What to think about on a rainy day.

The rainy season in Korea has begun, just in time for my summer vacation. I would complain about the timing, except that I've never actually had time off to spend in Korea not connected to a national holiday before. Traveling while daily storms push the humidity up enough to make you feel like you are always wearing a wool sweater in the middle of summer is hardly pleasant, but neither is working during the rainy season for just the same reasons. I'm just lucky I'm in the position I am in to be even to make these observations.

Having time off and having bad weather is unfortunate, but at least it's not like I have the luxury of ever getting time off in the first place, to complain would be missing the point. Trying to make the best of my free time, I'm deciding on where to go for the week. I've already canceled some more adventuresome plans due to the likelihood of persistent rain, but a quick trip to Seoul to go shopping sometime this week isn't out of the question.

Pondering possible trips and actually thinking that I have time to do them reminds me how different my position is from just a few months ago at my old job. At my last job I was given eight days of vacation for eighteen months, never to be used at one time, and I had to ask nearly permission almost a month in advance for it to be approved, if at all. The idea of having an entire week off was simply impossible.

While that entry level position in the world of teaching seems harsh to me now, there are college professors in Korea that have several entire months of vacation available to them. I'm somewhere between, not working in a traditional academy, but not in an official college position either. I like where I am, as it gives me the benefits of a better school without the responsibility of an actual college with grades.

I've been told by students that I hold college positions in too much respect at the moment, but frankly I don't feel capable of doing a good enough job. I know that with more time at my current job I could be a much better teacher. My responsibilities and planning skills, as well as my demeanor in class has improved, but I still feel I could do better. This drive for improvement is new for me and has come from my recent job satisfaction.

Eventually I'll hit a plateau where I won't be making enough money for my experience at my school and will have to either choose a new location to work or move to teaching actual university classes if all things go as planned. There isn't much room for advancement. In my mind there are things I need to do so that I feel prepared to make that leap, but that takes a commitment towards the future and planning.

While it would make my life here better, it also means I'm more committed to staying here and makes me less mobile overall. I'll have to somehow make a choice about my future. That's what I came to do in the first place when I was straight out of college coming to Korea for an adventure. I never expected to be here this long, and while I don't foresee any immediate reasons to leave, I still am hesitant to make any decision that keeps me here longer through business commitments or education.

To stay where I am only makes sense for a short while, and either I go all the way, or need to come of with an alternative that at the moment has eluded me for the first four years of my stay. If I decide to take the plunge and get further training so that I can get a degree to get a better job, I'll be choosing something that affects my future in a major way, as I wouldn't be leaving Korea for some time during or after the process. At least I've got a few rainy days to ponder such things lined up ahead.

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