The Decision

with No Comments

The blog is a bit all over the place at the moment.

I sent out a password protected post last week to my friends and family, for those of you not in the loop I had an interview for a copy editing job on the Korea Times last week. This post is from the day after the interview.

Blogging Japan will resume soon!

I woke the day after the interview feeling pretty calm and having slept pretty well considering today was the day I would find out. However once I arrived in work my nerves took hold and I was checking my email at every spare opportunity to see if I’d got the job.

Sat in the PC room at lunch time trying to concentrate on blogging and instead flicking between checking my email and aimlessly surfing the internet I got the call I’d been waiting for.

I had got the job. Fantastic – but why wasn’t I jumping for joy. Why did I feel like a weight had suddenly been placed on my shoulders? Things had happened so quickly I hadn’t really had time to think about the job properly. Now the real thinking had to begin.

Did I really want the job? Bearing in mind it was going to cost over 1000GBP to take the job and for technically less money than I earn at school, Was it financially viable? Was it possible to find nice affordable accommodation, pack up and move to Seoul in a week? Did I want to miss out on travelling to take the job? What would happened when I resigned? What if I failed the probationary period? What if it was my dream job and I didn’t take it? What doors could it open in the future? How could I even be considering not taking it after four your studying journalism at university? So many questions, but no answers.

Shortly after finding out I’d got the job I met Kat for lunch and talked it through. But when the time came to go back to work the only thing I knew was that I didn’t know what I wanted to do.

I agonised for the remainder of the day and spoke to as many people as possible, hoping someone would offer me a pearl of wisdom and make up my mind for me. But none were forthcoming! Kat said don’t take the job. Emily said take the job. But they were both biased. Everyone I spoke to who was a journalist told me what a fantastic opportunity it was and that they would jump at the chance. I needed an unbiased opinion. So before I went to bed I decided to call my parents. My mum said to travel as that is what I came away to. My dad was on the golf course so his opinion would have to wait until the morning.

I went to bed knowing my decision could still go either way and I would probably change my mind a multitude of times before a final decision was made!

I got up early and got my dad out of bed (it was 11:30pm in England) to ask him what I should do. He told me to do what I wanted, but said he would probably choose the travelling.

My final decision was made when I arrived at school and had an email from one of my MA course tutors. He pointed out that it may not be the job of a life time, 1000GBP was a very expensive job offer and I came away to travel. Adding that once I get back to England and settle into a career it will be very hard to get away.

With those words of wisdom in my ears I made the final decision and began writing the email………With a heavy heart and knowing I may live to regret it, I turned it down – I really must be insane!

I am disappointed to have turned it down, it could have lead to bigger and better opportunities. But I have always dreamed of travelling and so often I have been sensible and put my career first, now it was time to be irresponsible and go see Cambodia and Vietnam instead!!

If this job can come up what’s to say I can’t find another one, once I’ve seen some more of the world. And one in a nice hot country with beautiful beaches! Instead of Korea, which to be fair, is starting to come a little tiresome. I’m ready for the next adventure now!

* Posted by j150vsc on 29/01/2007.

Leave a Reply