I recently graduated college with a degree in English and am at a major crossroad in my life. I can either go to Japan and teach English for a year or go back to school for my teaching credential/master's degree. What should I do?

I would choose Japan in a heart beat!

Well, Japan sounds cool. If you want to travel the world, go now! Could you still have the same opportunity after you finish the master's? I think the masters will probably take longer than a year, so I wuold spend the year in Japan, come back, finish school, and then the teaching in Japan will always count as good experience for whatever it is that you decide to do.

I'd say go to Japan and teach. It seems like it would be a wonderful experience.

Only go to Japan if you have a desire to teach! One of my pet peeves is when people indicate that any moron can teach a class. It's not true! Teaching is a difficult, tiring, and specialized field. However, it is also incredibly rewarding. If you were asked to teach English as a second language in America, would you cringe and run away? If so, please don't go do so in another country. However, if you think the idea of teaching English sounds good, then by all means, GO! What a great opportunity, and congratulations on your English degree!

This question was posted at the beginning of the year so you may already be in Japan. However, if not, look into the JET program. It offers you a chance to teach English in Japan and get paid for 1 year contract, extendable to 2 years. The position will most likely be outside of Tokyo to allow you to see some of the Japanese country. Tokyo is sort of like Wakiki in Hawaii. It's not quite Hawaii but everyone knows it as representative of Hawaii. Tokyo is ever changing, not the city that represents the whole of Japan.

do you speak japanese? if not learn it before you even contemplate teaching in japan.