tl;dr: CELTA scary D:

Before we start- I know that the future of TEFL is really uncertain. We don't know what the world will look like post-COVID, so I'm choosing to assume that things will go back to normal within the next couple of years. I have a backup plan if I'm wrong as well.

So I'm 19, I live in the US, and I'm getting ready to start my second year of college. I'm working towards a Bachelors in English Education. Since my parents think my plan of teaching in Hanoi is kinda out there, I'm trying to do as much research as I can.

What I want to do is take the CELTA in the summer of 2022, a year before I graduate. However I've found that a lot of people who took the CELTA had already graduated or were already working as a teacher for a couple of years. Another consideration is that it seems to be a lot easier to go straight from graduating the CELTA into a teaching job instead of going home for a year and then returning to Vietnam.

Another thing I've found is that there's a lot about English that I don't know. I read through a couple of CELTA interview questions and grammar questions and there are hardly any that I'd be able to answer. I haven't learned about perfect/imperfect tenses or the differences between "shall" and "will" outside connotation. To add to that, the extent of my foreign language learning experience is from the Latin class I took in High School. It was taught by a Vietnam vet with terrible classroom management skills. The only thing I retained was how to say hello, and I doubt that experience will contribute to any teaching skills on my part.

There are a couple of grammar books I was looking at to help prepare, but it feels pretty impractical to be preparing for an interview that's either two or three years away. I'm not sure if I'm being prepared or if I'm just freaking out after reading a few intimidating CELTA threads.

Despite all these things, the main reason I want to be certified before I graduate, and the reason that I want a CELTA at all, is the experience. I really want to be a good teacher. I know that the course can be hell, I've heard it's like a pedagogical 'boot camp', but it feels like it's worth it. After being certified I'd get to continue to reflect on it while I complete my student teaching and keep learning from the month that I spent in the program. (It would also let me know in advance if I actually enjoy teaching abroad before I commit to living in Vietnam for however many years.)

So my questions are: Is my plan to take the CELTA before graduating college just stupid? Should I wait to get my degree and then move to Vietnam afterwards?

And if the plan isn't stupid and will help me in the future- when should I start preparing for the interviews and the experience itself? Is there anything I should do right now beyond studying up on grammar, like trying to get fluent in Vietnamese or something?

Sorry for the long post, thanks for reading this far.