Jeff O'Dea’s Post

Here's a story of how being too authentic almost cost me my dream job and how I, just barely, got it back. Way back in the year 2004, I had a dream. My dream was to live and work in Japan, the country whose language and history I had studied for four years at the University of Michigan. To accomplish this dream, I applied for the JET Program (The Japanese-English Teaching Program). Nominally, it's a program to help teach Japanese kids English. In actuality, it's a program foster high-level future business connections between Japan and graduates of prestigious universities. I answered the very first question of the interview much too honestly. "What makes you qualified to teach English to Japanese schoolchildren?" to which I replied, "I'm not." Oops! I was immediately on the defensive for the rest of the interview, which felt more like an attack than an interview. But, just as I had made a mistake by being honest, I turned it around with a lie. The question was "Why did you never come to Japan on a study abroad program?" The lie was "Because my father had a massive heart attack in 2001 and almost died, and I wasn't sure how much time I had left with him." Stunned silence. Now, it was true that my dad had a heart attack and almost died, but it had nothing to do with me studying abroad in Japan or not. I simply never considered it. And yet, from that little white lie, I turned the interview around and got into the program as an alternate. When the results came back, I gave my father a big hug and said, "Thanks Dad!" Let that be a lesson. #JET #careeradvice #interview #interviewtips

I've always dreamed of learning the Japanese language, and at the end of last year, I decided to turn that dream into a reality. The idea of committing to early Saturday morning lessons was initially daunting, but diving into the journey of learning something new has proven to be incredibly rewarding. Fast forward to being in Japan—navigating menus in local restaurants, throwing out orders (even if my words got lost in translation sometimes!). I made a pact with myself: no matter how many wrong words I use, I'm going to try, try, try! Exciting news to share: I've successfully completed the Elementary 1 level Japanese course at the National University of Singapore and now, here comes level 2...がんばって #japan #japaneselanguage #learning #learninganddevelopment #learningjourney

你好 My family and I moved to Guangzhou, China in 2017 and stayed there for 3 years. We chose not to stay in an expat enclave - so we could have a more immersive local experience. Our expat friends cautioned us on the “challenges”of this approach - one of which was that we would have to learn Chinese. They were right, and we have multiple stories to tell of the epic fails we had while struggling to communicate. 🙃 But fast forward a few years, and this skill has become the gift that keeps on giving. It has helped me make faster connections with my China colleagues, It’s been the “secret language” of our family when we travel and need to communicate with each other in something other than English or Hindi. It has helped unlock great service at restaurants and in Singapore cabs. It is also a great Party trick! 🥳😅 We left China in 2020, but happily, we never left our Chinese skills behind. Duolingo has been our friend over the last few years as we continue to learn and grow. Thanks to Duolingo, I’ve even started to learn how to read the characters! A streak of 444 days, a vocab of 1500+ words and counting! 我说中文说得还可以 🤗 My biggest takeaway is that anything above zero compounds. And the “bite sized”, micro learning lessons I’ve been doing consistently are a testament to that. As we go into a new year, I plan to apply this experience to other things I want to learn but didn’t think I have time for. #skillbuilding #duolingo #keeplearning

Very unique plan for serious aspirants of Focussed Japanese Cultural awareness sessions.  Not for all. If you really are looking out for such deep, focussed, researched sessions you will surely find it in this big programme.  Those who want not so expensive, home grown sessions on Japanese Culture, am gonna bring that to you. . If you are serious learner,having huge questions,wanting serious answers, to know and instruct others....then my course will be your answer Just message me or comment here and we can chat about it so you know for whom, for what and how the sessions will be done. I am available to answer questions.  If considerable number of folks want calls we can have an online chat.  No looking back.  Paid course. Only for serious purposeful learners.  #PromotingJapabeseCulture. #MakingIndiansKnowJapan #JapaneseEtiquettes#JapaneseManners 

🌏📚 Reconnecting with Mandarin: A Journey of Continuous Learning Absolutely thrilled to have had my first Mandarin class after years of leaving it behind post-university. 📚 Despite studying Mandarin during my university years, there has been a considerable lapse in my practice, prompting the need for a refresher. A heartfelt thank you to Nur Fharisha Mokhtar for extending the invitation to join the session, and a special shoutout to Fan Laoshi for the excellent guidance. The journey to reconnect with the language has just begun, and I'm looking forward to the exciting challenges and the joy of rediscovering Mandarin, just a timely post-Chinese New Year 🏮 The session with #KunkwanMandarin was an absolute delight, and the enthusiasm of everyone involved made it a truly enjoyable experience. Looking forward to consistently building on this foundation and ensuring that this newfound knowledge becomes a valuable asset in my professional life. Here's to more exciting sessions, continuous learning, and the practical application of Mandarin in my work! 🌐📈 #LearnMandarinOnline #FunLearning #LanguageRevival #ProfessionalDevelopment 🚀

Here's how you can make time for Chinese 👇 ⏰ We all have 24h in a day But some people still don't "have the time" to learn. Have you considered: It's noy 'having the time", but actually "making the time"? The learners who become in fluent in Chinese are the ones that make the time to reach their goals. Is it important for you? I recently made a video on how to build better learning habits, if you want it, comment LEARN. #learnchinese #speakchinese #hsk #chinese #mandarin #Chinesechallenge #chineselanguage

English teaching in Japan, perspective from multiple business owner in Japan. #japaneseculture #japanesebusiness #englishteachinginjapan

Do you want to communicate fluently in Chinese in 2024? For most, it feels impossible. Learning Chinese is hard right? Do you know why people say that? Because they've never reached the goal... and you don't know, what you don't know. I thought Spanish and English were hard. But when I figured out how to learn 1000 words/month, I reached conversational fluency in Spanish in a few months. It's not your fault, since most people think this... But. It is your problem. And you have the power to decide whether you want to do something about it. If you want more info about how I train my students, comment INFO, and I'll send you a message. #learnchinese #hsk #learnmandarin #chineselanguage #chinese #mandarin #studychinese #dailychinese #chineseslang

Many of you know that my fiancée, Meghan Hayden, and I went to Japan for two weeks in March 2024. It was a trip we had been planning for almost half a decade, a trip we weren't sure would be possible post-Covid.   Before going to Japan, I spent some time learning Hiragana, one of the core Japanese alphabets, which served me well enough when it came to sounding out basic signs and words. Our time in Japan only fueled my desire to go back, whether for skiing or for more tourism. Our trip also motivated me to hunker down and begin learning Japanese in earnest.   I've never learned an Asian language before and had no idea what to expect. After some research, I found a great guide on where to start, what to focus on, and how to build my language proficiency. Since March, I've been practicing and learning daily, slowly building my vocabulary and reading comprehension before jumping into learning grammar.   All of this is to say that I would love for the LinkedIn Community to share any tips or resources they've found helpful with learning Japanese (or new languages in general). If there are any fluent speakers who do tutoring on the side, I would love to chat too. Below are some of the resources I've used so far in my own learning! https://lnkd.in/gGFe4F9H https://lnkd.in/gSPqYpAZ https://www.lingodeer.com/ https://www.wanikani.com/ #japanese #motivation #personaldevelopment #education

🇬🇧 Are these piranhas: ❓ - deadly? - sarcastic? - deadly sarcastic? 🤔 🐟🐠🐡 Choose your answer above wisely. 🤫 😏 Your current choice may decide your future fate! 😉 🎣 * ❓ And one little riddle to finish off! 📴 😏 👉 Would piranhas 🐠🐠 attack you if you didn't yell 'Piranha!'? 😁 🙋 Is the above question: - sarcastic? - deadly? - deadly sarcastic? 🤔 - I need to do an experiment myself to… tell the tale. 😝 😊 👍 * Tom/ek Tomasz English Wyszkowski Level up your 🇬🇧 English from B1-B2 to full fluency with this. If you'd ever done this, your English would be fluent now. #1rule #1exercise #1skill #angielski #English #plynniepoangielsku #fluentEnglish 🚫✋ Is your level of English B1/B2? This is hardly enough for your further career path! 🚧 Book a meeting to fast-track your transition from B1-B2 to full fluency: https://lnkd.in/dbM8Rpzg or… SMS/ Text me: tel. +534TOMASZ, i.e. 534866279