Advice please

Hello, all! My name is JayJay and I'm new to this forum! It's very nice to meet you all. A little about me is I am currently in school for echocardiography (ultrasound for the heart!) and a currently debating on whether or not to obtain my bachelor's in it, or just settle with my associate's degree. My ultimate goal is to live and work in Japan, it has been since I was a young girl! I'm 21 in December and just as eager and bent towards wanting to move there. Currently I'm in the process of mapping out my five year plan, and I'm hoping to receive some kind answers as to what are good pursuits to follow. I could obtain my bachelors degree after, or start working and save up for a few years and then attend a college or language school in japan for a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering (which was my original major before covid) or Japanese. Here's basically a more organized breakdown of the possibilities and the questions they pose.



Plan 1.) Obtain my bachelor's degree in echo in the united states, pay off student debt and learn Japanese for a year or two while I work before planning to go to Japan for work life. (what jobs am I eligible for with this particular degree beyond teaching, which I wouldn't mind, I like kids and was a swim teacher for awhile. I'm just concerned on random placement and the less than bright looking salary)



Plan 2.) Obtain my associate's degree in echo in the united states and work for a few years to save up a large chunk of money and then go to language school in Osaka to receive an associates degree and the possibility of transferring into a four year institute for a bachelor's degree in Japanese. I'd likely go back to the states afterwards because holding only a bachelor's degree in the language doesn't seem like I'd be scoring any job offers lol



Plan 3.) Obtain my associate's degree in echo in the united states and work for a few years to save up money and obtain a tutor to learn while I'm working and saving up money. After about 3-4 years, then apply to a degree program taught in English (like Tohoku university) for aerospace engineering, get my degree there and see what job opportunities are available to me. (Would be degree be useful anywhere beyond Japan?)



I'm choosing to work in echo for a few years so I can pay for any of these plans out of pocket and still be able to take care of myself securely without finding myself greatly struggling while in school or travelling. Any advice? I've been doing my best to research and learn what opportunities are available, but I'm not one with a ton of free time, so any kind words of wisdom or kind opinions would be greatly appreciated! I really want to be able to move to Japan by 2027 at the latest! I should also add in that after I get my associate's degree I fully intend to hire a language teacher and will study and learn Japanese for a few years before moving to Japan!

thank you so much for taking the time to read this!

Welcome.

Have you been to Japan? If you haven't visited Japan, I suggest figuring out a way in the nearer term to do so. Maybe some kind of summer language program or something like that. Even if only a few weeks. Watch for deals after COVID is gone, they will surely want to stimulate the tourism industry.
Another option that many people take is to join the JET program after graduation. You'll need a bachelor's degree but you at least get paid to do some job in Japan for a year or two while getting an authentic Japanese experience. Not sure if you would make enough to save money though.
I would vote for getting a bachelor's degree in the U.S. first as it will give you more options to go to Japan beyond language school.
Oh, I don't think there would be much value to getting a degree in Japanese. Ability is what counts, it doesn't matter if you have a degree or not. Of course it would be helpful if you can pass the standardized Japanese ability test as it's a good standard benchmark of one's capability and good for your resume.

mdchachi said:

Welcome.

Have you been to Japan? If you haven't visited Japan, I suggest figuring out a way in the nearer term to do so. Maybe some kind of summer language program or something like that. Even if only a few weeks. Watch for deals after COVID is gone, they will surely want to stimulate the tourism industry.
Another option that many people take is to join the JET program after graduation. You'll need a bachelor's degree but you at least get paid to do some job in Japan for a year or two while getting an authentic Japanese experience. Not sure if you would make enough to save money though.
I would vote for getting a bachelor's degree in the U.S. first as it will give you more options to go to Japan beyond language school.
Oh, I don't think there would be much value to getting a degree in Japanese. Ability is what counts, it doesn't matter if you have a degree or not. Of course it would be helpful if you can pass the standardized Japanese ability test as it's a good standard benchmark of one's capability and good for your resume.

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I've never been to Japan, but plan to after getting my associates degree! I defintely have been considering getting my bachelors, but I dont want my degree to only get me a job as a factory worker or teacher in Japan. I like kids and working with them, but the salary of an english teacher in Japan seems less than desirable...

Yeah I guess it sort of depends on what career you want. I only said bachelor's degree because it's kind of minimum requirement for getting a visa to work in Japan in most capacities. But it would probably be better for it to be something more generic than a four year degree in echo (is that even a thing?).

mdchachi said:

Yeah I guess it sort of depends on what career you want. I only said bachelor's degree because it's kind of minimum requirement for getting a visa to work in Japan in most capacities. But it would probably be better for it to be something more generic than a four year degree in echo (is that even a thing?).

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A four year degree in echo is most definitely a thing. In the states with a bachelors on echocardiography I can be in management positions. If I go to japan for a second degree, it'll be likely in aerospace engineering or something with computers.

Hi JayJay

Is there any food to open heart arteries blockage and clean it completely? What about Kiwi fruit? It has a powerful natural acid and I suppose it can resolve the plaques in the arteries gradually (if it is eaten repeatedly).

What is your viewpoint herein?

Mansoor said:

Hi JayJay

Is there any food to open heart arteries blockage and clean it completely? What about Kiwi fruit? It has a powerful natural acid and I suppose it can resolve the plaques in the arteries gradually (if it is eaten repeatedly).

What is your viewpoint herein?

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I'm a first year, and currently doing my pre-reqs. I by no means hold any authority to advise you on cardiac artery care. I highly advise you make an appointment with a cardiologist or your primary care physician.

JayJay said:

Obtain my bachelor's degree in echo in the united states

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Get a four-year degree in echo, then get a job at a hospital on a US military base in Japan. (They may require previous experience, so you might have to work at a hospital in America for a year or two first.) Now is the time to contact the hiring people at US military hospitals in Japan. See what they require of people who apply for such jobs.

The more education you have the better your chances will be in general; if you're set on ultrasound as a career get the four-year degree; as mentioned it'll help with visa requirements if you want to work abroad at all.

If you can afford a year abroad (in any sense of the word), I'd look into what exchange programs were available to you. Likewise, I agree with the recommendation to visit at least once as you work toward your goal. Buntaro's recommendation to seek work on base is also a good one, as you wouldn't need perfect Japanese. The downside is it would be much more difficult to improve your Japanese if you're working exclusively in English; it's very possible to live in an English bubble no matter where you are.

Buntaro said:

Get a four-year degree in echo, then get a job at a hospital on a US military base in Japan. (They may require previous experience, so you might have to work at a hospital in America for a year or two first.) Now is the time to contact the hiring people at US military hospitals in Japan. See what they require of people who apply for such jobs.

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Thank you so much!!

JayJay said:

My ultimate goal is to live and work in Japan

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Jay Jay, I am glad your ideas are coming into focus nicely. Here are three more pieces of advice.

You may want to visit Japan soon, but do not move to Japan until you have a four-year degree.

Start learning Japanese, especially with Japanese people online. Do a 'language exchange' with Japanese people, where you spend, say, 20 minutes helping them with their English and then they help you for 20 minutes with your Japanese. There are a LOT of Japanese people who would love to do this with you. If you have difficulty finding Japanese people interested in doing an online language exchange, please do not hesitate to ask for help.

It sounds like you are a beginner at learning Japanese. The first thing to do is master reading and writing a part of the Japanese writing system called hiragana. Then master katakana. Do not study Japanese grammar and vocabulary until you have absolutely mastered hiragana and katakana. If you do an online language exchange with Japanese, they can help you with this. If you need ideas on how to do this, I and other people on this forum have lots of ideas.