I spent a whole afternoon at the Coex fair wondering if I was looking in the wrong place
Walking through the aisles at Coex
I ended up at the Coex study abroad fair last weekend because I just couldn’t shake the feeling that staying in Korea was going to lead to a dead end. Every time I open a news app, there’s another story about someone my age struggling to find stable ground, or worse, those terrifying reports about people getting lured into overseas scams in places like Cambodia. It makes you paranoid. Walking around the booths, it felt like everyone else had a plan—some were talking about Canada co-op programs with such confidence, while others were drilling reps about Japanese technical colleges. I just felt like I was drifting, clutching a lukewarm Americano that cost 6,000 won and trying not to look as lost as I felt.
The gap between brochures and reality
One booth had a really glossy pamphlet about ‘global talent pathways’ and how they facilitate overseas internships. The person behind the desk was sharp, very quick to show me a slide deck of success stories. It all sounded clean. Too clean. They kept mentioning how they handle the legal paperwork, but when I asked about the actual difficulty of the visa process—specifically after hearing about how common it is to get a US visa rejected for the flimsiest reasons—they just kind of pivoted back to their placement rates. It’s annoying. I know they aren’t going to tell me about the six months of sleepless nights or the thousands of dollars in lost application fees if things go south, but the lack of transparency is exhausting. I’m not asking for a guarantee, just a bit of honesty about how much of this is pure luck.
Rethinking the safety net
I keep comparing my situation to my friends who are just pushing for public sector jobs here. They seem so stable, despite the insane competition. Then I read about these ‘safety net’ programs and government-funded employment support, and it just feels like trying to catch rain with a net that has holes the size of my head. Is it better to be miserable in a secure job at home or to be potentially exploited while chasing some fantasy of an international career? I don’t have an answer. I saw a booth for a web design academy nearby, and for a second, I thought, maybe I should just learn a hard skill and stay put. The uncertainty of the ‘overseas’ option feels like a weight I’m not sure I’m strong enough to carry yet.
The lingering noise of choices
Even after leaving the fair, the noise of it stays with you. I keep thinking about whether I’m just looking for a way out because I’m tired, or because it’s actually a smarter move for the long term. I looked at the stats on construction sector labor and manufacturing employment, trying to make sense of where the actual demand is, but it all feels abstract. None of the data tells you how to feel when you’re standing in a crowded hall at 3 PM, realization hitting that you haven’t actually made a single decision. I didn’t sign up for anything. I just walked out into the humid air and took the subway back, feeling like I’d just wasted four hours of my life, even though I knew I needed to go. It’s hard to tell if I’m being cautious or just procrastinating on the inevitable.
