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Life after Master's degree

BennyDelon

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14 Jan 2016
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I was thinking about my future if I eventually get MEXT's scholarship.
I know I could end up not liking Japan as a place to live and returning home, is impossible to plan ahead so much lol
But at least I wanted to have an outlook on the posibilities.

So...
Does anyone now how are the chances of getting a job in a japanese company after graduating with a Master's degree? Specially in engineering.
Of course, I need to be able to speak japanese. That's out of the question.

But in general, are Japanese companies willing to hire you? Are the companies in contact with research labs?
Also, Is the university's name very important? For example, I think Tohoku university offers some interesting posibilities in my research field. But thinking in the future it may be wiser to chose Todai as the first choice.

By the way, I've found some comments on this topic in reddit:
Did anyone here take the MEXT schoalrship? : japan
"If you want to live and perhaps work in Japan in the future, it can be the bridge towards getting employment in Japan. I'd say about half of the MEXT students I knew either got normal jobs at corporations in Japan after graduating with an M.A. or PhD, or dropped out of PhD programs when they found job opportunities."

That sounds promising, but it's just one comment. It would be nice to hear the opinion of those of you who are already in Japan.

Thank you for all your help!
 
I know someone who completed an MA in PoliSci on MEXT and got a salaryman job at a big Japanese company.

He has since quit and moved back to his home country however.....

Language and contacts have got to be the most important factors here. The jobs exist, you've just gotta find them!
 
though im not an engineer we do both fall under the same faculty Im in the field of architecture. I'm also not currently working but i do aspire to work in my field in Japan.....also after completing my MA in Japan.

I don`t think its impossible to find a job ,when I did an exchange in Tokyo I had some success in finding English speaking Architectural offices. In order to do that i had to go to a lot of expos and events,socializing and networking.... I almost had to advertise myself to everyone and my future dreams. It worked better than using an agency and

The 2nd thing to consider is the working environment is extremely punishing fortunately i spent a year at varsity studying the pros and cons of Japanese work/life balance so i wasn't surprised. But reality is harsh!,I often saw colleges leaving a 1am or working on Saturdays including myself :p. Thats probably where having good speaking Japanese skills or a keen interest in the language comes in handy as the friends you make in the office ultimately decide whether you stay or not. I worked with an amazing group of people so the hours would often fly by including my life outside of work.

ps: Top Universities in Japan are magic for your CV i think pretty much every uni on the global 30 is strong......Tohoku is a top 10/top 5 university out a good 500+- universities in Japan, Todai is always number 1 thou after hanging out their for a bit not all their classes suit my own personal taste or future career goals
 
Does anyone now how are the chances of getting a job in a japanese company after graduating with a Master's degree? Specially in engineering.
Of course, I need to be able to speak japanese. That's out of the question.
For anyone who is not a language teacher, the two biggest factors in getting a job here are knowledge/fluency in Japanese plus skill set. Japanese people also have the mind set that the reputation of the university is important, sometimes critical, but I wouldn't know how that applies to foreigners.

Saying that learning Japanese is "out of the question" already disqualifies you from 99% of jobs here, I'd say. But why are you so negative about this? It's not impossible to learn the language, but it's also not easy. Why on earth would you make a choice of studying here if you didn't have some inkling that there would be language issues, if nowhere else than your studies? Turn the question around. How much chance is there of someone not speaking Spanish landing a job in your home country? Start learning now if you really think getting an engineering degree in this country is that important to you.

You're not expected to be totally fluent. However, you will probably have to read and write emails and have casual conversations about daily life and work, plus formal speaking in presenting data and project updates. Typically the JLPT 2 (old system measurement) was what most companies required.

That 1% of possible jobs which are in the realm of hiring you will probably be foreign branches over here. The base office language would probably be English, which you seem to have little trouble with, but don't think that zero Japanese would be a good idea. Those that hire will want people who don't need babysitting with their daily affairs just because they can't shop in a supermarket, tell a barber how to cut their hair, or ride the trains.
 
Saying that learning Japanese is "out of the question" already disqualifies you from 99% of jobs here, I'd say. But why are you so negative about this? It's not impossible to learn the language, but it's also not easy. Why on earth would you make a choice of studying here if you didn't have some inkling that there would be language issues, if nowhere else than your studies? Turn the question around. How much chance is there of someone not speaking Spanish landing a job in your home country? Start learning now if you really think getting an engineering degree in this country is that important to you.

You're not expected to be totally fluent. However, you will probably have to read and write emails and have casual conversations about daily life and work, plus formal speaking in presenting data and project updates. Typically the JLPT 2 (old system measurement) was what most companies required.
I actually meant the opposite.
I probably made an incorrect use of the expression "out of the question", as I'm not a native english speaker.

What I was trying to say is that learning japanese is obviously important: "Of course, I need to be able to speak japanese.".
 
I think it is very possible - the key is speaking Japanese.
If you can speak Japanese and have a masters many companies will be gagging for a bilingual employee.
 
I actually meant the opposite.
I probably made an incorrect use of the expression "out of the question", as I'm not a native english speaker.

What I was trying to say is that learning japanese is obviously important: "Of course, I need to be able to speak japanese.".

The phrase you meant to you was "it goes without saying"
 
almost forgot to mention some labs are directly linked to companies for example kengo kuma runs a lab at todai so you have direct access to his prestigious office while others are purely researched based and might not be directly linked to a company you would like to work for. Best to do some research into the labs past and current works.

consider your masters as a 2 year interview you dont need to be the top student but like everywhere you need to use office politics, as a Japanese Lab Professors recommendation carries a lot of weight in Japan.
 
What about applying for jobs out of Japan using your Japanese skills? I am going over to Todai as a research student, and while I really love Japan I don't like the work culture, so will probably return home after my masters.
 
What about applying for jobs out of Japan using your Japanese skills? I am going over to Todai as a research student, and while I really love Japan I don't like the work culture, so will probably return home after my masters.
Of course it can be helpful for working in overseas affiliates of Japanese corporations or in companies that do business with Japan. There's also a good chance you'll end up having a career with nothing to do with Japan. I think that's the most likely scenario based on the handful of people I know who did this sort of research exchange.
 
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