I’m currently working on my final year of undergrad, and I major in International Studies with an Asian Studies concentration. What this major covers is largely global political science, such as comparative politics and international environmental politics. I also minor in Japanese, and I recently returned from a study abroad in Osaka. I would say my Japanese level is around mid-level N3, although I haven’t yet taken the JLPT. I’m planning to as soon as I can this year though. However, I’m comfortably conversational and have no issues with day-to-day communication. I also have a large interest in the outdoors, and my ideal job would probably be something involving outdoor activities, or that would let me spend a lot of time in nature. Otherwise, a job related to my major would be good.
I’ve done a fair bit of searching around looking at job postings, but almost all of them are just English teaching jobs. While I wouldn’t necessarily be against teaching if it would allow me to go back, I am not particularly interested in it. If anybody knows any good places to look for work that would at least generally fall in line with what I am looking for, I would greatly appreciate any input!
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While I have direct experience working with people in your field, it is not first-hand industry experience so you can ignore this post if you like. With that said, posts like these always intrigue me, and for the sake of others that might find this thread, I have some questions which might also help you identify what more you can do.
What was the plan for your undergrad studies in terms of career prospects? Research? Education? Some type of coordinator/facilitator? What have you discussed with your department’s chair (or university’s career center)? Have you done any internships/volunteering/shadowing (if so, is it directly related to Japan and/or you leveraging that network)? What were you in Osaka for, the political science, or just the language component? Also, are you searching for jobs in primarily English or in Japanese? What resources are you using?
u/thebazelonreddit is right on the money, OP. If Japan disappeared tomorrow, or you found you were forbidden from moving there, what would your career path look like?
This is the time to lean heavily on your department resources. They likely have an email list where talks, visitors, events, etc are announced. Go to those, ask questions, introduce yourself to the speakers. Network. Go to any career events they have (sometimes they may have someone from a particular company present). You may start to discover potential career paths.
Talk to your professors and/or department admin about careers— they’ll likely have good suggestions plus lots of information on job fairs (Boston Career Forum, etc), job boards, etc. Basically, make use of all of these resources you have access to. And get your Japanese level up to N2– your opportunities without business level Japanese are limited.
> hoping to find a job in Japan that is relevant to my studies {International Studies with an Asian Studies concentration}
^From ^your ^postings ^you ^are ^an ^American…
If you are a US citizen, take and do well on the Foreign Service exam. If you are strong academically in a broad range of subjects and languages, working for the foreign service is a way to use your degree which is otherwise difficult to find any job placement. For more information, go to your university Career Center where they have a lot of materials/info available.
* https://careers.state.gov/career-paths/worldwide-foreign-service/officer/
* [Foreign Service exam](https://home.pearsonvue.com/fsot)
If you’re willing to do research then maybe look at MEXT. I heard they’ll provide funding for various types of research. With your background, you might have a good chance at getting something.