人生是一場漸進式的過程，學英文也是一樣

​Hi, my name is William. Like most ordinary students, I had never really shown any interest in studying. I graduated from university with a bachelor’s degree in engineering and then started to look for a job in this industry as a typical freshman in Taiwan. However, I realized that the industry of mechanical engineering in Taiwan has always been focusing on manufacturing, but, I want to do something associated with design. Therefore, I decided to go abroad to find more opportunities and a better environment, but there was one critical problem - my English was terrible.

I had always struggled with studying in school, especially with English. I think the root causes are the traditional education system and the lack of understanding of the purpose of studying. After all, I barely passed my English exams without cheating, and my English level only reached 250 TOEIC with me guessing most of the time in university time. But this time, I had a strong purpose and I could study in whatever way I prefer. To save money, I decided to begin studying on my own.

After I completed my conscription service, I made a study plan. I thought the first thing I should do was to expand my vocabulary. I read 3 essays that were less than 300 words every day; I wrote down every word I did not know and went on to search for more information, such as, their root, origin, synonym etc.. After 3 months, I could really feel that my English level had improved so much. To be admitted to colleges in Canada, I decided to take the IELTS test. I found a tutor from Amazingtalker, Josh, who helped me practise my writing and speaking twice a week. In my personal time, I practised intensive and extensive reading and listening every day. Those reading and listening exercises took me approx 6 to 8 hours per day .

Another 3 months later, I took the IELTS exam and was thrilled to achieve an overall 6.0. It was a huge improvement from TOEIC 250 within 6 months. However, I knew that I had a long way to go if I wanted to work overseas.

For me to continuously improve my English, I decided to go to a language school for 4 months. During this time, it was the first time I discovered learning could be that fun. In the language school, no one can be silent. The teachers gave us a lot of time to debate and discuss and we never tried to memorise grammar rule but learned how to use it, when we should use and some role-plays to practise it. As time passed, I felt more confident with my English abilities. I am able to read, write and speak much more fluently than I could 1 year ago.

Finally, after one year of hard work, I received the offer letter that I mentioned above. I was accepted by the British Columbia Institute of Technology in Canada. And during the transition period of waiting for the semester to start. I also got more job opportunities with a higher pay in Taiwan just because of my English level. I never thought I could reach this level of English, but I did it.

However, language learning is a never-ending process. I found Melody, a tutor on Amazingtalker to keep learning and growing little by little. Because I know in Canada, I will face more challenges if I stop right here. Looking back on my journey, I realised that improving my English had been one of the best decisions I had ever made. It not only improved my career perspects but also pushed me out of my confront zone and allowed me to meet new people from all over the world. I am grateful for these experiences and I know that I will continuously learn English throughout my life. Maybe one day, I will even want to learn a third language.