Advice on Career/Living in Japan

[Custard]

Hello Everyone,

First of all I would like to explain my situation and then ask for some input.

Currently I'm a Canadian fourth year student at my university studying Asian Language and Culture, specializing in Japanese.
My classes consist of Asian Studies, Computer Science, and Japanese.

I'm slowly approaching the end of my University career but I feel like i've just been cruising along this entire time...
I am probably going to graduate with a bachelor of arts degree with the degree above... however I'm not even sure if this will help me find a job?
My Japanese fluency level is N2 and I'm going to be taking the N1 next year, however I think i'm somewhere between the two.
I've studied Japanese for 6 years and I've been to Japan countless of times, including a one year studied abroad semester last year.
I can also fluently speak English since I was born in Canada as well as I am able to speak Cantonese since my parents are Chinese.
I'm currently 21 years old, and am sort of worried about the age-situation when job-hunting in Japan in the future.

My original plan was to graduate and apply for the JET program, but it seems so competitive so I might not have a chance to do that.
I really want to work in Japan in the future in terms of not just teaching English but doing other work as well for long-term.
So after two years, I would like to enter a company and use computer science to some sort of extent. I have a passion for computers and am knowledgeable in that field, but the computer science courses I have taken at my university have really made me dislike coding, so I was hoping to be a general IT somewhere assisting the workers?... Is there even such a job?

To put it short, I want to live in Japan.

However lately this reality and wanting of doing it is decreasing.

I guess I'm not really sure even what I want to do with life, but I just wanted to ask a few questions.

1. What is your opinion on this situation?

2. Do you think my degree can get me a job in Japan?

3. Do you recommend me to take any tests?

4. If I work for JET for 2 years (as I planned to) is it going to be possible to find a job in Japan after 2 years?...

5. ((Back to the age concern)) since if I decide to do JET for 2 years, that would make me 23 or 24 in the future when I do job hunting, will this look bad on my resume being 24 against other Japanese graduates who are only 21 or 22?

6. Do you think I should do JET or go directly find a job in japan? Why do you think this way?

Thank you all for your time in reading this and I hope for some insightful opinions and suggestions.

Also-- if this was the wrong place to post it, please redirect me and I will repost this!

Thank you again!

 

[Half-n-Half]

I can't comment on the meat of your post since I have no experience, but there are a couple things I wanted to say.

My original plan was to graduate and apply for the JET program, but it seems so competitive so I might not have a chance to do that.

Don't take this the wrong way, but I think that is a horrible reason not to apply for any program. You can never say if you will or will not get accepted so there is no harm in just applying anyway. If you are still planning on applying for JET then disregard what I just said, but it sounded as if you weren't going to.

I guess I'm not really sure even what I want to do with life, but I just wanted to ask a few questions.

As a fellow fourth-year university student, I know how you feel. It's completely normal and I wouldn't let it worry you too much. What you do after you graduate does not have to be what you do for the rest of your life, so don't be afraid to try new things out.

 

[Glenski]

I agree about the JET feelings. You are never going to know your competition. Don't apply and your odds are precisely 0.0000000 % in getting any job.

Your J language ability will help in most non-teaching jobs, but you are probably also going to need some experience. Think about it. Japan has 127 million native Japanese speakers, and the college kids these days are having a hard time landing jobs because the jobs just aren't there. How would a non-native J speaker do? Work conditions are low pay, poor housing (yet you still have to pay for it), and grueling hours (all a cultural norm).

Yes, your degree will help you get a job in Japan. Probably just teaching English in the beginning, though. Look for IT jobs that don't require experience, though.

Your age will not mean a damned thing.

Since you are Canadian, you qualify for a working holiday visa (good for 12 months). That means unlike most people who don't have the WHV, and who are newbies, you can start work immediately in part-time slots. Other newbies need FT jobs. So, this is a benefit to you. You could essentially work several PT jobs and gain a variety of experience, leading to a potentially better FT position in the future.

 

[ariso07]

1. What is your opinion on this situation?>>
Its a really good start. But the questions is not, "can you get a job?" but "what kind of job are you trying to get?"

2. Do you think my degree can get me a job in Japan?>>
Your degree in itself is just about as useful in Japan as an English degree is in the U.S. If you don't end up teaching, you will have to do some sort of office work. But the language skill your degree gave you is actually useful.

3. Do you recommend me to take any tests?>>
Take N1. But other than that, no. If you are able to get any computer certification, that might help. However, people will either want you based on your skill set or not. There is not a test that would give you a leg up here (since you have no specialization to speak of).

4. If I work for JET for 2 years (as I planned to) is it going to be possible to find a job in Japan after 2 years?...>>
As far as JET is concerned, I don't think you are an ALT (assistant language teacher) candidate. I think they try to limit that to people with a low Japanese level. You should try for CIR. I heard that a lot of the CIRs go on to get really good jobs afterwards.

5. ((Back to the age concern)) since if I decide to do JET for 2 years, that would make me 23 or 24 in the future when I do job hunting, will this look bad on my resume being 24 against other Japanese graduates who are only 21 or 22?>>
No. Being a foreigner, you are kind of in a different work pool than nationals. You need visa support and only some jobs offer it. So you will not be competing against Japanese but against Chinese and Indians (mostly) for jobs that want a foreigner there. Therefore, age is not your main concern. The bigger issue is showing work experience.

6. Do you think I should do JET or go directly find a job in japan? Why do you think this way?>>
I would recommend, if you have the money, going to the Bilingual Career Fair in New York. Some people get a job that weekend. Others get offers a couple months later. Keep in mind that JET applications are due in almost a year before so you have plenty of time, while your application is processing with JET, to apply for other jobs. Then, if you get one, you can just turn any other offers down. DEFINITELY don't put all your eggs in one basket. Apply for as many jobs as you think you qualify for. Apply for ECC and AEON if nothing else works out. You are bound to get something but you will do a lot better if you double your chances by applying to multiple places.

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