Hello everyone, first post on a completely new account, I know there’s some red flags there but I’m a chronic lurker of reddit. I just want to get reality checked regarding my situation. Feel free to give any advice, too, that would be much appreciated.
First of all, lemme get all the juicy, damn-I-think-I’m-screwed details out in the beginning. I’m 30 years old, no bachelor’s degree, JLPT N2 (I’ll go for N1 soon, give myself as big of a chance I can get), and only 3 years of actual IT experience, everything else was just random odd jobs.
Even with all that, I applied to a vocational school (å°‚é–€å¦æ ¡) for programming and was accepted. It’ll be a two year course, so at the very least, I can pretend to live in Japan for that time. My ultimate goal is to just live and work in Japan for as long as I can (if I could retire there, I’d do that, too). Which means, after I graduate from the å°‚é–€å¦æ ¡, I’d like to at least try looking for a job with that degree (I think that’s the rule, right?).
By that time, I’d be 32 going on 33 with no real way to stand out from other job seekers (aside from being fluent in English). But, like they always say, you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.
So the question is, what are the chances of getting hired by a company that would sponsor a work visa after I graduate with my student visa?
(Don’t worry about sounding too harsh and crushing my dreams, at least for the two years I’m there, I’ll be happy and no one can take that from me, even if all else fails and I have to come back to America and go back to doing odd jobs.)
​
Some background:
I’ve been to Japan before on a language student visa, also for 2 years. Easily the best time of my life and I’d do it again in a heartbeat. My only regret was that I came back to America, instead of continuing on to higher education in Japan. And yes, I’m American.
3 comments
This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.
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**What are my chances of being able to stay after graduating vocational school? (Reality Check Needed)**
Hello everyone, first post on a completely new account, I know there’s some red flags there but I’m a chronic lurker of reddit. I just want to get reality checked regarding my situation. Feel free to give any advice, too, that would be much appreciated.
First of all, lemme get all the juicy, damn-I-think-I’m-screwed details out in the beginning. I’m 30 years old, no bachelor’s degree, JLPT N2 (I’ll go for N1 soon, give myself as big of a chance I can get), and only 3 years of actual IT experience, everything else was just random odd jobs.
Even with all that, I applied to a vocational school (å°‚é–€å¦æ ¡) for programming and was accepted. It’ll be a two year course, so at the very least, I can pretend to live in Japan for that time. My ultimate goal is to just live and work in Japan for as long as I can (if I could retire there, I’d do that, too). Which means, after I graduate from the å°‚é–€å¦æ ¡, I’d like to at least try looking for a job with that degree (I think that’s the rule, right?).
By that time, I’d be 32 going on 33 with no real way to stand out from other job seekers (aside from being fluent in English). But, like they always say, you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.
So the question is, what are the chances of getting hired by a company that would sponsor a work visa after I graduate with my student visa?
(Don’t worry about sounding too harsh and crushing my dreams, at least for the two years I’m there, I’ll be happy and no one can take that from me, even if all else fails and I have to come back to America and go back to doing odd jobs.)
​
Some background:
I’ve been to Japan before on a language student visa, also for 2 years. Easily the best time of my life and I’d do it again in a heartbeat. My only regret was that I came back to America, instead of continuing on to higher education in Japan. And yes, I’m American.
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Unfortunately, the likelihood is probably very low.
– In the Japanese educational system, there are very few cases of talented people going to vocational schools. They go to universities. Therefore, graduates of technical schools, especially in the field of IT, are regarded as newcomers with low ability and are given odd jobs instead of getting a job in a good company.
– Japanese companies are very reluctant to “hire 32 year olds to do chores” because 20 year olds are better learners and more obedient due to their lack of social experience. Age-appropriate work experience is required here.
If you want to live in Japan long term, keep your IT job in the US. While doing so, go to college to get a degree that meets the visa requirements, or get 10 years of experience. I think that is the shortest route to success.
Sorry but it’s near zero. Age and experience don’t match. Also tech companies don’t sponsor/hire junior as much anymore. The tech bubble has bursted if you follow what’s happening