Hi, I’ve recently moved to the US to attend college in Music-Audio Engineering and hoping to move to Japan after I finish my education here. I am wondering if I can get a student visa to continue studying higher (bachelor, master) in a japanese university with my field of study. Is it normal for Japanese students to go to university after finishing college ? And is it possible for me to find a job after graduating in a Japanese uni related to my majors ? Thank you
3 comments
By “College” do you mean Junior College or a Vocational school?
In which case: No. It’s not particularly common for people in Japan to move on to regular university immediately afterwards. At least not for a bachelor’s degree. Maybe for a master’s, but it’s still not especially common, as most people going to a JC/Vocational school move straight into the workforce.
It’s not *forbidden*, though. So if you want to, and have the money, no one is going to stop you.
>And is it possible for me to find a job after graduating in a Japanese uni related to my majors ?
In Music/Audio Engineering? Ehhhhhhhhh….. Do you speak absolutely fluent Japanese? Like “native level” Japanese? Because I work in a peripherally-related field, and I can tell you that an audio engineer who doesn’t speak the language absolutely fluently isn’t going to get much work. It’s a field that require talking about both extreme technical details *and* deep emotional nuance.
Since 2010, it has become *very* common to transfer from Junior College to College because the Ministry began to allow most of the credits to transfer. Before 2010 it was rare. As for vocational college, it is still rare the educational level and purpose of a vocational school is different.
As for getting a job in music and audio engineering, some of the work is in English, so you might be able to get by if you are talented. The aspects that need the Japanese language can be learned if you study and apply yourself.
But the question is: why would they give you a visa to study and then hire you over a similarly-qualified Japanese candidate? Did you produce or engineer a gold or platinum album in your own country? Did you work or run a nationwide tour with a top ten unit? When in Japan, you will need to read all the journals and internal documents and work with subcontractors and suppliers, and venues, and that is done in Japanese. Can you do that?
Unless an overwhelming reason makes you heads and shoulders above your competition, the prospects for a visa are slim. If you have a great resume from the states already, then it is easier.
Just vacation here when you have a job.