A job offer at a bad timing....

Got a super exciting offer to work as a temporary project aide with collaborators from US, AUS, NZ. It could've been a great opportunity for me to get my foot in the door in the field, but I had to turn it down because of my student visa 😭😭😭 

I was really excited about the project because it is all about what I am passionate about - promoting health, summarizing literature, serving as a bridge between English- and Japanese-speaking researchers, and making effective presentation materials.  However, sad to say, the immigration specialist at my uni says that working for a Japan-based company would be a violation of my student status because if the work (for a Japan-based company or any company) is to be conducted on the U.S. soil, then you will require authorization before you can do any work.  And it is not possible to obtain work authorization at this point because it is my last semester.

It is strict, but I had no option but to let this opportunity go.  It is so disappointing, but I am looking forward to future opportunities to work on similar projects with them after I graduate in August this year. 

Looking at the bright side, it was encouraging to hear that they were impressed by my portfolio website and that they were willing to work with me.  Maybe it's kind of too early to look for a job since employees seem to be looking for someone who can start working immediately.  Nevertheless, I'll keep trying and looking.

For the meantime, I have more time to focus on my dissertation and defense, and to enjoy summer.  

"Sometimes, you cannot control things in your life.  Rather than being stressed about it, you can learn to go with the flow believing that everything will be alright eventually and to be okay with waiting while being open to opportunities."  That's the way to go! 

Something that I learned over the last few years is that too much worrying doesn't produce anything and it is wasted if what you worried about did not happen.  I'm not 100% for the attitude of "let's worry about it only after a problem occurs", but it's worth remembering that it's always a possibility that your concerns may not actually happen.  So, I kind of wonder what if I did not get any job or did not get a job that I like, but I am optimistic that everything will be okay in the end.  We will see where I will be taken.