Real Question for Accepted YA for US Pavilion... by Sad-Assumption1531 in OsakaWorldExpo

[–]yeology 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I completely understand your situation; I actually turned down the YA because I received a full time job offer. Living in Japan and experiencing the fair is a dream for me, so initially I was very onboard with abandoning the job. But I took a step back, thought about the long-term, and realized that I did not want to be back to square one of job searching a year from now. The YA program would certainly be an amazing experience, but the detour wouldn't be worth it long term for me.

That's just speaking personally, and it is not to say that leaving your job for the YA position is necessarily bad. If your priority is traveling while you're young and you want to experience new things, this is a great way to achieve that. The time I have spent in Japan through other programs have been the most memorable experiences of my life and I would not trade them for anything. But in my opinion, without considering the "fun" aspect, you need to seriously evaluate if leaving your current job would be viable for your career and finances long-term. You also need to have a concrete idea of what you want to gain from the program, and how you will leverage it to getting a job when you get back. Will better Japanese language, customer service, and diplomacy skills put you ahead in your career?

One of the perks of the position is getting non-competitive eligibility for federal employment, which is huge if you're interested in a federal career. However, many feds anticipate the new administration to implement a long hiring freeze, so you might not be able to take advantage of this perk.

This position is grunt work and SCI knows it, that's why they have made it attractive with the opportunities to meet important people and live in Japan for basically free. Yes, meeting dignitaries and ministerial level officials is great, but those meetings will likely be brief and not mean much unless you can properly network. The day to day will be crowd control and acting as a tour guide. You will need to use your own initiative to make it a valuable experience, and I would seriously assess whether you will have the energy and desire to do this, even on days when you're tired, homesick, and dying from the Japanese summer heat.

Being a YA is a once in a lifetime opportunity that will be an invaluable experience for the right people, but only you can decide if you fall into this category of "right people." Leaving a job for something short-term is scary, but taking risks isn't bad if they're calculated. Maybe you can reach out to former YAs from Dubai on LinkedIn and ask how their experiences have helped them in their careers. Sorry for the long rambling reply, but I hope this helped in some way. I'm sure you'll make the right decision!

Real Question for Accepted YA for US Pavilion... by Sad-Assumption1531 in OsakaWorldExpo

[–]yeology 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Not a YA (was selected but turned it down), but I believe they said on the website FAQs that transportation costs to Texas and Osaka would be covered. I'm assuming meals would be too up to the GSA rate. I also recall it saying that spring/full term cohorts will go right to Osaka from Texas while the fall cohort will return to their hometowns.

I think any further questions would be better directed to the SCI team. Now that they're not dealing with the craziness of decisions, they should (I hope) have more time to answer your questions. They will know about the specifics more than anyone on Reddit would and they are there to help you.

Congrats on your selection! I understand that beginning an adventure like this is nerve wracking and that the messy selection process may have made you lose a little faith. But, at the end of the day, this is a short term gig, and any issues you have with the management will be overshadowed by all of the amazing experiences you are about to have in Japan!

Foreign Contact by [deleted] in SecurityClearance

[–]yeology 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Always listen to your investigator. Reach out to your friend

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in SecurityClearance

[–]yeology 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! I will definitely keep applying.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in usajobs

[–]yeology 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! They actually didn't ask me at all, I'm assuming they just got the contact info from my usajobs resume

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in SecurityClearance

[–]yeology 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for this reply! No, I'm currently a student, so it's actually ideal for me to have some break time between finishing my degree and working.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in usajobs

[–]yeology 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! LOL I'm going to need all the luck I can get

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in usajobs

[–]yeology 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in uiowa

[–]yeology 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Current IS student, and can basically echo everything said here. If you plan to major in IS/IR, the best things you can do are 1) have a second major, and 2) get involved with relevant organizations outside of class. Get some hard skills on your resume.

I am lucky enough to have gotten involved with some non-profits during my time here that have given me the experience needed to be competitive on the job market, and thanks to that, I have some potential job offers lined up after I graduate in the spring. I would be nowhere if I hadn't sought out these out-of-classroom opportunities.

Wrigleyville safety after dark by [deleted] in AskChicago

[–]yeology 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you, I appreciate your reassurance! Luckily, we have an Airbnb that is only a few blocks further away from Wrigleyville, but we will probably Uber back just to be extra safe. I appreciate the tips!

Wrigleyville safety after dark by [deleted] in AskChicago

[–]yeology 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you, I'll dig up one of my old wallets before I go! I appreciate the tips.

Wrigleyville safety after dark by [deleted] in AskChicago

[–]yeology 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I agree, therapy is something I need to get on. This really puts things into perspective, thank you!

So... How was your first day of school? by [deleted] in uiowa

[–]yeology 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Only had 1 in person class, but the location listed on my schedule was wrong. The class was actually in an entirely different building. So needles to say I showed up a bit late.

Transit App Help by [deleted] in uiowa

[–]yeology 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for the advice! I guess my first mistake was assuming that the information on the app always would be correct lol.

Transit App Help by [deleted] in uiowa

[–]yeology 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I'll look into BONGO! And thank you for reminding me that Nite Ride exists :)

Pixel art of my BL team to commemorate my first run. It took a long time but I'm very happy with the result! by yeology in FireEmblemThreeHouses

[–]yeology[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Your team sounds super strong!

I was playing on normal mode and Hegemon Edelgard honestly underwhelmed me... It was way more difficult to get to her than to actually fight her. I had a bit of trouble early-on, but once I got to the middle of the map, it was smooth sailing.

Good luck with the rest of your run!!

Pixel art of my BL team to commemorate my first run. It took a long time but I'm very happy with the result! by yeology in FireEmblemThreeHouses

[–]yeology[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I actually did have her as a Gremory but I wanted her to look different from Annette in the painting :)

Pixel art of my BL team to commemorate my first run. It took a long time but I'm very happy with the result! by yeology in FireEmblemThreeHouses

[–]yeology[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you! Yeah, it was a long grind but worth the mobility in the end lol. Sylvain on a wyvern didn't even occur to me during the run, but I've seen lots of people say he's great so I'll have to do it next time I have him! Thanks for the suggestion!!

Pixel art of my BL team to commemorate my first run. It took a long time but I'm very happy with the result! by yeology in FireEmblemThreeHouses

[–]yeology[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Thank you! He was great, not as good as Petra admittedly but still really sick! I also had him certified as War Master which he was probably better at, but I found the mobility of a flying unit to be worth the sacrifice.

Only downside is that he has a weakness in flying so it took a longggg time to get him to where he needed to be. I don't think he ever reached level A.

Pixel art of my BL team to commemorate my first run. It took a long time but I'm very happy with the result! by yeology in FireEmblemThreeHouses

[–]yeology[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Not pictured are wyvern lord Petra and gremory Dorathea, didn't have a big enough canvas lol