Study in Japan? TUJ? Asian Studies useless?

Hello everyone. I have recently been accepted into TUJ for this coming Fall semester. I originally applied there for Spring but didn't have enough credits, I worked my butt off to get them...

Frustratingly enough however, now that I've been accepted I'm having second thoughts about whether or not it's the right choice. For one, it's expensive, and while I am extremely fortunate to have folks who are willing to take care of my student loans so I don't drown in debt after I graduate. I do not want to waste their money, and this is a one time thing.

The majority of comments about the school online are brutally negative. No school is without it's quirks, but it's discouraging.

The fact that it's an accredited US University branch that's in Japan is a nice perk. What I really liked was the idea of getting a 4-year degree that's recognized in both countries while studying in Japan, learning the language and experiencing the culture the entire time. On the surface that sounds perfect, but maybe there's a better alternative I'm unaware of? (note: I'm still a beginner when it comes to Japanese language) I want to study abroad long-term. Not just take some three month language program with nothing to show for it. I'm 28 years old, I can't remain undecided forever.

Speaking of being discouraged, all I read and hear is how worthless liberal arts degrees are. I was thinking of majoring in Asian Studies at TUJ because I have a genuine interest in it and would easily retain the information. But what kind of jobs could I be looking at with that degree? I had embassy/government work in mind but from what I hear, as far as work in Japan goes at least, it pretty much boils down to teaching english and translation work (if you're good enough). Both of which you don't even need to spend over 100k to do in the first place... Hell I could just say screw education and get a modest house with that but I digress... The problem is TUJ has a very limited selection of majors.

One thing I'm sure of, I have zero interest in accounting, or engineering, or anything that involves a lot of math honestly. I get decent grades overall but the fact that I passed College Algebra with a low C is an absolute miracle. lol

Anyways guys, I'd greatly appreciate any advice and suggestions you may have.

Any advice and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

you cannot say useless if you really love to take Asian Studies.
but to know if its really for you, answer these:

what job do you want to do in the future?
do you aim to work in japan for long term? how many years?
what is your bachelors degree?

sorry for being brutal but unless you didnt have bachelors degree before, you are too old to take a degree course. why dont just take masters or be in graduate school? how about short courses to gain some skills? i am also interested in studying (short courses) but yeah, here in Japan is expensive.

i understand that TUJ is an American university but just wondering if have you considered University of Tokyo. I think it has a better ranking compared to TUJ.

Thanks for the response. As far as Asian studies go, I never had much of an end goal in terms of what I would do for a job. That's the problem, that degree seems like nothing more than a piece of paper that says; "I graduated from college".

I'm thinking I'm going to change my major to Psychology, that seems to be more viable career wise. Especially if I go on to get my Masters, and maybe eventually a Ph.D.

I don't know for certain if I plan to work in Japan long term, but I want the experience of living abroad for an extended period of time at the very least. You only live once after all, if I go with psychology, it's possible I'd return to the States after getting my bachelor's and go to Grad school here. I don't have a bachelor's degree, I had just gone back to school more recently.

I've looked into Japanese Universities, ones that have English programs considering I'm still a beginner with Japanese. One being APU in Beppu, which looked really nice, and I hear their language program is excellent. However going to a Japanese University I feel might limit my options in the future.

Arts degrees are pretty much useless all across the globe. Switch to some kind of studies that will get you a job/career.

Interesting viewpoint, hakata.
Speaking as an arts graduate, with a good job which I love, and which pays well and allows me to lead a very privileged life, I would disagree.
I work in finance, and my arts background is very useful. A poor arts degree is as little use as a poor science degree. A good arts degree can be a very useful thing. If I were to be biased, I'd say that a lot of a science degree is "just" about learning facts, whereas an arts degree is about critical thinking and being able to communicate those thoughts in a clear and convincing way. Those skills are transferable to a whole range of careers.

So you didn't do a business degree? Even though you work in finance.

Correct.
I studied literature, and then gained a place in one of the most highly regarded firms in the world to train and qualify as an accountant. Several of my peers were also arts graduates.
It is not uncommon.

If I were to be biased, I'd say that a lot of a science degree is "just" about learning facts, whereas an arts degree is about critical thinking and being able to communicate those thoughts in a clear and convincing way.

Very biased indeed.

It's okay Firas - he's basically just saying that arts graduates opine without being required to know anything at all.

Oh wait, that was a huge and unfair generalization..... And those aren't very logical, are they?

Just generalization will do. haha

Truth is, unless you want to go in a career which falls squarely in the "arts" or "science" box, your degree is pretty much irrelevant anyway. More important are certain skills as mentioned above, which seem to me to be largely independent of one's degree.

What Firas says is basically true.

There is generally a bias towards STEM graduates globally, I think. STEM education done well teaches students how to solve problems and develop solutions to complex problems. The best programs integrate studies on the philosophy of science, along with statistical training to understand both the nature of evidence and the proper methods to evaluate information.

Asian studies / global studies / etc is probably a fairly weak degree - many of them lack focus and are more breadth than depth for 4 years with a BA awarded at the end.

Firas - my comment about science degrees above was an (admittedly weak) attempt at humour, in the same vein as the initial comment about all arts degrees being pretty much useless.

Sorry about that. No offence meant.

Welcome to the Internet.

Start here
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poe%27s_law

Oh, gee!

Thanks so much.

http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/4632/what-is-the-difference...