Is a degree from a prestigious school important?

Hello, I was thinking about the prospects of employment in Japan. Statistics wise, it would appear that the unemployment rate is alot lower than that of U.S. and Canada and much of Europe as well.

However when I talked to my buddies about wanting to work in Japan, they said that I cannot get a job in Japan unless I am an honorary student and a graduate from one of the world's top 20 universities.
I notice during school job fairs, recruiters from Japanese companies like Sony, Hitachi, Toyota, Mitsubishi and American companies based in Japan like Goldman Sachs sometimes sponsor grads from America and when they do they tend to target the well known ones and filter out the rest.

So my question is, If I do not graduate from the top universities, is there hope of me ever working in Japan?

Currently my major is in accounting, and I am hoping to become a licensed CPA, but the school I am in does not fit the "prestigious" ranking and did not make it to the top schools.
Is teaching english in Japan the only exception that you don't need to come out of a prestigious school?
Maybe its competition, but it seems the whole getting into the best school thing seems very to be very important to employers there. School ranking first than interview.


Long story cut short, I didn't make it into Yale, Ivy League, Harvard or MIT, but now I ended up in a lesser known university that is not prestigious or looked upon in the "international stage" of academics. Also in a globalized economy being a player in the international stage is very important.

Would I be at a disadvantage here if I have a degree is not from the list top ranking universities? What are the chances of getting a job in corporate Japan then? Will I even get through the door?


Also what becomes of Japanese grads who don't make it to Tokyo or Kyoto University? Can they still get office jobs that pay around $45K - $60K yearly? One thing I do know is that students really take it hard there when they don't make it to the top schools as if its all over for them. On the other hand... is it over for me to???

I would think................

your ability to speak and read Japanese would be the number 1 factor as long as you have a college degree of some kind. Getting a visa sounds difficult. It sounds like having a big chunk of money to get you started living there might be inportant. Many of our members who have worked and lived in Japan make it sound like it is difficult to fit in and be accepted. I get the feeling that living and working in Japan is not the "heaven" many people seem to think. I think if I were young and starting out, I would try moving around to different locations in my own country before going to another.

Uncle Frank

Usually, people are "retired" at age 90....

Seriously, it is true that the Japanese prefer the prestigious universities over the lesser known one--who doesn't? Still, it doesn't mean the chances are nil. If you are planning to become a CPA, that's a highly marketable skill. If you keep your focus on international accounting and finance, you probably have an edge over others in finding employment, considering that many Japanese companies have globalized their operations and are hiring foreign nationals even to executive posts (even presidents of affiliated companies).

But I have to warn you that the Japanese economy is not as strong as it used to be, and many companies aren't hiring--not only foreign nationals, not even Japanese. We're in an economic phase where job-hunting is hard for everybody. Some Japanese are even trying their luck seeking employment in China, according to various media reports.
If you still have a couple of years until you really start looking for a job, I recommend that you focus on your studies, get good academic grades (to impress your potential employers) and get that CPA license.
Good luck!

It's true that going to prestigious schools is the best way to acquire prestigious jobs in Japan. Some exceptions of course, but the university one attends in Japan essentially determines the course of their life (sadly). Same with high school. It seems irrelevant that the school one goes to should determine their entire career, but in Japan, the "group" identity revered above individual. So, the school says more about your identity than your actual ability (doesn't mean everyone at prestigious schools has more ability than everyone else, just the perceived notion).

It could be worth trying though - I would never suggest to anyone not to try. However, yes, teaching English is one of the easiest ways to work in Japan. And, it's still likely you can get a decent job with good pay, just perhaps not at one of the more prestigious companies. Though, that all depends.

Oh, and the unemployment rate is extremely low in Japan. I don't think it's better than the U.S. at all. Technical high schools with good post-graduation employment rates are now struggling to maintain those good rates, as there are less opportunities out there now.

Prestigious schools applies more to Japanese seeking executive-track corporate employment. The situation for foreigners is a little different.

I'm not sure if the rules of the game have changed, but if you are a foreigner trying to break into a job market that Japanese nationals both want and are qualified for, you stand little chance--regardless of your academic credentials.

Even teaching your native tongue can be a dscouraging. While a foreigner can easily get a job teaching his or her native tongue either as a freelancer or as an employee at a local cram school, serious employment as a teacher is extremely competetive, requiring a solid academic background as well as certification such as TOEFL--and serious employment is a key part of getting a work visa.

I agree with Uncle Fred !!!!!

mecharmor23 said:

Hello, I was thinking about the prospects of employment in Japan. Statistics wise, it would appear that the unemployment rate is alot lower than that of U.S. and Canada and much of Europe as well.

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While on the surface that may seem good, those figures are for locals. You have a different chance as a foreigner. Harder.

However when I talked to my buddies about wanting to work in Japan, they said that I cannot get a job in Japan unless I am an honorary student and a graduate from one of the world's top 20 universities.

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Your friends don't know what they are talking about.
(And, that's "honor student", not "honorary".)

I notice during school job fairs, recruiters from Japanese companies like Sony, Hitachi, Toyota...

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Talk to these people, not your friends unless they actually have experience living and working in Japan and you trust them.

So my question is, If I do not graduate from the top universities, is there hope of me ever working in Japan?

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If you graduate college, you are eligible for a work visa. There is far more involved, and perhaps some employers here would want someone with a more prestigious college name on the diploma, but there are plenty of people working here without that.
What is important to immigration (for the work visa) is whether you graduate college. Period. Any college. Full stop.
What is important to employers is different. Besides having a college major they want, you will also need high fluency in the language here (usually JLPT2), some background or special skills that the locals don't have, and perhaps some experience.

Is teaching english in Japan the only exception that you don't need to come out of a prestigious school?

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No, as I've explained above.

Maybe its competition, but it seems the whole getting into the best school thing seems very to be very important to employers there. School ranking first than interview.

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True, but that's for the locals, who don't care about grades, but instead look at the college's reputation (stupid, isn't it, if they don't care about grades even in a prestigious school?!), and then they mold the Japanese graduates into the workers the company wants.

Would I be at a disadvantage here if I have a degree is not from the list top ranking universities? What are the chances of getting a job in corporate Japan then? Will I even get through the door?

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You will either need the Japanese fluency I've mentioned, or luck to land a job where it isn't required (like in some foreign branches here, not all). Internships may also be possible. None of these requires a top ranking university name on your degree.

Also what becomes of Japanese grads who don't make it to Tokyo or Kyoto University? Can they still get office jobs that pay around $45K - $60K yearly?

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Why worry about them? Worry about your own chances. They are far different!
Your CPA in the US will mean little here. You have to be certified with the Japanese system, which means passing 3 levels of tests in Japanese over a broad range of time, and the passing rates are pretty low (see the links below).
Here is some sad news about the climate of CPAs in Japan.
http://www.jax.co.jp/resource/pdf/2010_10.pdf
And, how's this for depressing:
"Instituted in 1948 upon the promulgation of the CPA Law, the CPA examination is considered one of the most difficult examinations conducted by the Japanese Government."
JICPA The Japanese Institute of Certified Public Accountants
Becoming a CPA

dballred said:

Even teaching your native tongue can be a dscouraging. While a foreigner can easily get a job teaching his or her native tongue either as a freelancer or as an employee at a local cram school, serious employment as a teacher is extremely competetive, requiring a solid academic background as well as certification such as TOEFL--and serious employment is a key part of getting a work visa.

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No. You're way off. Trust me. I've been teaching almost 15 years in Japan now, and in several environments.
To get the work visa (one of several for teachers), you need either a college degree (any major) or 3 years of related teaching experience. That's all, not any "solid academic background" whatsoever, unless you're thinking of teaching at a university or some business English agency. Conversation schools, ALTs (for JET program or scummy dispatch companies), and many PT teaching jobs don't require much in the way of credentials.
TOEFL is not a certification for a teacher. Get that straight. It is a test of English as a foreign language that students take as part of college admission. You are talking about TESOL or TEFL/TESL or CELTA certification. And, most of the time, none of those is needed. Japan is very competitive right now for teaching jobs, so having such cert is an edge that (probably) most teachers here don't have, but there is far more to getting a teaching job.

aciara14 said:

However, yes, teaching English is one of the easiest ways to work in Japan. And, it's still likely you can get a decent job with good pay, just perhaps not at one of the more prestigious companies. Though, that all depends.

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Not to be a wet blanket, but salaries for entry level teachers have gone down in the past few years. What used to be a standard 250,000 yen/month is now more like 200,000-220,000. It's enough to live on, and if you are moderately frugal and have no debts from back home, you can save US$500-1000/month, but that doesn't always happen to people who want to experience the new culture here.

It depends

I think it depends on the context.
I know a Japanese girl who got a post-grad in the USA, but was not treated seriously by Japanese guys in the company who worked at. She was the butt of all jobs, because she was too 'Anglicized'. clearly if you want to work in Japan, for old fashion trading companies, this is not the way to go.