Is it Really Better for Some People Who Can't Say 'Working Holiday/Studying Abroad is Cool!' to Just Quit?

Listening to a Friend's Story about Going on a Working Holiday

Through a mutual friend, I heard that one of my friends from school is going on a working holiday (working holiday visa) to Canada. Without going into specific details, after graduating from university and working as a regular professional in Japan, they felt a surge of motivation to create a work environment outside of Japan and decided to embark on a working holiday.

I genuinely exclaimed, "That's so cool!" The person who shared the story also praised the impressive tale of a friend venturing abroad to establish their own field.

People Who Do and Don't Consider Studying Abroad or Going on a Working Holiday 'Cool'

Initially, my desire to study abroad stemmed from a desire to improve my language skills and experience living abroad.

Of course, there are people who don't feel envious or think going abroad is necessary to fulfill their dreams, as they believe staying in their home country is sufficient. I, too, initially felt that way, as I studied about Japan even during my university days, so I didn't feel a strong need to go abroad.

However, during that time, I had a strong desire to support people who chose to study abroad. Taking action to pursue what one wants to do requires a significant amount of energy.

Planning and preparing for studying abroad, obtaining airline tickets, and living overseas—those who achieve these goals appeared "cool" to me.

Yet, for some reason, there are people who occasionally offer negative advice to those studying abroad or going on a working holiday, advice that could be considered unnecessary interference.

If they were to share their own failures abroad, it might occasionally be surprising due to the differences in eras, but it could still provide some universal experiences that might be helpful.

However, there are individuals who say things like, "Don't quit your job," "Weirdo with a fascination for overseas," or "Studying abroad is just a fantasy," while claiming that it would be futile to go.

While it's their personal perspective, expressing it directly to the individuals or trying to convince them in the presence of those who positively support them doesn't make me feel good about it.

In this World, There Are Also People Who Think Studying Abroad/Working Holiday is Uncool

Depending on the approach to studying abroad or working holiday and the individual's mindset, some people end up choosing or being forced to adopt a different way of working upon returning to the regular Japanese corporate society.

If I were to go abroad, I would probably have to live as a "foreigner," and people I meet would interact with me as such, considering I wouldn't speak Malay. It would undoubtedly be challenging to truly assimilate into the local life.

Whether one finds such a situation interesting or deems it pointless and advises against it is a matter of personal choice.

I suppose one must think, "That's how the world works," and pursue studying abroad regardless.