Job Discussion Forums

redstanggt01 · Joined: 10 Sep 2013 Posts: 22

Alright, so I talked to someone the last time I visited Kumamoto and he recommended me to get my Japanese up to business level. He told me to go to a site called gogonihon.com and look up a language school there. There are low, medium and high intensity schools to choose from of course. Knowing that my budget is $12,000 USD, I have to get a part time job to even be over there for 1 year.

I'd like to go get an IT job in japan if possible, but at most, I've only taken a few IT courses in University. What I'm really worried about isn't getting business fluent after I finish, but having the skills that would make me a valuable worker in Japanese society. It's been hard even finding work at my own home country, and I've ended up doing data entry work a year after I graduated from college while living with my parents just to save up money. I've been doing this job for around 9 months now, and I really want to quit badly, but I can't because I'd rather have a job honestly than none at all. I've already tried applying to being an English teacher for about two years and it hasn't worked out, and I'd rather do something in which I can work my way up. I'm turning 27 in July as well, so I only have three more years to really work towards my dream before I turn 30. I tried going to the gaijinpot forums but it looks like they're locked down, so this was the only place that came to my mind. I honestly don't really know where to turn, and I feel really frustrated in my situation. I wish I could even get a masters, and then get a good job afterwards, but I don't think I have the money to do that either.

Sorry if this sounds like I'm whining I guess. I'd just like to have a decent job in Japan and be able to move up if possible. Honestly this data entry job is the only full-time job I've ever had. Any advice which would help me better to steer into the right direction would be appreciated.

redstanggt01 · Joined: 10 Sep 2013 Posts: 22

If it helps, my degree is in International Business with a concentration in Marketing. I probably should have gotten my concentration in IT however, or something more useful I guess =/.

Please don't burn me too much guys...-_-

Pitarou · Joined: 16 Nov 2009 Posts: 1116 Location: Narita, Japan

Be careful what you wish for, my friend.

It seems that your goal is to get an entry level IT position in a Japanese organisation. I really don't see the attraction there.

In any case, if you can't get an IT job in your native country, why do you think you'd do better in Japan? I strongly recommend you invest in your IT skills, rather than your Japanese language skills.

redstanggt01 · Joined: 10 Sep 2013 Posts: 22

Well, it's more that I haven't really tried finding a job in IT in japan, but as far as IT goes, I don't have any skills. However, my current company is offering to move me into their IT department in less than a month. I don't really want to stay in this company much longer, but I dont know...I really hate saying this, but I may end up having to work another year just to gain experience..and even then, other people have worked in IT for two-three years before moving to Japan...and my Japanese has already become basic by this point. To be straightforward, although IT is nice, I would really just like something in which I could stay in Japan and move up..Working 50-60 hours a week is making me feel sick to my stomach.

fat_chris · Joined: 10 Sep 2003 Posts: 3198 Location: Beijing

Question for the OP: does your desire to work and live in Japan have anything to do with a Japanese woman?

Just askin'.

Warm regards,
fat_chris

redstanggt01 · Joined: 10 Sep 2013 Posts: 22

No, it has nothing to do with a Japanese woman in particular, though meeting women over there is a plus. May I ask why you asked that question?

Pitarou · Joined: 16 Nov 2009 Posts: 1116 Location: Narita, Japan

Pitarou · Joined: 16 Nov 2009 Posts: 1116 Location: Narita, Japan

redstanggt01 · Joined: 10 Sep 2013 Posts: 22

Well, I'm not trying to go to japan to escape reality or anything if that's what you're saying. I want to go to Japan because I really enjoy being there. I've traveled there four times already, in which one time I already studied abroad for a semester at Kansai Gaidai University, and I want my fifth time to be a lot longer.

rtm · Joined: 13 Apr 2007 Posts: 1003 Location: US

I'm a little confused. Do you want to have an IT job, or do you just want to live in Japan and think that an IT job is a good way to do it?

If the latter, then English teaching is going to be a much easier way to do it. If you've been unsuccessful for 2 years applying to teach English in Japan, I think you need to evaluate why you've been unsuccessful. Since, I presume, you are a native speaker of English, you already have the #1 necessary skill for that job. You just need to figure out what is holding you back. Countless others have gotten jobs in Japan during that time with the same qualifications as you, so you need to figure out why you haven't.

If your goal is specifically to get an IT job, that's not going to happen while you (as you say) have no IT skills. Japan is a very technologically-advanced country, and doesn't hire people with sub-standard skills. Basically, you need to be better than the Japanese candidates for the job. You need to have strong technical skills as well as strong Japanese language skills, both of which you say you lack. That means that getting an IT job in Japan is going to be a long, hard road. That doesn't mean it is impossible, but it will take a lot of hard work (a number of years). If you need to choose whether to work on technical skills or Japanese ability first, I'd say forget about coming over to a language school, and instead stay home and work on the technical skills, as those will be more useful to you in the future, and without those, no IT company will even look at you.

Also, forget about only having 3 more years to work toward your dream. Nothing magically happens when you turn 30 that prevents you from working toward a dream, or even changing what your dream is.

timothypfox · Joined: 20 Feb 2008 Posts: 492

Sorry to be a wet towel... but I think this is a forum for teaching English in Japan. IT may be a little out of the scope of things here...

mitsui · Joined: 10 Jun 2007 Posts: 1562 Location: Kawasaki

IT jobs are not easy. Some people burn out and get sick of the long hours.
Knowledge of computers can trump Japanese, but you have to be smart.

One guy worked at NTT but quit suddenly after two years.
Another American I knew gave it a year before bailing.

redstanggt01 · Joined: 10 Sep 2013 Posts: 22

I'll be straight up honest here. I thought that knowledge of IT would better help me to find a job in japan that would allow me to stay/work my way up. As far as job experience goes, I've only had a part-time job in retail, a marketing research internship at my university for a semester, and this full-time job I'm doing now, in which I have to read medical bills, attorney letters, towing bills etc and put that information into the company servers, and send them out to the adjustors.

I would like to go to language school to get my Japanese back up again and find something I would really like to do that has decent pay. I'm not sure what I would really be good at though with my current skillset.

My biggest concerns are my budget, easiness of finding a part-time job, and the difficulty of finding a full-time job when I get out, assuming that I will have reached N2 by then. I forgot to mention this before, but I have around 2 1/2 years of Japanese under my belt, although it's been awhile since I've used it so I would consider myself basic at this point.

I guess it's illogical to talk about IT on this board, but the gaijinpot forums don't seem to work anymore, and I have no idea where else to talk about this. =/ I really do want to live in Japan badly, like a lot of other people I guess. I don't want to give up, but I feel worn out after two years lol.

rtm · Joined: 13 Apr 2007 Posts: 1003 Location: US

redstanggt01 · Joined: 10 Sep 2013 Posts: 22

Well, I mean I have tried applying for alt/esl jobs for almost two years, but haven't gotten any.

This also sounds ridiculous, but even though I want to live in Japan badly, I want to move up in a career path because I eventually do want to find a girl, be able to provide, have kids and so on. I really want to work hard, do something I like, and be able to be there for someone, but I can't do that with how I currently am. Finance doesn't sound bad either, and actually in University I scored top 10% in my finance courses, but I couldn't find any jobs so eventually I had to take this job in insurance just to get by. I really wish I could have something to offer someone, but it's hard for me to even get my foot in the door in this economy.