I have no college degree, but I’m a software dev here in the states. I’ve only been doing it for two years, so not long enough to get a work visa in Japan. I’ve been thinking of getting a degree.
Does Japan care where you get your degree from? I’ve thought of attending a Japanese University for computer science (I can read, write, and speak Japanese around the N2 level while still learning). I’ve read that Japan often doesn’t acknowledge your degree if it’s not from a Japanese university (employers that is).
My main concern is I didn’t do well in Highschool (26 now), and I tried to do university in my early 20s twice and dropped out both times. I don’t even think I can get financial aid anymore because of that. I’m a lot more disciplined now, but thinking no Japanese university would accept me.
Also, I’ve heard that Japanese employers also hire you based off your dev portfolio, but the problem is not being able to get a visa. So, if someone had a spousal visa or became a national they could be hired with no degree? This isn’t possible for me but I am curious to how it works.
5 comments
Japan doesn’t care where you get your degree from.
At your point, you may be better off doing your degree in your home country, gain some more exp and move there. Graduating JP undergrad usually entrenches you into the shinsotsu hiring which I don’t think suits you.
You’re a software dev in the states? I suggest you try for a degree again, it’ll make things much smoother for you if your goal is to get a work visa in Japan. I did mine through [Western Governors University](https://www.wgu.edu/) (/r/WGU) while working and that degree worked for immigration.
>I don’t even think I can get financial aid anymore because of that.
If you’re thinking about financial aid in the US, you need to be thinking about whether you can even *afford* school in Japan. It’s not a cheap endeavor.
You’ll be required to show immigration ~1.5-2million yen in savings when you renew your visa.
And you’re only allowed to work 28 hours a week” a student visa. That includes working remotely for a US company.
>I’ve read that Japan often doesn’t acknowledge your degree if it’s not from a Japanese university (employers that is).
Not even remotely true, especially for an in-demand field like development.
>So, if someone had a spousal visa or became a national they could be hired with no degree? This isn’t possible for me but I am curious to how it works.
You said it yourself: It’s not relevant to your situation.
But yes. While some employers require a degree, it is an ***absolute*** requirement for getting a visa. If you have a visa that *doesn’t* have education requirements and/or working limitations, yes, you’re free to look for any job you want.
>I’ve heard that Japanese employers also hire you based off your dev portfolio, but the problem is not being able to get a visa. So, if someone had a spousal visa or became a national they could be hired with no degree?
Yep.
If you already have a spouse/whatever visa, getting a job based on your work experience and dev portfolio is very doable. But unless you have a stellar portfolio and/or many years experience, the lack of a degree will reduce your pay band.
*In your case:* If hypothetically you had a spouse visa, you could easily get a job with your two years experience, a dev portfolio, and dubious N-2 Japanese. However, your job offers will be lower at end of the dev pay scale and larger Japanese companies would not consider you for the higher responsibility jobs^† .
† Gaijin often hit a glass celling in Japanese companies. Not having a degree will always give a company—be it Japanese or foreign—an excuse to low-ball job pay offers (unless you have super-duper-whoopie MaD sKillZ). Without a degree, look for jobs at start-ups and FAANG jobs—Avoid mainline Japanese dinosaur companies.
Forget Japanese university.
Try here:
https://www.wgu.edu/