I haven't been lurking long, since about midsummer or so. Hajimemashite douzo yoroshiku.
Ah, background, background. I'm nearing 30, female, single, etc. I've flirted with Japan, or at least the romanticised idea of it, since I was young but didn't seriously entertain the notion living there until recently. I've laid plans to visit over the Christmas and New Year holidays next year in sort of an exploratory trip.
I aspire to JLPT 1 and I'll sit this the exams this December and next. In the meantime, I've been fortunate to gather a circle of Japanese friends via Skype and other networks who've been supportive of my dream and are as eager to meet me and show me their country as I am to meet them and experience it. With their help, I've designed what we believe to be a livable, Tokyo-conscious budget and I've squirreled away enough savings on my secretary's pay to keep me solvent for 18 months while looking for work.
Therein lays the problem. I've really no formal education and only ten years of administrative support experience to recommend me. My research indicates that this isn't really the sort of thing to earn my working visa application brownie points. Anyone can become a secretary.
Determined to find my way despite the incredible odds, I took my first community college courses this summer and I'm focusing in three areas – Business Administration, Finance, and Economics, and tacking on ESL instruction as a minor. If all goes well, I may even chase down a business/contract and international commerce law degree.
So there you have it. I'm hoping to claw my way upward from rags to riches and though it may take a few years yet (and many an exploratory trip), I'm looking forward to the adventure.
Ah, background, background. I'm nearing 30, female, single, etc. I've flirted with Japan, or at least the romanticised idea of it, since I was young but didn't seriously entertain the notion living there until recently. I've laid plans to visit over the Christmas and New Year holidays next year in sort of an exploratory trip.
I aspire to JLPT 1 and I'll sit this the exams this December and next. In the meantime, I've been fortunate to gather a circle of Japanese friends via Skype and other networks who've been supportive of my dream and are as eager to meet me and show me their country as I am to meet them and experience it. With their help, I've designed what we believe to be a livable, Tokyo-conscious budget and I've squirreled away enough savings on my secretary's pay to keep me solvent for 18 months while looking for work.
Therein lays the problem. I've really no formal education and only ten years of administrative support experience to recommend me. My research indicates that this isn't really the sort of thing to earn my working visa application brownie points. Anyone can become a secretary.
Determined to find my way despite the incredible odds, I took my first community college courses this summer and I'm focusing in three areas – Business Administration, Finance, and Economics, and tacking on ESL instruction as a minor. If all goes well, I may even chase down a business/contract and international commerce law degree.
So there you have it. I'm hoping to claw my way upward from rags to riches and though it may take a few years yet (and many an exploratory trip), I'm looking forward to the adventure.