Do you have a college degree?

[JWang]

I'm graduating in 2 years with an econ/international studies double major and a *** minor. After that I'll probably dick around in Japan for a bit before heading off to b-school or some other graduate program. I'm thinking of dropping international studies since it's just a liberal arts degree I'm getting for ***** and giggles.

 

[Nonk]

I'm 2/3rds the way through A BA (Hons) in History.

I will certainly be doing a masters straight after.

 

[Opermann]

I have a bachelor and master's degree in music performance. I'm working on a performing certificate in opera. I think my name and avatar say it all

 

[EL72]

Originally Posted by kimchikowboy

Yes, but out of curiosity, of which part of the post are you doubtful? In three short years I have become perhaps one of the top 50 English-speaking experts on bass fishing in South Korea. I hope to someday be in the top 10, and maybe even score my own TV fishing show in the deal (OK, that part is not so serious. I don't want my own fishing show anymore).

Sorry if I sounded incredulous but I am a professor in a large university and have just never heard of such a field of academic inquiry. I don't mean to sound flippant and really commend you on your accomplishments but would you care to explain what the purpose of comparing recreational fishing motivations is? Is this one of those situations where Korean guys go bass fishing to escape their nagging wives while Japanese guys go bass fishing to escape their nagging mistresses? I am genuinely curious.

 

[rdawson808]

Originally Posted by EL72

Sorry if I sounded incredulous but I am a professor in a large university and have just never heard of such a field of academic inquiry. I don't mean to sound flippant and really commend you on your accomplishments but would you care to explain what the purpose of comparing recreational fishing motivations is? Is this one of those situations where Korean guys go bass fishing to escape their nagging wives while Japanese guys go bass fishing to escape their nagging mistresses? I am genuinely curious.

I'll vouch for the guy that such things are taught and one can get a degree, including advanced degrees, in such things as "leisure studies" etc. This includes studying parks and how they are used, probably fishing, etc. There's also the well-known field of hotel management.

I had roommates in grad school who did such things. And let's face it, when you're working on an advanced degree, you can specialize. Even into something as specialized as bass fishing.

b

 

[the.chikor]

Originally Posted by lee_44106

A Bachelors degree is the same nowadays as a high school degree 30 years ago. No big deal. But college is not for everyone. Rather than push people to go to college who are 1) not interested 2) are not college material anyway, states should emphasize trade schools for some.

You are preaching to the choir.

 

[Fulcannelli]

Im guessing most of you are from the "states" I find that most poeple with degrees in Eng end up getting paid less than poeple who go straight into work... i can only speak from an I.T point...

 

[SoleBajan]

Got my BSc in Management and at the crossroads with regards to the Master's option: MSc in Finance/Marketing vs MSc in Int'l Trade Management & Int'l Relations (double major) vs MBA (seems pointless for me).

 

[EL72]

Originally Posted by rdawson808

I'll vouch for the guy that such things are taught and one can get a degree, including advanced degrees, in such things as "leisure studies" etc. This includes studying parks and how they are used, probably fishing, etc. There's also the well-known field of hotel management.

I had roommates in grad school who did such things. And let's face it, when you're working on an advanced degree, you can specialize. Even into something as specialized as bass fishing.

b

I don't doubt he's telling the truth. I understand the rationale for hotel and tourism management (I teach management) and even the objective of studying how people use parks in order to design better or safer parks and use funds more effectively. I admit that I am stumped on the fishing motivations research though. Is it intending to help tourism agencies design more targeted advertising campaigns?

 

[rdawson808]

Originally Posted by EL72

I don't doubt he's telling the truth. I understand the rationale for hotel and tourism management (I teach management) and even the objective of studying how people use parks in order to design better or safer parks and use funds more effectively. I admit that I am stumped on the fishing motivations research though. Is it intending to help tourism agencies design more targeted advertising campaigns?

No clue. But if it leads to there being more of those damned Bass Pro Shops around here, I may vomit.

b

 

[athletics]

BS in Industrial Engineering and contemplating my next course of schooling after I get married.

 

[lexluther]

Graduate of a BS... Thank God that my parent emphasized the importance of education...

 

[Coho]

Hey dude. Good luck.

Originally Posted by zennyboy21

I'm working on my associates

 

[kimchikowboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rdawson808
I'll vouch for the guy that such things are taught and one can get a degree, including advanced degrees, in such things as "leisure studies" etc. This includes studying parks and how they are used, probably fishing, etc. There's also the well-known field of hotel management.

I had roommates in grad school who did such things. And let's face it, when you're working on an advanced degree, you can specialize. Even into something as specialized as bass fishing.

b

I don't doubt he's telling the truth. I understand the rationale for hotel and tourism management (I teach management) and even the objective of studying how people use parks in order to design better or safer parks and use funds more effectively. I admit that I am stumped on the fishing motivations research though. Is it intending to help tourism agencies design more targeted advertising campaigns?

Hi fellas,
Thanks for your interest. I submitted my first draft Tuesday and had some other paperwork to do, so little time to answer.
Texas A&M probably does the most work on this sort of stuff through their Human Dimensions of Wildlife program. Here is a link to see more about the type of research they do:

http://lutra.tamu.edu/hdlab/default.htm

While a lot of the work they do is from the fisheries prespective, much of it is related to tourism/leisure/economics. As to how I got into it, I teach English (B.A., M.A. in English) in a tourism department in Korea. For the purposes of job security/advancement, it was suggested that I may want to pursue the Ph.D. in tourism management. There is a uni in another city which offers the coursework in English. As rdawson808 pointed out, much of the work in the field is done in hotel management. I believe I could learn more about that subject by working in a hotel than I ever could by studying the field, and I don't want to work in a hotel.

My background is from a rural area, and I come from a hunting and fishing background, so that seemed like a more natural fit. Also, in Korea, everyone studies the hot topics, and nobody is studying human dimensions type stuff (maybe because they're pretty much eaten all the wildlife). However, I think in the future there is going to be a higher environmental consciousness here, and more possibilities for using this as a specialty.

From a practical perspective, Japan has the highest number of bass anglers in the world after the U.S. The government, however, is trying to eliminate the fish from Japanese waters. Therefore, you have five million (estimates vary) bass fishermen with the possibility of their favorite fish being diminished. Japanese anglers travel to the U.S. and Mexico for bass fishing. My idea is bring them to Korea.

Of course, when I explain this opportunity to Korean colleagues, their response is often, "Yes, we must kill all the bass." Though many Koreans also fish for bass, a lot of people hate the "foreign" fish. There is a law on the books now that mandates fines up to U$10,000 and/or two years in prison for catch and release bass fishing. With no game wardens, though, there is no possibility of enforcement. And it seems to be the ONLY fishing limitation -- no minimum size requirements, no limits on people fishing out a stream with nets -- nothing to conserve the resource, but because fishing is worse than before, it must be the foreign fish to blame. (Yes, they eat everything, but there are some serious conservation problems that, I believe, and at least partially to blame).

I think one of the first steps toward environmental improvement would be research into the problems, which has not been done here.

Sorry if this has turned into a rant, as well for any spelling/grammar mistakes. I typed it quickly as too many other things to do at present. If you have any more questions about fishing in Korea, or want to find a good home for some size 11 shoes (I love the look of Sutors, though don't have any) or Carlo Franco ties (I know some of you knock them, but I like the heft and there isn't much to choose locally, especially in a longer length), just let me know.

 

[grimslade]

Strange that Connie left out the one category that applies to him, isn't it?