What's NEXT?

This is a really non-creative blog since I literally stole the idea from Linda, an old friend of mine. So here I am, reading her blog and thought, 'Hm, interesting. Why not writing one of your own?' and for seconds later, thought, 'You're unbelievably uncreative. But hey, you still want to do it anyway so... yeah.'

What's NEXT? I've come to realize that I'm really a long-term planning type of person. I find it exciting and gives me more space to explore the possibilities. I don't do short-term plans cos I tend to change mind quite too easily. But Linda's what-next got me into wondering, maybe I should try making shorter-term plans. I'll call in quarter long-term plans.

- The National Outstanding Student Competition

- International internship

- A career in teaching English

Let's talk about these.

1. The National Outstanding Student Competition

Every year, DIKTI (a national governance institution for education) have this particular competition where they choose few potential students in each universities and colleges throughout the nation. These students will then compete nationally by submitting a scientific paper on the addressed topics. They provide some sub-topics for us to choose and explore and I have to say, some of them are quite interesting. 

I'm never too fond of entering competition, I have to admit. I am a driven person, but I am pretty reluctant to call myself ambitious. And I don't enjoy competition as much as other people may do. However, I love challenges. And the thought of submitting a piece of scientific paper to the national governance institution feels like I'm doing something right for the country. As we all clearly know, there's nothing much I can claim to have done for this country so I'm entering this competition (not that I could say no, anyway, but I've decided to give my best instead of just submitting a plain paper) and let's see where this may take me. I don't have high hopes, looking at my friends who are also chosen to enter this competition by my university, I really don't have high hopes. In fact, they don't have anywhere else to go, so I'm just flying down the radar, doing something I think I will enjoy doing.

2. International internship

Another opportunity has presented itself upon me, I gotta say. AIESEC, a Dutch student organization, has decided to open its 2nd branch office in my university. So there will be a big opportunity for us to apply for the internships and travel around the globe to have new experiences of working with people from various countries. I personally aim for the Development Internships where you actually work with non-profit social organizations and work with children, HIV patients, and so on. Being in the developing country myself, I don't see much opportunity here. The people in need are abundant, the people who care are only a glimpse. So, I think doing an internship program in US, Canada or UK (any developed country) would provide me with professional experience in handling social issues. Those countries would teach me how to do the community work the right way and most importantly, the professional way. I just hope that my experience can be a good use later when I come back to Indonesia. 

Plus, I can't wait to see the world beyond this borders! ;D

3. A career in teaching English

I've been teaching English in local school for four years now. I've been doing it among my busy schedule of college (trust me, my college takes away my social life) and you can say, I enjoy it very very very much. I love the kids. Even though they're giving me daily headaches and occasional heart-attacks, draining my energy and causing me serious sore-throat, I still love teaching them. The problem is, I'm a self-educated teacher. I didn't undergo any teaching class or program. My teaching style has been a result of observing my own teachers and forming creative delivery method in my mind after watching movies, reading books, etc. I don't have perfect English, I still make craps and I've got so much to learn. I can't be compared with high-qualified teachers who have undergone intensive teaching courses. But I want to be one.

So, another opportunity again, my friend. I've got to known this English teacher of mine in my college. She's a bright and friendly girl who seems to like me very much (even though I don't really know why) and she gave me this information about CELTA course. Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA) is an initial qualification for people with little or no teaching experience and it opens up a whole world of exciting teaching opportunities. It is awarded by University of Cambridge so its quality is unquestionable. 

My hesitation is, if I'm going to take this CELTA course, I will be calling it an investment. And most likely, I'll then have to (or better to) pursue a career in teaching English. I like the idea of teaching English but I'm not sure I've come around the idea of doing it forever (or at least, few decades in the future). I could continue teaching where I do now, but CELTA course has grown to become a challenge for me to explore. Once, I treated TOEFL test the same way. When TOEFL test was seen as a very difficult test to get through by most of Indonesian students 5-10 years ago, I managed to bring myself to a satisfyingly high score. For the second time in my life, I'm challenged to take this course and discover how far I can succeed in it. And English is really the only subject that can trigger such enthusiasm in me. Like I said, I've never been the ambitious type.

So you see, the world has presented few opportunities before me. When I wished for one, none seemed to come but now, I have several considerations to make. Which one should I go for? Which one would be my first quarter long-term plan? This remain a question for me, whether to take CELTA or AIESEC internship program.