Well, There is Always That
Remember that real-life interview I had back in February?
The selection process for the 2012 JET Program has now concluded. We regret to inform you that we are not able to offer you a position on the program this year. Please know that this decision is not a reflection on your personal qualifications, but on the nature of the JET Program selection process. As it is ever year, competition was stiff and the available positions were few, and unfortunately, many qualified applicants had to be turned down.
We hope you will reapply for the JET Program in the future and we wish you the best of luck.
So… yeah. Japan is a no-go.
I was a little ashamed that the realities of MMO gaming was a (small) thing I had thought about throughout the whole application process. People clearly play WoW from Australia and endure the cross-Pacific lag and whatnot, but it was a bit daunting to realize the likelihood that you would ever game with the same people again was effectively zero by the time differences alone.
Sure, there is always the chance that someone you hang out with in WoW or wherever can suddenly evaporate. There are dimensions to leaving the country though, that gave me some pause. Would Guild Wars 2 be playable over there? Could I even play Diablo 3’s single-player without lag? In a strange bit of coincidence, EVE was just localized in Japanese a week ago; perhaps it was would have been a sign?
Given those questions, I had not been thinking about upcoming MMO releases or even the current ones all that much. Would you even want to play a new MMO if you knew – for sure – you’d have to give it up in 2 months? Now that I know I will be sticking around, I suppose it is time to start looking towards a much more predictable future. A future that includes a lot more gaming than I necessarily expected.
And alcohol. Lots of alcohol.
Posted on April 11, 2012, in Miscellany and tagged EVE, Future, Guild Wars 2, Interview, JET, WoW. Bookmark the permalink. 7 Comments.
In An Age 
Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. Were you very excited about the prospect, were you already planning the trip? I hope that you will be able to do something equally fulfilling, and apply for it again in the future if you have the chance.
I understand what you mean when you say that you thought about how that change in your life would affect gaming. I’m traveling to the UK for my Erasmus scholarship and I also thought about how I would be keeping in touch with the gaming community, how could I keep playing games, perhaps Diablo 3 with my father or GW2 on my own, or even WoW if I felt like it. I was considering packing the computer, or borrowing a laptop. I actually feel a bit ashamed of my obvious inability to think beyond my established habits. Perhaps it has something to do with the estrangement feeling of having to live by so radically different standards than the ones we are used to. It is related to the question: “What would you take to a desert island?” Going abroad is stepping into unknown territory, and having to make adjustments. How much are you willing to change about yourself in order to pursue a dream.
It’s not my intent to psychoanalize you, but I detect some contentedness. Coming back to the easy, pre-planned routine tends to have that effect. Who hasn’t felt that way after an exhausting trip in a foreign land? Personally, I cherish too much my routine. Someday I will break its shackles, just like you attempted with your JET scholarship. And, wow, you know Japanese? Impressive.
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I was not necessarily packing my bags per se, but I was absolutely making a conscious effort to not become too attached to things. Not looking at apartments for the last 6-8 months, not making any large purchases (computer aside), keeping the things I would potentially be away from for 1+ years at arm’s length, and so on.
Contentedness though? Getting the job would have certainly turned my life upside down to an extent. I’m not a teacher, much less an English teacher, and it would certainly not have been the hand-holding experience that my college semester in Japan on an exchange program was.
I would have done it in a heartbeat though.
The one nagging worry I had, though, was that teaching was not exactly my life’s calling. The things I consider myself profiencent at are things that one does not need a foreigner in Japan to do. So JET was aimed more at disrupting my present inertia than a dream job. Perhaps that came across in the interview? In any case, while I now have to worry about the inertial problem again (and likely losing the last shot I will ever have at Japan generally), to an extent I no longer am worrying about there being a job out there that matches my profiencies. If it exists, it most likely exists here in the US, where I have the most ability to leverage contacts and resources anyway.
Now it is simply a matter of figuring out what my profiencies actually are, and how they could be fit into a job description of a position that actually exists.
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Sorry about the news. Hope things work out in the long run for you.
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Thanks.
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I’ve done the teaching english thing in asia, wonderful thing it was too. Have you checked out tefl.com? A zillion differant listings for various countries and roles, how I got myself sorted. I’m not an english teacher either and would never classify myself as one, but with a little pre-class prep with lesson plans etc, it worked out a treat. I worked in two differant schools, the staff in both were superb with helping.
…if thats what you were aiming for :)
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Wow, thanks for the link. Definitely bookmarked that one.
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