Which major would benefit me working in Japan?

[kingpala]

Basically a sophomore in college, and I took a semester off. Not sure which major to pursue. I was a Mechanical Engineer until recently, when I took time off.

I plan on moving to Japan in the future, but I'd like to work in a respectable position with a respectable company. Any majors out there that stand out above others?

[mangaman]

Not directly a reply to you question so I apologize for that, but if you are a major ______ you should do pretty well with the ladies.

[KansaiBen]

Originally Posted by kingpala

Basically a sophomore in college, and I took a semester off. Not sure which major to pursue. I was a Mechanical Engineer until recently, when I took time off.

I plan on moving to Japan in the future, but I'd like to work in a respectable position with a respectable company. Any majors out there that stand out above others?

Do you mean English teaching or as a salariman?

English teaching any degree is OK as long as its vanilla.

What are your inclinations and dreams for working here?

[g-raff]

Originally Posted by KansaiBen

Do you mean English teaching or as a salariman?

He said "respectable", so English teacher is out.

IT professionals have good opportunities out here, programmers as well... probably best to start off with a company in America and get transfered to Japan.

Any Japanese language courses you can take in college would also be helpful, obviously.

[zmcnulty]

It's going to depend on your Japanese level more than your major. Also, it's going to depend on when you want to go. As soon as you graduate? 5 years after that?

What industry?

I'd say that most of the non-language related opportunities for "Western foreigners" in Japan are in finance, accounting, consulting, law, real estate, and IT. However, there are plenty of exceptions. Manufacturing, import/export, science, and engineering also have some opportunities for bilingual people.

But keep in mind that the further you get into your career, the less your major is going to matter. This is especially true for Japanese companies, as they generally only look at whether you're "rikei" or "bunkei."

Ultimately I think there's opportunity in Japan in almost any field, assuming you're able to meet the right people and plan appropriately.

[TheManiac]

Janitorial.

[SteadyRollingMan]

I would suggest "Basket Weaving".

[kingpala]

To all the serious replies, thank you for replying. To the ones that were trying to be funny... I wasn't really laughing.

I took Japanese I in college recently so I can write (not even 1st grade lvl probably), but I haven't really studied at all anyway.

Those majors look a little bit intriguing but don't really stand out that much. I was also thinking about international relations... anybody have any idea if there are jobs concerning that particular major?

I was planning on moving straight out of college. I'm 19 now, so at the age of 21 I could probably be a graduate. Don't know if anybody would be willing to give a job to an unexperienced, straight out of college guy (gaijin nonetheless) so I might have to actually teach and sort of find the job when I get there. Not exactly sure.

Starting out at a respectable job isn't mandatory obviously. Everybody has to start out somewhere, so I wouldn't mind teaching English until getting a bigger opportunity somewhere else.

[Gaijin 06]

Originally Posted by kingpala

Starting out at a respectable job isn't mandatory obviously. Everybody has to start out somewhere, so I wouldn't mind teaching English until getting a bigger opportunity somewhere else.

I hear it's pretty easy to get tenure at most universities here, teaching English.

[J_T]

If you speak some Japanese, have a degree and an engineering background, there's bound to be work.

Due to the shortage of engineers here, you'll find engineers from all over the world working in Japan.

[KansaiBen]

Originally Posted by kingpala

Starting out at a respectable job isn't mandatory obviously. Everybody has to start out somewhere, so I wouldn't mind teaching English until getting a bigger opportunity somewhere else.

so what does one actually DO with an international relations degree such that a company here will sponsor your visa and pay you a full time salary. what can you actually provide in return for a salary.

as mentioned before unless you actually have professional certifiable skills that people want to pay for then your only alternative is English teaching. Forget the nebulous stuff about International relations and Marketing. Companies here hire bilingual japanese out of college if they need English speakers. They dont have to be native and they can pay for English lessons.


Business level Japanese means having a SOLID grasp of four skills, reading writing listening and speaking. Level 2 of JLPT is considered absolute minimum though many have Level 1. (this level requires knowing about 1900 Kanji, an advanced level of vocabulary so that you can function independently, about 10,000 vocabulary minimum as well as a grasp of grammar.

You can teach English though its fairly hard to move into anything unless you actually have work experience and teaching English as a noobie doesnt really add to your resume here.

People who dont want to be teachers swear off becoming teachers but often its all they can do to pay the rent or get their foot in the door. The only other way is to graduate get 2-3 years work experience in the US and then get transferred here as an in-company hire.

People rubbish English, they dont want to do the grunt work but want to parachute into a glamorous sexy job even they have scant qualifications and no experience and probably basic level Japanese.

Decide what it is you actually want to do and what people will actually pay you a salary and whether there is a particular demand for your skills.

Start learning Japanese and dont stop. Its a lifelong process and you wont pick it up in six months. Its not like Spanish.

Get actual proper work experience back home before coming here. Japan may sound exciting and exotic to you but with no Japanese or marketable skills you are worse than useless to an employer, who simply has to babysit you.

Start setting some actual achievable goals and decide how you will achieve them. You wont actually know when you get there if you dont know what you want and how to get from A to B in the meantime.

[KansaiBen]

Originally Posted by Gaijin 06

I hear it's pretty easy to get tenure at most universities here, teaching English.

You heard wrong.

[zmcnulty]

Originally Posted by kingpala

Those majors look a little bit intriguing but don't really stand out that much. I was also thinking about international relations... anybody have any idea if there are jobs concerning that particular major?

I was planning on moving straight out of college. I'm 19 now, so at the age of 21 I could probably be a graduate. Don't know if anybody would be willing to give a job to an unexperienced, straight out of college guy (gaijin nonetheless) so I might have to actually teach and sort of find the job when I get there. Not exactly sure.

Don't assume that your major will dictate the rest of your career. It absolutely will not. The fields I listed in my earlier post are just the fields where I feel most of the opportunities for foreigners are the easiest to find. Things get significantly more complicated if we're talking about entry-level opportunities.

International relations is a tough nut to crack and I can't say I know a whole lot about it. But if you're American, the State Department appreciates language skills and overseas experience and is usually looking for people who want to go abroad. But I think you may be restricted by your language skills for the immediate future. At this point I'd focus on getting time in Japan somehow (study abroad, internship, even just travel).

I applied for this program my Freshman year:
http://www.nambufound.com/

But was rejected (despite spending a year in Japan in high school) probably because I was a freshman. I applied again my Senior year (after I did study abroad) but ended up not needing it because I found an internship myself through the Boston CareerForum.

There's a study abroad program called IES that also offers a "Field Placement" option. It's like a mini-internship; one day a week you go to work at some local organization/business instead of going to classes. I was working at a video game translation company.

If you're a sophomore now you still have plenty of time to get ready. I would have spent an academic year in Japan during college, but I just did the semester because I had already done the year in high school.

Originally Posted by KansaiBen

so what does one actually DO with an international relations degree such that a company here will sponsor your visa and pay you a full time salary. what can you actually provide in return for a salary.

as mentioned before unless you actually have professional certifiable skills that people want to pay for then your only alternative is English teaching. Forget the nebulous stuff about International relations and Marketing. Companies here hire bilingual japanese out of college if they need English speakers. They dont have to be native and they can pay for English lessons.


Business level Japanese means having a SOLID grasp of four skills, reading writing listening and speaking. Level 2 of JLPT is considered absolute minimum though many have Level 1. (this level requires knowing about 1900 Kanji, an advanced level of vocabulary so that you can function independently, about 10,000 vocabulary minimum as well as a grasp of grammar.

You can teach English though its fairly hard to move into anything unless you actually have work experience and teaching English as a noobie doesnt really add to your resume here.

People who dont want to be teachers swear off becoming teachers but often its all they can do to pay the rent or get their foot in the door. The only other way is to graduate get 2-3 years work experience in the US and then get transferred here as an in-company hire.

People rubbish English, they dont want to do the grunt work but want to parachute into a glamorous sexy job even they have scant qualifications and no experience and probably basic level Japanese.

Decide what it is you actually want to do and what people will actually pay you a salary and whether there is a particular demand for your skills.

Start learning Japanese and dont stop. Its a lifelong process and you wont pick it up in six months. Its not like Spanish.

Get actual proper work experience back home before coming here. Japan may sound exciting and exotic to you but with no Japanese or marketable skills you are worse than useless to an employer, who simply has to babysit you.

Start setting some actual achievable goals and decide how you will achieve them. You wont actually know when you get there if you dont know what you want and how to get from A to B in the meantime.

I agree with most of this post but I don't think it's as hopeless as you make it out to be. The OP still has a few years to focus on his studies. One of my friends went from zero Japanese to getting a 62% on JLPT1 in a little over 2 years.

I think that any foreigner with decent Japanese skills (say, enough Japanese to pass JLPT2?), experience living/working in the country, and a solid resume can find an entry-level non-English teaching job through proper planning, preparation, and networking while still in school. It will be difficult for the OP given his Japanese level, but I think you'll find a decent number of companies open to the idea of hiring foreigners straight out of school. Of course, said foreigner has to be willing to accept the same conditions as would a new Japanese employee (200,000 yen/month salary, tiny room in the company dorm, long hours, etc.)

You also have to remember that it's rare in Japan for a new (Japanese) graduate to have any notable work experience. Those that do work usually work at restaurants, gas stations, and conbinis. To that extent, most Japanese companies don't have particularly high hurdles in terms of work/internship experience during school; they seem to focus more on the school's reputation (but this goes out the window if we're talking about foreign universities), a cultural fit, performance on the company entrance exam, a passion for the company, and less tangible skills. So as a foreigner, not having work experience doesn't necessarily put you behind regular Japanese candidates. Japanese companies also tend to train new people extensively, so their expectations for "skills already acquired" seems to be somewhat lower than Western companies.

[kingpala]

Originally Posted by zmcnulty

Don't assume that your major will dictate the rest of your career. It absolutely will not. The fields I listed in my earlier post are just the fields where I feel most of the opportunities for foreigners are the easiest to find. Things get significantly more complicated if we're talking about entry-level opportunities.

International relations is a tough nut to crack and I can't say I know a whole lot about it. But if you're American, the State Department appreciates language skills and overseas experience and is usually looking for people who want to go abroad. But I think you may be restricted by your language skills for the immediate future. At this point I'd focus on getting time in Japan somehow (study abroad, internship, even just travel).

I applied for this program my Freshman year:
http://www.nambufound.com/

But was rejected (despite spending a year in Japan in high school) probably because I was a freshman. I applied again my Senior year (after I did study abroad) but ended up not needing it because I found an internship myself through the Boston CareerForum.

There's a study abroad program called IES that also offers a "Field Placement" option. It's like a mini-internship; one day a week you go to work at some local organization/business instead of going to classes. I was working at a video game translation company.

If you're a sophomore now you still have plenty of time to get ready. I would have spent an academic year in Japan during college, but I just did the semester because I had already done the year in high school.

Thanks for all of your help.

I'm not American btw... I moved here around 10 years ago. I'm an American citizen, but until the age of 9 years old, I was in my native country. English is my third language, so hopefully that can be something I can use to my advantage.

[Really!]

Originally Posted by kingpala

I'm not American btw... I moved here around 10 years ago. I'm an American citizen, but until the age of 9 years old, I was in my native country. English is my third language, so hopefully that can be something I can use to my advantage.

All I can say is- "Wow."

Anyone who spends half of their most formative years in the states is definitely an American at heart, if not in citizenship.

[Really!]

Originally Posted by Fujay

Anyone who spends half of their most formative years in the states is definitely an American at heart, if not in citizenship.

The OP's own comments contradict what you determined to be the case. And just how can you decide if a total stranger is an American or anything else at heart?

I've read the OPs comments previously, both here and on Japantoday, and he definitely writes like an American.

I've also known a number of people who grew up in different countries than the one they were born in from give or take the same age, and they have all become people of the country which they were living in. Not to say they lost what they originally had (its a duality rather than an either-or), but the fact remains that spending your teenage years in a country surrounded by its culture will affect you in a way so as to make you one of them.

I suppose there could be times when this is not true - circumstances of isolation from the local culture due to influence from their community, but this is the exception rather than the rule.

[Really!]

The writer may well have been affected/influenced by living in America. Just the same, stating both that "I have American citizenship." and "I am not an American." would seem to indicate that in his heart- he is not American. No matter how much one would speculate to the contrary. They are his own words after all, not speculation.

A few years after I had come to Japan, I started working with a guy I knew who had grown up in Japan until 7 years old, then in Canada until 22. He had come back to Japan as an English teacher. After hanging out with this guy, he told me one night that all his years in Canada, he had primarily identified himself as being Japanese more than Canadian. It was something he took pride in, and based a lot of his identity on. But upon coming back to Japan, he found that he didn't fit in, and wasn't very Japanese. He realized that all those years he had considered himself Japanese, he was actually becoming more and more Canadian.

My point being that until he came to Japan, he thought he was Japanese. It took that perspective of stepping outside Canada to be able to realize that. So while the OP may think he is not American, I think that as long as he is in America he has little perspective on which to judge that. I have no doubt in my mind he doesn't consider himself American. But that has very little bearing as to whether he actually is or not. As I say, he has spent his formative years in that society - that will make anyone a member of that society whether they like it or not.

[kurogane]

I think that is one of the Dark Side elements of multiculturalism.

People get so wrapped up in ethnic distinctions and identities that we forget that that idiom is largely a Canadian or immigrant nation one, and that most of the world think it sounds ridiculous.

Most of the Jpn-Cdns I grew up with have a certain amount of the tendency you mention, and they are far more Canadianified than my family (the newest one is about 4th generation Cdn born). Then again, their parents were locked up for it, so that is probably a factor.

Also, the fact that I am an invisible minority, as the quick ones are quick to point out, must be a factor.

I am white like Casper. Not so friendly, but just as white.

[kingpala]

Yeah, you guys all have good points. I have visited my native country many times after I moved to the US, and I still believed that I belonged. Maybe it's because I was surrounded by my native people for a long time. I was in a ghetto for the first 4 years in the US so that might be a factor.

And the reason I said that I wasn't American was because I wasn't born here. I consider an American to be somebody that was born and raised in the US.

[kingpala]

Originally Posted by Fujay

I've read the OPs comments previously, both here and on Japantoday, and he definitely writes like an American.

BTW, what's your nickname in JT? I don't frequent that forum anymore because it's run by Nazis basically.

Also, what are the chances for a gaijin police worker in Japan? Any job concerning the police can apply.

I got banned from there about a year ago. But I prefer to keep me there and me here as separate entities. I actually posted as a serious poster there, but here I just basically troll and have fun. With the occasional good conversation and sometimes a bit of assistance.

[KopiKopenhagen]

I wouldn`t discount teaching English. It is a pretty sweat gig, especially out of college. I have already taught 2 years, and now I can write/speak at a 6th grader level. However, I majored in psychology, and I am going a bit crazy trying to find out why people don`t seem super friendly here. I want to be let into their culture, but it will never fully happen for a gaijin (according to books, and my personal experience). You can have friends and girlfriends though, no doubt. If you are a sensitive kind of guy (I am an artist, unfortunately), the culture might pissed you the F*** off after a while; just my opinion. Definitely experience it though!

Originally Posted by kingpala

To all the serious replies, thank you for replying. To the ones that were trying to be funny... I wasn't really laughing.

I took Japanese I in college recently so I can write (not even 1st grade lvl probably), but I haven't really studied at all anyway.

Those majors look a little bit intriguing but don't really stand out that much. I was also thinking about international relations... anybody have any idea if there are jobs concerning that particular major?

I was planning on moving straight out of college. I'm 19 now, so at the age of 21 I could probably be a graduate. Don't know if anybody would be willing to give a job to an unexperienced, straight out of college guy (gaijin nonetheless) so I might have to actually teach and sort of find the job when I get there. Not exactly sure.

Starting out at a respectable job isn't mandatory obviously. Everybody has to start out somewhere, so I wouldn't mind teaching English until getting a bigger opportunity somewhere else.

[iLyo]

Originally Posted by KopiKopenhagen

I wouldn`t discount teaching English. It is a pretty sweat gig, especially out of college. I have already taught 2 years, and now I can write/speak at a 6th grader level. However, I majored in psychology, and I am going a bit crazy trying to find out why people don`t seem super friendly here. I want to be let into their culture, but it will never fully happen for a gaijin (according to books, and my personal experience). You can have friends and girlfriends though, no doubt. If you are a sensitive kind of guy (I am an artist, unfortunately), the culture might pissed you the F*** off after a while; just my opinion. Definitely experience it though!

god help the poor folks you teach 'English' to.

[KansaiBen]

Originally Posted by KopiKopenhagen

I wouldn`t discount teaching English. It is a pretty sweat gig, especially out of college. I have already taught 2 years, and now I can write/speak at a 6th grader level. However, I majored in psychology, and I am going a bit crazy trying to find out why people don`t seem super friendly here. I want to be let into their culture, but it will never fully happen for a gaijin (according to books, and my personal experience). You can have friends and girlfriends though, no doubt. If you are a sensitive kind of guy (I am an artist, unfortunately), the culture might pissed you the F*** off after a while; just my opinion. Definitely experience it though!

Do you think if you were a white guy and went to live in Harlem among non-whites you would be 'let into the culture'? you think people would accept you as a black dude? How about going and living among Iraqis or Iranians as an expat transplant? probably a good candidate for kidnapping or being regarded as an infidel. Youll be treated as an outsider there too. For white people in Japan its usually the first experience they have as a minority.

Any foreign society you go to you (like Japan, China or Korea) will never be fully 'accepted' and I dont know where foreigners get the idea you will be any different just because you are white and choose to live here. The best you can do is live as a minority and a temporary expat and even in places like America there is not full equality and acceptance of minorities (try being Arab-looking and not being stopped by police for fear you are a terrorist'

I've lived here for two decades and still get treated as a 'gaijin' or a foreigner (albeit a Japanese speaking one with a family here) get used to it. You wont become 'Japanese' so there's no point in even worrying about it IMO. People around me treat me as a person, a human being and I dont expect any special treatment. There are times though That Im reminded that I wont be treated the same as locals, especially when dealing with bureaucracy. Add the fact that half the reason you have a job here is BECAUSE you are not Japanese.

[KansaiBen]

Originally Posted by KopiKopenhagen

I wouldn`t discount teaching English. It is a pretty sweat gig, especially out of college. I have already taught 2 years, and now I can write/speak at a 6th grader level. However, I majored in psychology, and I am going a bit crazy trying to find out why people don`t seem super friendly here. I want to be let into their culture, but it will never fully happen for a gaijin (according to books, and my personal experience). You can have friends and girlfriends though, no doubt. If you are a sensitive kind of guy (I am an artist, unfortunately), the culture might pissed you the F*** off after a while; just my opinion. Definitely experience it though!

Do you think if you were a white guy and went to live in Harlem among non-whites you would be 'let into the culture'? you think people would accept you as a black dude? How about going and living among Iraqis or Iranians as an expat transplant? probably a good candidate for kidnapping or being regarded as an infidel. Youll be treated as an outsider there too. For white people in Japan its usually the first experience they have as a minority.

Any foreign society you go to you (like Japan, China or Korea) will never be fully 'accepted' and I dont know where foreigners get the idea you will be any different just because you are white and choose to live here. The best you can do is live as a minority and a temporary expat and even in places like America there is not full equality and acceptance of minorities (try being Arab-looking and not being stopped by police for fear you are a terrorist'

I've lived here for two decades and still get treated as a 'gaijin' or a foreigner (albeit a Japanese speaking one with a family here) get used to it. You wont become 'Japanese' so there's no point in even worrying about it IMO. People around me treat me as a person, a human being and I dont expect any special treatment. There are times though That Im reminded that I wont be treated the same as locals, especially when dealing with bureaucracy. Add the fact that half the reason you have a job here is BECAUSE you are not Japanese.

http://www.thejapanfaq.com/FAQ-Primer.html

[KansaiBen]

Originally Posted by aunty ethel

Now, when I used this name the post was reported and pulled but I have seen this named used plenty of times before.And,if the name Paulh gets used it can`t be pulled according to the rules.
So why was the post pulled? Because I called him out and he couldn`t defend himself that time.And it has happened plent of other times as well.
Pathetic Haughty and the arse kissing mods who pulled the posts/threads.

GP rules.....


You shall not post on the GPlus web site any content which (a) is libelous, defamatory, obscene, pornographic, abusive, harassing or threatening, (b) contains viruses or other contaminating or destructive features, (c) violates the rights of others, such as content which infringes any copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret or violates any right of privacy or publicity, or (d) otherwise violates any applicable law. You may not post on the Site any links to any external Internet sites that are obscene or pornographic.


Using a persons personal name on a public forum is considered an invasion of privacy, even if part of that name makes up part of a log in name.

My log in name is Kansai Ben but you dont call me Ben in real life, do you?

[aunty ethel]

Originally Posted by KansaiBen

My log in name is Kansai Ben but you dont call me Ben in real life, do you?

In real life I would call you many things.

[J_T]

Referring to Kansaiben as PaulH is fine, IHOMO, considering that username had around 11000 posts attached to it.

[aunty ethel]

Originally Posted by J_T

Referring to Kansaiben as PaulH is fine, IHOMO, considering that username had around 11000 posts attached to it.

You would think so but dare to call him on anything and find yourself ON REPORT!!!