enough confidence. In the end, I had to go back to the office working as an assistant again. I am glad that I see more job opportunities in the future. I will have more confidence in teaching children English, or I can study at a graduate school, or take national exams for which university degrees are required.

      It is good going back school to gain more knowledge and experience a new way of life. Sometimes, it is hard due to the way people think about me. Friends, relatives, or people who know my situation might think that I should have taken courses at night school and worked on the daytime. I don’t regret for the time I spend. I just take a different path from other people. And I am going through what I didn’t experience. Because of this, I cherish the chance to study.