I am turning to my Board peeps for advice please

[bassboy]

Hey guys,

I am tremendous need of advice, and I would really appreciate some insight on my dilemna. I am sorry bringing my personal drama onto the board but I have been sitting on the fence so long with this that my ass is starting to hurt.

THE SITUATION:

I have 2 offers in front of me and I have to accept one by 5pm today. The goal of my decision is obviously to be happy but more importantly to get into grad school at Columbia University. (SIPA)

Offer #1:

Stay here in DC where I work for the State dept, but get paid really shit $. Like really shit $. So shitty that I would have to pick up a job waiting tables to afford living in DC.

Offer #2:

Teach english at a university in Shanghai. Shitty $ in US dollars, but nice standard of living for there.But I have to sign a 1 year contract and leave in 2 weeks.... WTF!!!

Other Factors:

-Girlfriend. Albeit dramatic GF, but CHINA=OVER FOR NOW.

-Chinese: I don't speak any! I will be pissing in the girls room!

-Columbia: Those fuckers won't tell me what the want in an

applicant, so I wonder what they will think is better to

get in.

That's it.... I have 4 hours to make a decision and I am shitting myself. Can the wisdom of my peers please help guide me in my indecision!!!???

Thanks so much, so to lay my bullshit on the table.

Gracias-Eric

[barbiegirl]

if i were you this is what i would ask myself ...

is your girlfriend the "one" ?? because if she is she will not only wait for you but she will understand what you need to do. hell i would pack my shit up and go with my man, even if i had to work in a rice field the rest of my life.

then ask yourself - do you want to make a difference in somebody's life or do you just want to be another statistic that does the same as 95% of the people in this country ??

i would go if i were you - think of the possibilities and it's only one year of your entire life. you will learn more in that year i think than you ever will anywhere in dc.

an unbelievable oppurtunity is knocking at your door - you better answer quick !!!

[echostar]

i say fuck it stay here if you dont speak chinese

[wahoo]

Unless she is the one, don't base any decision over it. Think instead of what can be accomplished the next year in DC and correspondingly in China. Take a peace of paper, draw line down the middle, left column Pro's of DC and right column Con's of DC. I have friends who work for State Dept. and yes it pays shit but resume is amazing. Now do the same for Shanghai.

Best of luck to you man, don't rely on the internet, call up a real good friend or even the folks for advice.

[hoke]

Go to Shanghai. It's the chance of a lifetime. No matter how it turns out, you'll be able to look back and say, "Yeah, I did that!" Trust me, you'll learn a LOT about the world and yourself in that year.

The alternative is... well... boring... and won't look nearly as good on your application to Columbia.

In your position, I'd do it regardless of Columbia.

[hitokiri24]

grab those chopstix cause bangkok here i come....no pun intended honest ask urself are u ever gonna get another chance to go over there an experience the culture an see how livin is from a different perspective in the eyes of a foreigner in a foreign land i say go

[hotcheme]

go to china

[bassboy]

Thank you, I am appreciating all of this so much.

[rdancer]

Having a job for the State Dept. isn't that bad, techincally you will be taken care of for the rest of your life till you retire. You won't be a rich man, but you will live comfortably and taken care of. I wouldn't go because (1.) Your going to have to get used to a totally different lifestyle. (2.) America is the Best Country for making money, Hands down, (3.) Your girl, (4.) You don't speak the language, and you will always be an outsider. If money is an issue , your girl can get a job and work as well, and both of you can live a very comfortable life together. Thats just my 2 cents.