Hello, everyone.
Let me give a short background about myself: I’m 23 years old and I graduated college 1 year ago with the highest honors. I started working almost immediately after graduation in a multinational company with a Japanese branch. I joined this company because I’m distant relatives with someone who is in a high position in the Japanese branch.
Unfortunately, while I love the company and my coworkers, I don’t really like the job. While I thought it would be aligned with what I want to do in life (marketing), it’s actually not. Still, I’m doing my best and have gotten a significant raise already. I’m also expected to be promoted next year.
Apart from pursuing a career in marketing, one of my life goals is to start working in Japan before 2026. I’ve tried everything I could–looked for jobs but didn’t meet the qualifications (N2 or N1) and they were all only accepting those who already had a work visa because of COVID-19, applied to the JET Programme but didn’t pass, looked into MEXT but the program for business students like me needs at least 3 years of work experience so that’s currently a bust. And competition is very high in my country so I don’t want to wait 2 more years until I qualify for it to make a move. I thought my current company would be a good way into Japan but looking at the open job opportunities, I realized that I need to be in a very high position like my relative or fluent in Japanese to even be considered.
I’ve been learning Japanese and I am currently at around N3 but given how much time I spent studying in college and now working full-time (+ overtime at times since we’re in FMCG), I’ve barely made any progress since last year. I’m also starting to pursue streaming and making YouTube videos, which has taken most of my free time recently.
I am thinking of quitting my job after around 6 months and study Japanese full-time. Maybe work a part-time job or if I’m successful at streaming/making YouTube videos by that time, make that my income on the side. The only reason I’m considering this is because I still live with my parents and they are still generously paying for all of my basic needs so all of my income goes to me. They know I’m considering this and while they’ve told me they don’t necessarily agree with what I want to do, they’re willing to support me should I end up doing it since they can still afford to do so.
Please give me some advice. I’ve been thinking about this long and hard because I understand taking 1 year off would set me back, and there are other ways to get into Japan.
EDIT: Forgot to mention I studied in Japan for a year in college, if that helps. And I’m asking for advice in general if anyone can give it–hold out for MEXT, stick with my current company, and whatnot! Thank you in advance.
14 comments
Why not go to Japan on a student visa to study for a year at a language school? You’d need to save money to support yourself and possibly get a part time job if the visa allows it.
lol No
You may regret not trying your entire life if you don’t, so it might be worth it. But also theoretically with enough self discipline you could study to that level while working
I am in the same position as you right now but with 1 difference. unfortunately i am at work rignt now when i get home in evening i am gonna write you a solution because i have one
I’d suggest reaching out to your corporate HR department and talk to them about your desire to study Japanese. They may have some unconventional resources available for you. I know at my company for folks who are interested in learning Japanese (and other languages) they make selected call recordings available and help coordinate study groups.
Yes! If you can financially afford it I would do it. At the end all we have is our experiences.Live a full fledge life by doing all the things you want as long as it is within your means but sometimes even if is not we must do everything possible to make it happen. I would suggest going to Japan on a student Visa and subscribe to a language school.
General advice for job hunting is that it’s always easier to find a new job while you’re employed than while you’re not employed (meaning companies may be more interested in hiring you when you’re currently employed rather than after a gap in your work history). Quitting to just take time to study doesn’t seem like it would gain you as much as staying employed while studying.
If you have time to pursue streaming while working “in your free time,” why not use that free time to study Japanese instead? There are plenty of people that study while working full time.
If you keep your current job (which sounds like a decent job with chances for advancement), then you can continue to gain experience while you study, making you a more attractive candidate for either other jobs in Japan, or other jobs in your current country. As you said, once you get three years of experience anyway, you can apply for MEXT.
While you may not feel especially fulfilled with your current job, it sounds like continuing to work while studying Japanese and keeping an eye out for jobs in Japan would give you the most options for your future.
I am doing the exact same thing you are talking about but for yourself, I would say, don’t do it.
The reason I am comfortable doing it is:
– My wife has a job in Japan so we have Visas and an income
– we have savings from years of us both working
– I have a decade of IT experience and am very confident I can walk into another job in my field with little hassle
If you were to do this now, future employers would look at your CV and see you graduated, worked for a bit but then had a few years off. Whilst I’m not saying it would be impossible to find a job after that, it could end up being a hurdle.
If I were in your shoes, I would try and get 5 years experience in your field of expertise (which will also help with a visa) whilst learning Japanese on the side. Then after that if you still feel you want to do it you are in a much better place.
Or you could just do a student visa and learn Japanese in country but you would need the funds to support yourself.
Making the change at 23 is easier than doing it later in life. The best time to travel and work abroad in my time is when your still young before you have to settle down, and have commitments that limit your freedom like a family for example
If you do decide to quit your job and move to another country, then make damn sure you have a realistic back out plan incase things go wrong.
What I mean by back out plan is saving up money to support your self for few months, incase getting a job turns out to be harder than you expect. And having a savings account with more than enough money for flight home back if things really don’t work out for you
I know that you mentioned you come from a “shit hole country” (your words not mine) but try to think about what you have to lose, being away from family and friends will be difficult and think if moving to japan forever is really for you
i say just study japanese in your own country while working.IT DOES take longer time compared to full time studying japanese (well, duh) but it will greatly benefit you in the long run. after you get N2 or really close to it, you probably already have experience 2-3 years in your career. even after that you’re still relatively young, 25-26 y.o, at this point of life if you’re still interested in trying to live/work in japan then i suggest you try.
as for WHY i give this advice:
1. Backup Plan, you have 2-3 years experience in your career, IF things go south in japan, you can safely back to your home country and start your career again. if employer ask why there’s gap year just be honest with it, learning foreign language sometimes is a plus in employers eye(depends).
2. you can save money, you realize studying japanese full-time is gonna cost you a lot of money right? you gotta save more, and yes just enough isn’t enough. you have to think what if japan isn’t for you, you have to have some money left to start again in your own country, at least until you find a job.
3. if its only for JLPT lvl you can always study in your own country and by doing that you save a lot of money. some japanese language schools are just visa mills, they cost a lot of money.
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you’re still young and probably want to try many things ASAP. i’d say slow down a little bit won’t hurt, try to think on different perspective and scenario.
good luck for you on whatever decision you take. cheers
My general concern with your plan is that even if we assume great success during your year off to study, you aren’t necessarily in a great position to start working in Japan.
Let’s say that you achieve N1 within a year. This is possible, but a very aggressive goal. You are now a 24-year-old new college graduate with a year of working experience. While you’ll have a working knowledge of Japanese, I’m still not sure how competitive you would be for positions in Japan.
I don’t really have a solution for you, but let me give you a couple suggestions:
1. Talk to your distant relative about your goals. I probably don’t need to say this, but the point here isn’t to ask for a job or help. You want their advice on how to best reach your goal for working in Japan. A good side effect is that they may see positions or opportunities that you do not.
2. You seem to be a native English speaker. While not as glamorous as JET, have you considered working as a English teacher in Japan? It’s (rightfully) considered a dead-end job, but has the big advantage of putting you in Japan, speaking Japanese.
3. There’s a lot of advantage to getting enough experience to no longer be considered a new graduate in your field. Two more years of work experience might not feel too rewarding, but it would make it much easier to get another job in the future. It would also set you up well to apply for MEXT.
If finance is an issue i’d recommend instead *of student-visa, a working holiday visa (WHV). It’s a year in Japan, opportunity to work part-time and just live there. That way, you’re at least saving money in comparison to a language school and having a lot of time, and saving on tuition fees. If you can focus and discipline yourself, why not learn in the environment and save money with freedom. These are both financial sinks compared to working there full-time though.
> Should I quit my job and take 1-1.5 years off to learn Japanese full-time?
If you can support yourself for 1-1.5 years in your home country then you’re not far off a year in Japan and want to go, keep saving until you can support yourself and go.
However, personally I would recommend you don’t from your post.
> One of my life goals is to start working in Japan before 2026
This is going to be tough. If you want a career in marketing in Japan you will need a good background of experience, and most likely a very good command of the language. Experience > Language most likely.
I myself had dreams for Japan at 24 but few skills. Decided to work and self study Japanese at the same time. Now 28 as an engineer and only working up to N3 now. It’s not easy to balance, so I understand why you want to move there. But, it’s important to be able to support yourself for a year, **and** have enough experience to hop back into work upon return/apply for work visa in Japan.
You want to balance stability for now and the future. You’re living at home, you’ve got your foot in the door, your Japanese is a fairly good level. I’d say you’re in a pretty privaliged position to save up money and build your experience, become experienced and attractive.
EDIT: Markdown
My life story is almost exactly the same as yours. I graduated college and worked for about a year in marketing, wasn’t satisfied with life, decided to pursue my dream of living in Japan. The difference was that I applied to grad school instead and got the MEXT scholarship. I then got a job after to remain in Japan.
IMO, quitting your job and doing nothing but studying Japanese is a bad idea. There is no reason why you can’t study Japanese in your free time. If you don’t have enough free time to study Japanese, then you just need to re-prioritize your time. Simple as that. It’s also important to understand that just cause you have N2 doesn’t mean it will be easy to get a job in Japan, especially if you aren’t already living in Japan.
About quitting your job and moving to Japan: if it’s what you truly want to do then do it. I gave up a relatively good and promising career in my home country on a whim to move to Japan, but I’m glad I did it because I knew without a doubt it was what I wanted the most in life at that time. But I would recommend doing your research on the job market in Japan and having a specific plan for what you want to do for a living when you get there. Even if it’s just English teaching or something.
there’s no need to take time off, learn while working like the rest of us, your savings and your resume will thank you. employers don’t like noticing large time gaps in employment.