Professional Prestige & Fulfillment | Asian American Poll

PROFESSIONAL PRESTIGE & FULFILLMENT
(Updated Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008, 05:10:05 PM to reflect the 100 most recent valid responses.)

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WHAT YOU SAY

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Asian Dominatrix,
I nearly got caught in the same trap that got you (ie. doing an all-out English marathon only to find that there's nothing for me to do once I cross and break the yellow ribbon). I had already even sent off the forms and paid the fees for a MFA-English (and got accepted) at one of the universities when I decided that, for the sake of my own sanity, I really needed to focus on something that would even out the odds on my sojourn into the very white professional world (such as a MBA). I am so happy that you are able to advance in your professional area of expertise, but as you have long since discovered, it's a dog-eat-dog world out there, and so incredibly difficult for a young AF to be able to get the same support and consideration, all things being equal.

I even thought about law school but got turned off the possibility because I used to date an AM who was a recent law school grad struggling to make ends meet and butting heads up against the looming brick wall of racial inequality. As a side note, we broke up partly because I got tired of paying for everything all the time and partly because I got tired of hearing him gripe about hating his job all the time. :)

Like you, my family wanted me to go into medicine, but I resisted and now, we have no doctors in the family (what a shame for the honor of the family name !). My sisters and I immersed ourselves into the business arena and we have never looked back. (We have no brothers--our family name is now officially defunct)!
MLK Sunday, August 05, 2001 at 13:36:54 (PDT)

Another JD:

So you want to work on a novel--that's great! Maybe you'll be the next Scott Turow or John Grisham and make so much $$ you won't ever have to step into a law office again. About the Shelley Long part--sorry to disappoint you, but I'm a slimmer version of J-Lo, attitude, looks and all.

'Don't Call me "Lawyer":

Whoa, easy there! I think you're projecting your own disillusionment onto ME. I'm very happy studying literature; it's only the nutters running corporate America and academia whom I don't like so much: for instance, the ones who hire Asians to do high-tech coolie work but never hire them to do visible managerial or marketing work. Or the ones who hire an Asian woman to teach her own area of specialisation--i.e.,Renaissance lit--and then make her teach Asian-American lit and those who ask an African-American woman to teach Afro-Am lit even though she's got a doctorate in Victorian lit.

Actually, I would consider doing law myself, except for the fact that I've already spent 6 years on a doctorate in English at Oxford. I encountered quite a bit of difficulty in getting teaching here as a (native-English-speaking) graduate student--more so than fricking Italians and Germans who could barely speak English!! (Despite having given lots of conference papers and having won awards, etc.) I wrote numerous letters to the Eng. dept., wrote rebuttals--and finally threatened to sue the university for discrimination because it was taking me much longer to get teaching than the (white) Brits and Yanks I knew. I finally got teaching. And especially after my students got firsts on their public exams.

Well, maybe you won't pursue law and that's your business (my parents tried to force me into medicine...!), but I do hope that more Asians will pursue law. ...or anything that will give Asians more leverage in Western society!
Asian Dominatrix Thursday, July 12, 2001 at 04:38:23 (PDT)

Asian Dominatrix-
Go to law school and be a lawyer if that's what you "sometimes wish[]" you had pursued. Don't you see the irony in your statement regarding disgruntled lawyers when you sound just as unhappy about what you're doing? As far as I can tell, you're in the same boat as the rest of us.
Instead of being a disgruntled lawyer, I decided to get out before I ended up that way. Besides, would you want to hire a bitter, pissed-off lawyer who doesn't give a sh*t about your employment discrimination issues (or any other legal issue for that matter)?

Don't call me "Lawyer" Tuesday, July 10, 2001 at 12:49:18 (PDT)

hey all, yeah im a flight doc doing my time to pay off my med school loans..its a cool job, but somewhat isolating place for this FBAM... your right sabot, man "rednecks" and "FobS" do get along...sometimes.
however, I do encourage looking into this great opportunity that us more conservative asians ohterwise brush aside...now debt-free, traveled for free, and met lots of cool people around the world,,for free
yoo hoo!! just keep it all in perspective
flyndoc Wednesday, July 04, 2001 at 07:18:52 (PDT)

To play Tuba in one of the major orchestra in the U.S.(eg. N.Y Philharmonic)would be a dream job.

Since most Asian who play in these Major Orchestra are violins and strings, sometimes woodwind. Even in Hong Kong, An Asian city filled with skilled musicians, half of the members of the Hong Kong Philharmonic and *ALL* brass player (except one who play the French horn) are white or from somewhere else.(like England)

So, when you go to a classical concert next time, and spotted a person sitted in the back of the Orchestra, an Asian , playing the tuba, or any kind of brass... Well how cool is that!

*I am a student, and planing to fullfill this drea.
Mr. Ng Friday, June 29, 2001 at 21:20:17 (PDT)

Asian Dom, I had a lit concentration in college. The time and money spent on law school could've gone towards my great American novel (pages - 0). Well, thanks for the encouragement. I'm really not so down on my "chosen" path. It's purgatory, not hell.
By the way, I have a fantasy of you looking like Shell(e?)y Long, the Asian version.
another JD Friday, June 29, 2001 at 00:00:32 (PDT)

MLK,

Can't comment much about the higher echelons of the Beltway, but I think you're right about the fact that it'll be a while before an Asian becomes top dog of the country. By the way, I'm no longer military, but let me just say that while I was in, I observed that, although Asians compose a small percentage of the entire force, those that were there gravitated towards the more high speed, low drag jobs. Just like their civilian counterparts. You'll find Filipino men that are Army Rangers, Chinese men that Army Special Forces, Japanese men that are Navy SEALS, Chinese women pilots... You name it. S**t, there're Asians in Delta Force! Maybe we're over achievers. Who knows? But I'm happy to report that we're doing the race proud!!!

P.S. Funny place the military. It's the only place I know where hardcore rednecks and FOB Chinese become best friends.
sabot sabot1967@yahoo.com Thursday, June 28, 2001 at 20:09:50 (PDT)

What's with you disgruntled lawyers?! I sometimes wished I had pursued law instead of literature: wouldn't it be great to help Asians fight discrimination, particularly when it comes to employment or gaining admissions to the best universities? The more I notice the lack of Asians in high-profile positions, whether in the private sector and/or academia, the more I am convinced that Asians still have a tough battle to fight...before those of us (and many indeed!) who are at least as qualified as any white person can get the visible and important positions we deserve. Of course, not all employment problems can be solved legally, but at least there's a start. So to all you disillusioned lawyers, there might be a purpose after all to your legal studies...
Asian Dominatrix Thursday, June 28, 2001 at 09:40:09 (PDT)

sabot,
My quick bad! I'm glad to hear of that. It shows that we Asians are starting to break out of our Engineer/Businessman/Physician roles and exchanging our business suits, lab coats, and stethoscopes for a USA military dress and a sword! I always knew Asian Men were great soldiers and fighters! Go guys!

Still, an Asian VP or Prez would be such a cool person to see. Heck, at this point, I'd even be ecstatic to see an AF First Lady! :o)
MLK Wednesday, June 27, 2001 at 17:41:40 (PDT)

I also went through law school and am now studying for the bar exam. Law school was not hard intellectually, just really dull most of the time. This added to the fact that I went for lack of anything else to do (or anything that I could think of) made studying a huge chore. Still can't think of anything else to do except be another miserable lawyer.
another JD Wednesday, June 27, 2001 at 01:50:23 (PDT)

This is just a quick note to MLK... With regards to your comment about Asian generals, the United States Army's top officer happens to be an Asian gentleman by the name of General Eric K. Shinseki, the Chief of Staff. In military circles, he's a rather controversial figure to say the least. But that controversy has absolutely nothing to do with his ethnic heritage. He earned his position as the Army's top dog, and everybody knows it. Rather, there're dissenting opinions surrounding some of the policies he's seen fit to enact during his tenure, to include the direction he's leading the Army in the 21st Century. Still, after all is said and done, he's still the Chief. And what he says goes. Just thought you'd want to know.
sabot sabot1967@yahoo.com Tuesday, June 26, 2001 at 23:04:08 (PDT)

I suffered through three years of law school because my family insisted that I would make a great lawyer. I hated law school, and I do not ever want to be called a "lawyer." I hate everything about the law. I cringe when people ask me about it. It wasn't all a waste though. I'm glad I got the degree because I proved to myself and everyone that I was capable of meeting the challenges, but now I'm pursuing the career that I want, which has nothing to do with doctors, lawyers, or engineers. I can't be good at a career I hate. It took three miserable years of law school for me to realize that I should've followed my own path. Now I'm up to my eyeballs in student loans, and I wonder why I didn't just spend the money travelling the world and gaining great life experience that way. Don't let anyone talk you into a career you don't want!
Don't call me "Lawyer" Sunday, June 24, 2001 at 23:53:43 (PDT)

to whoever wrote "Who is our Malcolm X, Ali, or MLK?"

I hope this MLK isn't me you're singling out among these great men. I sure look a bunch prettier than Malcom X and I'm a heck of a lot younger than Ali (Muhammad or otherwise), but I'm really only a great big Wana-Be. hehehe.

Politically, we're going nowhere fast. The last great Asian prez wuz...hmmm, my American history is a little fuzzy, so I can't recall any. the last great Asian Vice Prez wuuuuuzzzz... daggum it, I'm really starting to lose it here. Cain't remember shit! Oh well. The last great Asian General! Now I remember that, wasn't his name Powell or Power or something like that? Ooooops...sorry, my bad. He's black, not Asian. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to remember what my dad always told me. He said, "Daughter, if you can't get elected as President, then buy one."

As for Cultural Producers, well they only promote Asians in the single digits because they want to control the degree of popularity and power-envy that Asians are able to receive from the general public, but do we really wanna chance it? After all, the last big Movie Star died a horrific and pain-filled death, and then left evil Karmic fumes for his son to inhale.

Asian labor exploitation is getting ridiculous! I don't know how many factories that I've walked by where I've seen hordes of Asian engineers and technicians slaving away in those sweatshops, day and night for years on end, churning out computer stuff and gadgets and widgets of all sorts. In fact, as I'm typing out this post on a computer system made in silicon valley using the blood, sweat, and tears of these exploited engineers, I feel such terrible remorse! The abuse they take, as they stare hour upon endless hour at their monitor screens! And the mathematical equations they are forced to compute are sheer barbaric! I can't stand math, and it makes me shudder at what they have to endure all day long!!!!!!

You're right. Shit IS still "phucked up"!
MLK Thursday, June 21, 2001 at 18:37:10 (PDT)

I'm kind of wondering but how much money do you really need in your lifetime? Mother Theresa didn't have any money but she really enjoyed taking care of many poverished children with leprosy. What's really important is not necessarily how much you pull in annually but how much do you enjoy what you are doing to get paid.
Yo Wednesday, June 20, 2001 at 06:47:34 (PDT)

Any Asians or AAs in management or strategic consultancy? Or are you all too busy pulling long hours?
Sassafras Monday, June 18, 2001 at 01:46:05 (PDT)

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