Hello! I want to be an design engineer however I’ve always enjoyed teaching and I’ve always wanted to travel abroad. So I was planning on, after finishing my undergrad, teaching english abroad in another country for a year (since it is the last time in my life that I will be able to take a full year off). I’m not worried too much about debt because I won’t have a ton when I graduate.
Would I be impossible for me to teach abroad while earning my masters degree online?
Would it look bad to engineering employers? Could it hinder me if I don’t want to be a teacher for a living?
My D decided in her senior year of college that she wanted to teach overseas after graduation and has just been accepted to teach in Korea next fall. She just finished an ESL certificate program (the CELTA TESOL program is rigorous but very constructive) and taught ESL privately and in groups during college for 3 years. She enjoys teaching but doesn’t want to make it a career when she returns. It’s a great way to pay off student loans, save some money and travel a bit. I’d do some research on where you might want to teach; our D felt that being accepted into a reputable program allowed more options than teaching ESL via a Fulbright grant.
You should definitely do it. It will change your life in ways you cannot imagine - I came in 1978 and have lived most of my adult life in Europe. Go, even if you have nothing set up, and choose a good place. There are amazing things going on in Europe, such as Alessi, in Omegna, Italy. It is remote, but I am sure you could find work of some sort, then approach the design house and see if you can get something going. I don’t mean to presume what interests you as design, but you can find plenty of places if you do a little research. Contact me if you’d like some work I’ve done on European design, one of my passions. I wouldn’t recommend doing a master’s online, just live for a year.