This is daunting.
Submitted by Glowskulls on Fri, 10/10/2008 - 23:27
Hi, how long do you reckon it will take to get from nothing to pre-2 in years? 2000 symbols with different meanings and pronunciations for most is crazy. I'm only 18 mind, so I've got a bit of time, I'm on lesson 15 of pimsleurs 1, and because I'm still in full time education, after college Japanese classes are free, so I'm on too, but this looks like it will be impossible. I'm hoping to up and teach English for a bit over there, so I'm guessing I'd need to know enough to at least past 2, but what timescale do you think I'm looking at? I'm planning on getting KiC with Mnemosyne like you recommended. cheers.
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If you're just starting, you
If you're just starting, you should wait a bit before Kanji in Context. The books themselves recommend that you know about 300 kanji (roughly one year of college classes' worth) before you start. If you start the books without knowing much Japananese grammar, they won't be much help.
If you're 18, you've got plenty of time. No need to rush it. Also, to teach English in Japan (which I do) you actually are not required to have much Japanese at all (1 semester's worth will do it for JET). So, while of course the more you know the more it helps when you are here, having more Japanese won't help you get a job teaching English (it's a little perverse).
Anyway, I studied Japanese for three years in college, but not consistently, and not very hard, and then I came to Japan for one year and worked my ass off, and now, at the end of my second year, I'm on track to pass the 1kyuu. It's difficult but not impossible, and of course you can go slower.
Start slow and enjoy it. If you start cramming kanji now you'll never make it, because it won't be any fun, and you'll lose hope long before you finish. If you like what you're learning along the way, it'll be a lot easier.
Best of luck,
Kaeru