My main test strategy with the JLPT is to hope that they give me the 3kyuu by mistake; I haven't had time to study these past few weeks with school and work. Worse still is that my speaking ability is going down the drain. I went to my weekly lesson and realized how much I am regressing. It's understandable, but makes me a little sad. Oh well. Coming back was necessary, as was going back to school while working. I am starting to build some savings, the work I am doing is a challenge and gives me great opportunities, and the degree is slowly becoming more of a reality I never thought I would undertake. It's a worthwhile trade off.
I would love to be back in a more formal classroom setting. Many people knock taking foreign language classes; to me it's a place to practice where there is no (major) embarrassment in making a mistake. My case was different though; I was in Japan, no English was spoken. It's safe to say it would be different in the States.