Q: Why did you study abroad in the US and Canada?
你為什麼要去美國跟加拿大讀書啊？
A: It’s college application season, and I’ve been receiving quite a few emails about studying abroad, college applications, and even immigration. Some of you who are already in education are even contemplating graduate schools and have inquired why I chose to pursue a doctorate in education in Canada.
當前是大學的申請季，我已收到不少有關海外留學、大學申請，甚至移民的電子郵件。其中，有些人已在教育領域，甚至正考慮報考研究所，並問我為什麼選擇在加拿大攻讀教育學的博士學位。
To be perfectly honest, I think studying abroad involves a lot more than considering just school rankings and job opportunities. Of course, what to consider is highly dependent on your specific goals, finances, and other factors. I can’t possibly write a guide to meet everyone’s needs, but I can share with you my experience. Are you ready to read? Yeah, it’s time for another mini-novel.
坦白說，我認為海外留學並不只囿於學校的世界排名與就業機會。當然，要考慮的因素取決於你的具體目標、財務狀況等因素。我不可能寫出符合所有人需求的指南，只能跟大家分享我的個人經驗。準備好了嗎？沒錯，接下來就是微小說時間了。
I will begin with my master’s degree. Years earlier, I already had a graduate degree in curriculum and instruction. However, several years ago, I wanted to return to grad school to search for other work opportunities. I had already worked for more than decade in publishing, teaching, and training, and things were getting a bit stagnant. I hit a plateau in my career and was ready for a change.
我將從碩士學位開始講起。早些年，我已有了課程與教學（curriculum and instruction）的碩士學位。但就在數年前，我想回到研究所尋找其他工作機會。當時，我已在出版、教學與培訓方面累積了十多年的工作經驗，卻感到自己有些停滯不前。我想在職涯的平原期裡作出改變。
I had a rough idea of what I wanted to do: I wanted to teach in the US and possibly a change in lifestyle after so many years in Taiwan. So, I searched for a program that fit these overarching goals and found one at USC. The program was about 1.5+ years long, it was in an environment I was mostly familiar with, and I would have the opportunity to teach.
我大概知道自己想做些什麼：我想在美國教書，並一改我在臺灣待了數年後那一成不變的生活模式。所以，我找了一個適合這些長期目標的方案，一個在南加大（ＵＳＣ）的學程。這個學程大約持續了１年半，是在我較為熟悉的環境裡，而我也會有教學的機會。
I applied for a teaching position through the program ahead of time and got it. Honestly, I applied for a teaching management role, but the position was already filled when I applied, so I was offered a part-time language teaching position instead.
當時，我已提前申請了一個教學職務，並獲得校方批准。我其實是申請教學的管理職，但申請時已無職缺，所以我反而拿到一個兼職的語言教學職務。
I then planned my finances as there was little scholarship available for the program, and I was paying through my savings. At the time, I was already married, so this required discussion with my spouse. We sorted out our finances, took out our savings, and made sure I had enough for me to finish the program. My wife would still work as we have a mortgage and other expenses to pay off, and I thank her dearly for her support. She was also the one who encouraged me to return to school to seek new opportunities.
然後，我規劃了自己的財務支出，因為該學程幾乎沒有獎學金，我只能以吃老本的方式來支付學費。當時，我已結婚，所以需要老婆同意。我們梳理了自己的財務狀況，領出積蓄，確保有足夠的資源完成此一學程。我老婆仍會繼續工作，因為我們有房貸及其他費用需要支付，我真的非常感謝她的支持。她也一直鼓勵著我回到學校尋找新的機會。
We estimated expenses to be roughly 3 million NTD for this 1.5 to 2 years, given that the tuition was about 1.8 million, and rent alone cost at least 45K NTD a month. To cover extra expenses both in the US and Taiwan, I would teach both onsite and online.
慮及學費大約要臺幣１８０萬元，而每月租金至少也要４萬５，因此我們估計這１年半到２年裡的花費大概要臺幣３００萬元。為了支付美國與臺灣的額外開銷，我會在當地教學，並推出自己的線上小班課程。
With this rough plan now looking more concrete, I set about finding a place to live. I searched online and found a studio apartment for about 1400 USD a month, about a 15-minute walk around campus. I did not want to drive because it would put an additional burden on a stringent budget. Luckily, the school had an Uber service for a one-mile radius, which covered trips to the grocery stores in the region. Ironically, they had this service because of the high crime rate in the area.
大致擬定財務規劃後，我開始找地方住。我在網路上找到一個每月約１４００美元的套房（studio apartment），步行到校約需１５分鐘。我不想開車，因為這會加重我的財務負擔。幸運的是，當時，學校有一項半徑一英里的Uber服務，涵蓋了該地區的生鮮超市。但你知道嗎，是當地的高犯罪率催生了這項佛心的Uber服務。
I packed up and moved into my apartment about 3 weeks before classes started. When I got there, my jaw dropped. The apartment was tiny, squalid, and in a building that was about a hundred years old. My windows had metal bars, and the entrance had an asbestos warning on it. The neighborhood was also rough; school security stood on the corner of every block every late afternoon til morning. Near my studio, there was a heavy smell of pot in every corner, and sirens from police vehicles and firetrucks were the most common sounds I heard, along with cacophony of fighting and screaming from my neighbors. I called the cops once because I heard a woman screaming nonstop and feared for her safety. About 3-4 cops showed up, and after that, the fighting stopped for a few months before resuming.
我在開學前三週就整理好行李，搬進了寓所。抵達後，我簡直不敢相信自己的眼睛。房間超小，環境惡劣，並且坐落在一棟有百年歷史的老舊建築裡。窗外裝著鐵條，入口處還張貼著石棉 (asbestos) 的警告標語。整個社區也是一團亂；每個街角都有學校的保安，從傍晚站到清晨。而寓所附近的每個角落，也都瀰漫著濃濃的大麻味。警車與消防車的警笛、鄰居吵架與打鬥的聲響，是我最常聽到的聲音。有一次，我聽見一名女子不斷地尖叫，便立刻報了警以免事態失控。當時，有三到四名員警趕來，我也因此清淨了一段時間。但就在數月之後，爭吵聲又捲土重來。
https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/national-international/usc-student-china-killing-murder/48089/
I don’t want to scare you as I personally was not a victim of any crime other than being “robbed” by USC of my savings. However, it is recommended that you stay vigilant of your surroundings and follow school safety guidelines. Needless to say, it took me about a week or two to get used to my new surroundings after the relatively routine lifestyle of going to work and returning home in Taiwan for the past 10+ years.
請大家不要誤會，我沒有要嚇你們的意思。除了積蓄被南加大「搶走」以外，我從未遭遇任何不幸。不過，我由衷地建議各位，要時刻留意周遭環境，並遵守學校的安全指南。我大概花了一兩週的時間，才適應如此刺激的新生活。畢竟，在過去的十幾年裡，我大多往返於公司與住家之間，早已習慣了臺灣相對平靜的日常生活。
However, once I unpacked, scrubbed my filthy apartment spotless, and assembled some Ikea furniture, I started carrying out my plan immediately. I got my books, scheduled 5-6 hours for reading outside of class every day, and did every single one of my assignments to the best of my abilities. I would attend office hours not only to ask questions but to build a relationship with my professors. I highly recommend you do the same because they have so much to offer you if you just make the effort to connect. They helped me publish, network, provided references, and even brainstorm about business projects. Be sure to seize every opportunity to work with them and your peers.
在我清空了自己的行李箱、徹底清掃了那髒亂不堪的房間、組裝了一些ＩＫＥＡ家具後，便開始執行自己的計劃。我拿到了書，每天預留５到６個小時閱讀，並盡可能完成每項作業。我不僅會在教授的辦公時間諮詢，還與他們建立了良好的關係。我非常建議大家這麽做。因為，若你跟他們有所聯繫，教授們可以給你意想不到的收穫。他們協助我發表文章、建立人脈，提供推薦信，甚至就商業專案展開討論。一定要跟他們還有同學一起合作。
I also worked at USC, and sought out student groups to join and lead. I met some students in our program clubs and tried starting a small business project with them using my existing experience in writing, teaching, and social media building. It failed in the end despite gaining some momentum, and let me tell you why it failed. You have to remember, for a small business to succeed, you have to have people play different roles well. Someone has to manage finances, someone has to do marketing, and some have to do the grunt work, which in my case was teaching. Many times, people have to play different roles due to limited budget.
我也在南加大工作，並加入學生團體，甚至成為團體裡的幹部。我在我們學程的團體遇到一些學生，並試著用我在寫作、教學以及建立社群媒體的經驗，與他們啟動一項小型的商業專案。雖然我們有一些動力，但最終仍以失敗收場。我想跟大家分享我們失敗的原因。請務必記得，若想打造一個成功的新創 (start up)，你須擁有能夠承擔不同工作的各式人才。有人要管理財務，有人要負責行銷，還有人要承擔基層的工作，也就是我在做的教學工作。但礙於有限的財務狀況，我們時常是一人身兼數職。
If you gather the same group of people all with the same sort of expertise, say teaching, who is going to do graphic design and marketing? No one, or you all end up learning everything yourselves, which is good, but then you may produce something that lacks professional polish.
若你招攬了一群具有相同專業的人，例如教學，那麼誰來負責平面設計與行銷？也許，你們可以自學來解決這個問題，但很可能還是無法企及應有的專業品質。
Also, students all have different goals, and many would stop working on projects when there is no immediate financial return. You need to find people with the same long-term goals and beliefs. Some say about 50% of small businesses fail within 5 years, but I think that percentage does not even include projects and teams that do not make it to the business registration stage. Nevertheless, it was an invaluable learning experience, and I thank my teammates for their hard work. I think all students who are interested in entrepreneurship should work on business ideas. Even if it fails, the rewards and experience are immeasurable.
另外，學生大多有自己的目標，在未能立即獲得經濟回報時，多數人會選擇放棄。你需要找到與你的長期目標、信念一致的人。有人說，５０％的小型企業撐不過創業的前五年，但我覺得實際的失敗率應該更高，因為還有那些連註冊階段都撐不到的項目與團隊沒有被計算在內。話雖如此，這仍是個寶貴的學習經驗，我也要感謝我的隊友們的辛勤努力。我認為，對創業有興趣的學生，都該試著將商業上的想法付諸實行。即便失敗，個中獎勵與經驗都是無價之寶。
For entertainment, I would, of course, grab lunch or coffee with friends, and I made sure to set aside time for at least an hour of workout 2-3 times a week. The physical workout enables you to unwind from your studies, and you also tend to watch what you eat more when working out. Unfortunately, I think my working out actually led me to eat a bit too much, as I frequented the all-you-can-eat buffets a bit too often. Those $20 crab legs were worth it, though… I must have eaten through a few ecosystems worth of king crab legs. If I have any spare time, I would visit the art galleries and museum and visit family and friends. Every day was packed.
為了消遣，我當然會跟朋友去吃午餐或喝咖啡，並確保每週運動兩到三次，每次至少一個小時。運動能釋放學業上的壓力，並讓你更加注意飲食。但尷尬的是，我覺得運動可能讓我吃得更多，因為我太常光顧吃到飽的餐廳了。那些２０美元的蟹腳真的太讚了⋯⋯我肯定吃了幾個生態系的帝王蟹蟹腳。有空時，我會參觀美術館與博物館，並拜訪家人與朋友。每天都安排得滿滿的。
Another suggestion I have for you is to constantly change your environment and step out of your comfort zone. I’ve primarily been a textbook writer and teacher in my career, but through my translation and teaching services to policymakers, I started branching into other domains such as policymaking and geopolitics. This diversification opened up additional career opportunities due to networking and sharpening of existing skills. I seized every opportunity and even spoke at school groups outside my primary domain of teaching. I even appeared in my program’s commercial because I sought out every opportunity.
我還有另一個建議，就是不斷改變自己的環境，離開你的舒適圈。在我的職涯裡，我主要是一名教師與撰寫教科書的主編。但在為政策制定者提供翻譯與教學服務後，我開始涉獵其他領域，如政策制定與地緣政治。由於人脈與現有技能的提升，這種多樣化為我帶來額外的職涯機會。我把握每個機會，甚至還在教學領域外，於各個學生團體中演講。因為我從未放過任何機會，我甚至出現在系上的廣告裡。
All in all, my 1.5 years in the master’s program were great. I achieved my larger goals of teaching in the U.S., starting a business project, publishing papers, meeting mentors who continue to help me to this day, and making lifelong friends. While the entire 1.5 years cost me around 3 million NTD, I leveraged what I learned to launch online courses and used the funds to pursue a doctorate and publish free learning materials, an experience that I will share with you in our next post.
總而言之，那１年半的碩班時光真的非常棒。我實現了更大的目標，在美國教書、開啟了一項商業專案、發表了幾篇論文、遇見了至今仍在協助我的導師、結交了終身的朋友。在這１年半裡，我大概花了臺幣３００萬元。但我利用所學，推出了線上課程，並以課程收益作為我攻讀博士學位和提供免費學習資源的資金。我將在下一篇文章跟大家分享這段新的人生旅程。
I hope this story has been helpful to you. Trust me, it wasn’t easy to step out of my comfort zone and take such a significant gamble, and, as I’ve said, it’s not for everyone. Whether you should study abroad really depends on what you want to achieve and whether you are willing to take the risk. Whatever you do, talk it over with others, think and plan carefully because it is one decision that can change your life. However, for me, it paid off in the end, and I don’t regret a single second—or anything I did there—well, except maybe eating too many crab legs.
我希望這個故事能幫到你。相信我，甘願冒著如此巨大的風險走出舒適圈，並不容易。而且，也不是每個人都適合這麽做。要不要出國唸書，真的取決於你的目標，以及是否願意冒險。無論你的決定如何，都該與其他人一起討論，並仔細思考與規劃。這畢竟是改變一生的重大決定。
不過，對我來說，一切終究都得到了回報。在那裡的每分每秒，我從未後悔。好啦，除了吃太多蟹腳以外。
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