For a while, I envisioned my dream job to consist of three elements; a classroom, students, and a textbook.

Secondary Education has always been my strongest interest. I loved the idea of being a teacher, being someone that kids can look to for advice, answers, and help. In high school, I admired each and every one of my teachers, because they all gave me something the other didn’t. They all inspired me to reach farther, dream bigger, and achieve more, which are traits I always try to pass on. I’ve always been told that teachers change the world, that they give so much to those who have so little, and that’s how it becomes their passion.

But I came to the harsh conclusion that maybe teaching in a traditional classroom setting isn’t exactly what I want out of life. It never really occurred to me that there are millions of ways to “teach”. And it occurred to me that I have strong interests in so many other things, like culture and history. So I’ve been frantically searching for ways to put all my strong interests into one big dream job.

And that’s when Asian Studies popped up. I’m a big ‘culture freak’, I love learning about other religions, other countries, and all their holiday’s and customs, you name it. Asia has always been my go-to, my favorite to learn about. So I figured I should do some research, and look at degrees and fields I could jump into for this type of major. And it turns out, there’s a lot this can offer me, and it’s doable. There are endless possibilities of still teaching others while including something I’m passionate about, and it doesn’t have to be in a school, in a classroom, somewhere where not everyone is interested. I am able to teach and reflect on others with something they want to know about, something they want to hear. Whereas in a classroom filled with students who may not care for English, or care for history, this is a path I am more willingly to grow and aspire from.

Of course, there is a lot more to learn and understand. Learning other cultures from other countries like China, Japan, and Korea is going to be a difficult task, but it’s something I want to learn about. Unlike if I chose English Education, I really don’t believe reading textual analysis’ and writing essays constantly are what I’m into. And this was hard to convince myself, because for so long I truly believed that was all I wanted to do.

Combining subjects and ideas that I love, and using them to teach others is something I have chased after for a long time. And while it may be a tougher experience, in the long run at least I know I’ll be passionate about it for the entirety of my career, whether that be in classroom or a different path.