Past the point of no return in my student loans.
I'm already financially past the "point of no return" with my student loans. That is, when it comes to paying them off with a job a student can get while in college. I don't even keep track of how much I owe now, but as long as I keep putting off graduation, I keep deferring them.
-A. Whenever I achieve all of the class & credit requirements of my current major, then comes time to graduate. But do I want to float downriver for six months without a paddle? (Getting the job is like grabbing an elusive branch and successfully pulling yourself to shore.) I fear that I will keep hopping from interview-to-interview without ever landing a job in those crucial six months.
--i. Even if I posted my whole resume as an ad on a newspaper, not only would that waste money faster, I'd probably only embarrass myself. No one posts their entire resumes on newspapers.
-B. That is why I plan to keep taking classes (perhaps a partial load?) in order to keep the student loans from chopping me up like the rocks at the bottom. Until I finally land a job, of course. If I have to move far enough away in order to find an ideal job, I can still take them online.
--i. Therefore, I can take a minimum of 6 credit hours every semester in order to keep these loans deferred. When I take them online wherever I am, I hope they keep enough of these in stock; enough online classes to last me a very long time! Who knows how long I'll need to look for a long-term job.
--ii. Once I've found a job, THEN I'll graduate. To not graduate until I sign an actual job offer will be a financial safety precaution. Many companies are willing to wait to the end of a semester for someone to graduate first, so I hope my favorite company will do the same. Pray for me not to take long to land a wonderful long-term job, if you would please.
---a. Either that, or if I get tired of living in Manhattan, KS (which is doubtful,) then I can graduate, move somewhere more desirable, and still take classes online from K-State. Or it's possible that I can take online classes somewhere else (say a vocational or technical college) and still manage to defer my student loans.
-C. And of course if all else fails, I could keep taking classes while searching for a job in vain. Some classes are pretty fun to take anyway, though others are of course the best sleep-aids in town.
--i. Did you know the Mayan Calendar is going to end on December 21, 2012? Millions believe an apocalypse will start that day. If it does, and I get to live in a long-term survival shelter, then all of my debts will be made irrelevant because the creditors from Sallie Mae will either be dead, or also seeking survival in a shelter too. Nevertheless, a cataclysm will render these debts irrelevant. No one will care about from whom to collect what debts, whether and when to report unpaid dues to the major credit reporting agencies (since they'll also shut down,) and so on.
---a. But an advisor once told me not to bank on that, so I won't "bank" on it. Deeper down, I also hope for an apocalypse not to happen anytime in the 21st century. I hope to not need one to solve these debts.
-D. If I hadn't have used my student loans, I would have had the option to take a semester, rest another semester, take a semester again, rest again, and off and on. I wouldn't mind that lifestyle in the least! But alas, I'm forced to stay in college if I want to keep these loans away. :-/
Not ready for adulthood
I'm not ready to be an adult yet. I've heard or read stories of adults regretting not doing more as college students. They thought being a college student was one of the most exciting times of their lives so they regret not being able to go back to those years.
-A. Even though I'm past college students in some areas (won't name any now), I know I'm behind college students in other areas,+ too (won't name them now either). It takes being an adult to know what certain things and situations to face after college. If I'm already out of college and don't know how to deal with them, I might be SOL! That's one reason why it's best to stay in college in the meantime- to learn how to tackle the adult world in stride and with ease.
-B. I already regret having a deprived and boring childhood and youth (at many times in those times, anyway) so I get the feeling that I'll also regret not doing enough in college if I, well, not do enough in college. That's why it helps to stick around- in order to do whatever it is I need, can, and want and therefore feel more fulfilled about myself.
-C. All these clubs and organizations can be very fun to visit and participate in. I have doubts that alumni can participate as well. Even if I could as an alumni, I'd feel awkward and out of place because, well, I'd most likely be the only alumni in the club (who isn't speaking in the front of the room, that is.)
-D. In the adult world, you will need a LOT of leadership skills in order to go FAR. (Far up the promotion ladder, the fortune freeway, and also possibly far in your travels.) The two leadership classes I've taken- Introduction to Leadership (EDLST212) and Cultural & Contextual Leadership (EDLST350), didn't do enough in my opinion, to shape me into a solid leader. I'm still more comfortable as a follower than as a leader (in plenty of situations, anyway) but I'm getting too old to be a "follower." (I'm growing too old, too fast, in any case.)
--i. This is why I will also take "Management" classes. Management is another form of leadership; I'd say it's even a synonym of the word! There will be a COPIOUS amount of Management classes and I assume I'll enjoy every one of them! (At least I had BETTER enjoy every one of them!) Enough of these classes ought to shape me into a bold, confident, and daring leader that can tackle any worthy life's challenge with stride and ease, and earn a large crowd of followers.
At least one scholarship before I graduate
I want a scholarship. I've never received an academic scholarship before (probably because I never feel motivated to take the initiative to apply for any at FastWeb.com) but my goal is to have at least ONE scholarship before I graduate.
-A. If I get even one scholarship, that'll brighten my future career prospects. Employers will notice and favor applicants who have received scholarships.
-B. More than that, I could state on another scholarship application that I have received a scholarship before. The reviewers may then think, "This student has already gone far enough to receive one. I trust he'll make the most of ours, too. I think anyone who previously received scholarships will be more likely to rightfully deserve ours."
-C. Furthermore, if I put in my profile of a dating/matchmaking website that I've received scholarships, more desirable women may take notice.
Must study abroad in Korea
Finally, I plan to study abroad in Korea at least a year after I leave Japan. Even though more and more of my fellow high school classmates have graduated or are graduating, I can use this extra time for extra opportunities.
-A. You see, I really wanted to take a Korean class but there's no Korean at K-State, so I took the closest language- Japanese.
--i. It was appealing for a while at first, but I'm not at all fond of there being thousands of Kanji characters and the Japanese social structure is way too complicated (Even though they'll mostly forgive us Gaijin for not knowing the inner workings of such.)
--ii. Japan is also too expensive. Can you believe their taxis are eight dollars a mile?? (Also ~$5 to get in and for the first two kilometers, by the way.) Whereas a deluxe taxi in Korea is just 4,000 Won (less than $4) to get in and for the first 3 kilometers and 200 Won for every additional 205m (~96¢ per kilometer, or ~$1.55 per mile.) I could just ride a taxi to school every day if I didn't feel like putting up with the crowding of the buses or the subways.
-B. I suppose that when I return to the US, I'll learn Korean on my own time. There'll be plenty of Korean learning software (and books) around the Internet, and I already have some in my storage shed right now.
--i. I'll even explore the possibility of taking a Korean class online through any college, and hopefully transferring the credits back to K-State. It should count toward something.
--ii. Whereas Japanese has ~110 Hiragana, ~110 Katakana, and over 5,000 Kanji (2,000 of which are commonly used,) Korean only has maybe 40 symbols. Thus, Hangeul (or Kankoku-go) is easy to master and read. I can already read and write Korean; I just cannot converse in it yet.
-C. Members of my real family reside in Korea, all on my mother's side. Thanks to them, I won't need a dorm nor to pay host family fees. Most of them live in the Seoul area, where many universities are who have exchange partnerships with K-State. I'll even be close to most everything, as a matter of fact.
-D. I plan to stay in Korea for at least a year, as opposed to a semester in Japan. I'll save up, and thanks to most everything being cheaper there, I'll have a better time of my life! Staying there for a year will require putting off graduation a LOT; I once heard that we cannot graduate abroad; we need to spend our last 20 credit-hours at K-State.
Closing
I forgot to mention that I'll still enjoy Japan, but as a tourist who spends a vacation here once in a while. I'll still like several Animes, but Korea has a good selection of Animes, too. I think if I want to spend the rest of my life in one country, it'll be Korea. Let us hope there isn't a second Korean War that'll force me to move back to America, or someplace else in East Asia.
I won't mind putting off graduation in the meantime, anytime soon, because I feel young while I'm still in college (although sometimes I still feel too old.) I know I'll just feel older once I'm done, so it's best to enjoy the extra time and really use it to decorate my resume.
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