Only one career path?

For the first time in a year, I'm back home in Tokyo. It's already been a week since I arrived. Some things were same as I expected, but others were different. But, still it's good to be back home.

Yet, it's also good to be out of Japan. You see so many different things and they really open your eyes.

During my stay in the U.S. for five years, I got jealous of American and other international students. They have so many choice on their career path.

You should google Simultaneous Recruiting of New Graduate.

In this system, you are supposed to start search on jobs in the middle of junior year, in which you begin to focus on your major. And once you fail to find a job by graduation, it gets much harder to get employed full time.

Companies train you upon once employed, but you really don't have choice. You can't really choose what you go through to build your career. You are expected to stay in the company till retirement.

I really hate this system. The system in the U.S. is much better and fairer. It's discrimination that companies only consider new graduates exclusively as candidates.

College is a place to study. It is wrong that students are practically forced to spend study time for job hunting. Especially the time when they start learning what they want to learn.

Many companies come to Boston Career Forum or other job hunting events to get students with international experience. But if they want such students and actually expand business internationally, why are they still stick to old recruitment method just fitting inside of Japan? Or do they just want Japanese students who just want or "dream" to work internationally?

There are so many things of Japan that I'm proud of, but not this recruitment custom. It only limits students' potential and produce employees just following tradition and order.

I don't mean to offend anybody, but this is my honest feeling. I hope Japan would get away from this old fashion and economic stagnation.

It was a good class, but...

I finished!

Last two weeks were filled with two papers and one final, but my first semester at UAB is officially finished!

While I'm excited about the break, the only one final was tough... and unreasonable... at least in my view.

I studied thoroughly the chapters and terminology. Since I did not have time and energy to go through all the examples and unnecessary details, I scanned through the textbook and slideshows.

She used some terminology that she didn't go though in class. My review on text and slideshow didn't help on multiple questions.

I mean, I know this is graduate level and not easy, but asking a question that the class didn't go over is just irresponsible.

I have been dissatisfied with this professor throughout the semester. Her lecture is nothing close to concise and organized. Her slideshows are like another textbook. Her monotone makes it worse. She reads just out of the slideshows.

I know she is a great scholar. But some professors are not good at teaching. I wish there is a system to ensure the quality of class. I'm not opposed to the idea that professors should use their own discretion, but if it doesn't contribute students' learning, it does help anyone. Maybe professors from another class should randomly visit and evaluate the class. Just I don't want unfair and unreasonable grade.

They should make sure students' effort be paid off.

Speaking of professors, sometimes I wonder if they have taken classes with professors that are just annoying or boring. I'm sure they have, but I don't know why professors who have learned under such professors become the ones just like the boring professors. Didn't they just wish their classes had been more interesting once or twice when they were in college? Or didn't they think if one particular professor had not had monotone voice, everything would have been better?

Then, once they took the teaching side, they were the very professor they wish they could avoid.

Well, in terms of monotone professors, such characteristics is seen more in professors from other countries. Maybe their English is yet to develop. Even if they have been in the States for quite a while, they still cannot make changes in their lecture. I don't mean that all international professors have monotone, but such professors tend to have monotone that make the class boring.

My chemistry class in my undergraduate had this kind of professor and all students in that class had bad grade on a particular test.

American professors look more engaged in a class. Since they give lecture in their first language, they have extra room in their brain to make a little change in their speaking. But, international professors seem to me occupied with the task of speaking and not having room to apply some change in their tone.

I think such professor should take speech courses before start teaching in college. Don't you think so. Not to offend, but make sure they can give quality of teaching.