Japanese at University - is it worth it?

[His_Royal_Mudge]

Found one course that I'm really interested in applying for (not least because there's a year in Japan!) but having read some posts on here has made me think, is it worth it?

I know you can learn the jouyou kanji, etc perhaps in a few months with dedicated study and so on: if so, why should I spend 4 years learning what some could do in less time?

Granted, it's a degree but.... thought please?

[Saiyan]

Is it confirmed that the syllabus that you will be learning in 4 years if you take the course can actually be learnt in 1 year?

[Belton]

I'm not sure what posts you mean.

The idea that you can learn the jyouyou kanji in six months or so is a bit deceptive. People using Heisig can do it but at that point you don't know the Japanese only the English keywords. You don't have any grammar or vocabulary or ability to speak or listen. That all takes time to learn.

Yes, maybe if you are dedicated you can learn Japanese by yourself in under 4 years.
But it could well be easier to have the help of teachers and other students, get a degree in the process, and find out a bit about life also.

Japanese aside a degree, any degree, is useful in getting a good job. If you want to work in Japan a degree is necessary for most work visas.

If you have the chance to go to university and study something you like, my advice is take it while you're young you may not get a chance later on.

With hindsight I'd have loved to do a degree in Japanese. If I had the time and money I'd still like to do one.

[Javizy]

You should stop to think about what you're going to do afterwards. If you'd like to be a translator, interpreter, teacher, or something like that, then it would probably a step in the right direction. Since you can learn the language by yourself with a bit of dedication, and go on to take JLPT1 to prove your ability to employers, you might want to carefully consider other career options.

As for the time period, I think you'd literally need to study for 4 years full time to have any chance of achieving a level of fluency that could be used in a professional environment. That depends, of course, on your previous experience.