My Post Graduate Studies (Post 6)

Today you will write about your post-graduate studies. These are studies after you graduate from this institution now receiving your diploma. Maybe you want to get another Master's Degree, a Master's Degree, or a PhD... Maybe you don't, but imagine you did... What would you study? Why? Where? What would be the reason for this? What motivates you? Add any other relevant information. Word minimum: 220

My case might be a little complicated. I was one of those students who was interested in many things, and I had a couple of possibilities. As you know, I almost chose Geology/Paleontology as a major. However, I didn't. I have a Bachelor's Degree in International Relations, with a specialization in Central European Area Studies. This was an interdisciplinary major that focuses on a particular part of the world (for example: Western Europe, Latin America, East Asia, etc...) and has elements of History, Language, Economics, Political Science, and Geography. As part of it, I studied abroad in Poland for a year, and worked as an intern in the Polish section of Voice of America radio station. Unfortunately, I realized around the end of my studies that I really didn't want to work in something especially related to this...

After I graduated, I worked for some time, and was figuring out what I really wanted to do. I had always really liked Linguistics, but I thought "it's not practical." I then decided to study it because it was what I really wanted to do, and accepted the consequences. I knew I could probably become a teacher as a possible outcome altough I was very unsure I would like it.

I started studying it while I was working. I worked during the day, and went to classes in the evening. I was accepted conditionally at first because my BA was in something different, and the department authorities weren't sure I could handle it. After one semester, they accepted me to the program fully since I was doing very well. It was the late 1980s, so education at a state university in the US had not become prohibitively expensive yet. I was able to pay for my education from my work during the day. I really loved my studies. I got my MA in Linguistics from George Mason University at the end of 1991.

I was especially interested in Phonetics. I did my thesis on exceptions to the sonoric hierarchy. I won't go into detail about that here. As a hint, it is this hierarchy that
helps explain why in Spanish, it is España or estilo, and not *Spaña or *stilo.

After that, I became an English teacher--English as a foreign language (EFL), and am very happy I chose this profession. I made the right choice with my MA.

Comentarios

  1. Wow, you have studied a lot of things! I think that is pretty amazing, I wish I had so many interests like you

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  2. Sometimes one must go through other careers to know what he really likes. I studied agronomy before but I didn't finish it, then I went to social work and I like my profession, I hope to practice it

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  3. It's so nice to see people with various interests! Glad you found what you liked at the end

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  4. It's good to have different interests. I'm glad you found your vocation

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  5. Wow, that's really interesting, I really admire your constance on the task of learning different things, is a kind of unusual trend on people around me.
    Regards

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