A Bit of Advice

It has been awhile since the MBA days. Kind of seems both like just yesterday and long ago at the same time. I don't really miss it though. Getting a paycheck is much better than staying up until 4am with a beer in one hand and bong in the other while stressing about what topic I'll choose for that Marketing paper I have due the next day. Lol. Seriously, tho, Xerox is treating me well. Pays the bills with the potential for good upward mobility.

Anyway, if you're looking to get some experience abroad and make some $$$ at the same time then perhaps teaching in Japan is right for YOU! What you've got to do is choose an Eikaiwa (English Conversation School) and submit an application online. The three biggies in Japan are:
AEON http://www.aeonet.com/
Geos http://www.geoscareer.com/
and ECC http://www.japanbound.com/

Look them up and choose which one you like best. The employment situation, housing opportunities, wages and whatnot may have changed since I left, so just poke around their websites to get the latest info. Notice that I didn't mention NOVA http://www.teachinjapan.com/ as one of the top three. Its big, but they dont treat their employees well. They are forced into living with their coworkers and do not have regularly scheduled teaching hours. I never met a happy NOVA employee in my three years with AEON. AEON is pretty good, easy textbooks to teach from. It's less like teaching and more just guiding the students through the book material page by page. Pretty much. You may feel at times as if you're just putting on a performance for the students, but then I think you'd really dig it too.

Culture is pretty good,and fun. Hmmmm.... Oh, keep in mind that the Japanese drink A WHOLE LOT and regularly either pass out on the streets or run stark naked with their coworkers chasing close behind. That is, there is an alcoholism problem there. If you end up going, just be careful not to join the crowd too often. Just some friendly advice.

If you decide to go, you should think about what city or region to request being stationed in. Hokkaido is fucking cold as hell. Sorry, can't put that any other way. You will literally freeze your balls off there. But, if you like skiing, no place is better. Nagano would be nice, but its kind of remote. No big cities nearby. Been there. Not that you need a big city to meet people. Just do a bit of homework on that. About dating, tho, the thing to do is to ask for a chicks Keitai (pronounced: Kay-Tie, and means: carry-phone, or cell-phone) address. Most people text message there rather than calling. If you date a chick, you have to call. But to get her to the dating stage, you text. See?

A New Year Ahead

Maybe it’s the start of a new year or that each day we see daylight a bit longer but whatever it is I feel much better about my job and how to do it than I felt just a few weeks ago. I get the feeling that 2007 will be a great year in the life and times of Mr. Dave Savoy. Now, I don’t want to get all mushy here and glow about the prospects of my job and all because it’s been tough. And more than likely its been my continuing perseverance that has enabled my increasing level of comfort in doing what I do. I’ve still got a lot to learn here and a ways to go before I can move on to my next stage either here at Xerox or elsewhere; however, this time of year does give me cause to reflect on all that the previous year has brought and on my accomplishments during that time.
Before moving onward, I am just taking this moment to look back and praise God that I’ve been able to go from Japan back to school and from school out into the job market and into a position with great potential whether or not I decide to stay with the company. I say this not because I am looking to leave, but it does my mind some good to know that I have the option of leaving at some point. Obviously I’d like to stay here for at least a few years in order to build up a stable employment history. But beyond that I am pleased to say that I have not yet decided my plans. At this point my life is still unfolding and I am excited to be on the verge of something potentially really cool and with just about six months of Xerox under my belt I can begin to see the slope of the learning curve becoming less steep. It’s stable enough ground for me to take a glance over my shoulder and look at the monstrous hill I’ve just climbed and say to myself, “Self, that’s quite a slope you’ve just scaled.” Then turn back to the hill and keep climbing. I’ve come a long way. Still got a ways to go, but at least I can say that I’m making some pretty good progress.

Happy New Year!!!!