Hello all, I’m facing a bit of a life choice here and I’d like your input.
I’m a 31 year old guy working for a non-IT tech gaishikei company in Tokyo. I am trilingual (English Chinese Japanese) and graduated from a high ranking engineering college in the US before getting a master’s degree in Japan. Currently no wife, no kids, no mortgage, no heath concerns.
Not trying to boast but I earn around 11M yen with free company car, gas, tolls. Also because my work involves frequent customer visits I got pretty much free food during the weekdays, and got to live in cheap rural area to keep my rent down (55k per month) . Work life balance is also very good I can take days off whenever I want etc.
The thing is I felt like I’m not reaching my full potential with my current work. Ultimately I want to move up to management level but despite being gaishikei my current company has the typical Japanese Nenko system when it comes to promotion. My college friends are either earning double/triple my salary or moving up the corporate ladder in the US. My friends in Japan are also ditching Japan and moving to Singapore/US to big techs. I wanted to get an MBA and work in the US afterwards but yen getting hammered and not having US PR/citizenship makes this plan not so favorable at the moment. I also tried to switch job but whenever they heard that I wanted to get exposed to more management work during the interview they all went ghost. Maybe it’s just not a thing for younger guys/girls to pursuit management positions in Japan?
I really like Japan and would love to liver here after retirement. But for now this country lacks the vibrancy and aggressiveness I wanted when it comes to work. To me everything is just too peaceful. I do have PR so I can always come back when things don’t work out.
TLDR: I live comfortably in Japan but want to go somewhere else to achieve higher goals.
Thanks in advance.
11 comments
You clearly are not content where you are. Hit that wall 10 years ago and moved to the states. Wasn’t making as much as you ate the time, but tripled my salary since. Moving back and will take a lower paying job for less stress and more family time.
World is a crazy place. You might enjoy that risk and hopefully reward. Only you know when to make a jump like that. Because of taxes and the Japanese system, you will never really make as much gross salary in Japan as the US. But lower cost of living and various other factors can balance that out. Go for it! Or don’t…. “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”
Good luck!!
Follow the money.
Do you have some toxic competitive social hangup comparing yourself to other people?
If so, knock it off. People would kill to have it as kush as you do. It’s fantastically dumb to get caught up in anyone else and what they’ve going on and surrender agency over how you feel, to them.
If this is purely personal, don’t you already know the answer? It sounds like you want to take chances. Recognize that’s exactly what they are: chances. You could very well make your life worse, or you could make it better. It’s up to you to make an effort to experience those alternate paths.
I don’t know which if either apply to you, but context is key. Where this is coming from is important.
You’re at the right age for a proper professional push – go to the US and try to smash it there. Careful on MBA idea – it’s not a slam dunk if you are in the right career still progressing no need for it.
The GREEEEEED!
There are really only two steps on the career ladder comfortable enough to be worth striving for. The very top and the very bottom. Anything in between is hell in comparison.
If you want to take part in the rat race just for a bit more money or “prestige” whatever that means, then by all means go for it and accept the consequences. But I guess, you’ll soon dream of the days, when you had all the freedoms that you wrote about in your post.
Good luck!
This is purely a personal opinion but if I were you I’d enjoy my time and fill whatever is missing with other stuff like hobbies etc.
> My college friends are either earning double/triple my salary or moving up the corporate ladder in the US. My friends in Japan are also ditching Japan and moving to Singapore/US to big techs.
Seems to me that your drive/reason is “competition”. if I were you I’d stop comparing myself to my peers and start reflecting on my own life. If I’m happy with my current income and work-life balance, why should I bother on how people around me live their life? But after all is said and done if you are keen on achieving that “prestige” or “higher goal” then by all means go for it.
Not sure if this could work out for you, but what I ended up doing is living in Japan, but as a self-employed freelancer. My customers are in a country with a stronger currency, so in essence I am earning “good” money from abroad. I am lucky enough that in my field after Covid working from home has become the new normal. Some customers want to see me on occasion, but flying out for a week or two, which is a business expense, is not that bad in my opinion. Coming from a high taxation country the tax I have to pay is comparable, so for me it feels like the best of both worlds.
If I had the same work-life balance and financial security you have, I’d travel a lot instead haha
I saw your post recommended and saw you wrote about Singapore, and since I’m from there, thought I should put some perspectives for your consideration.
Have your friends told you about the current situation about tech hiring in Singapore, or the layoffs happening in the past few months? Also, have you read about the surging rent rates here?
If I convert your salary to SGD, the work life balance and the things you’re having in Japan, I’d say you’re really living it well already.
If you’re not reaching your full potential with your current work, could you list down the areas you think it would help your career to grow? You need to define “potential”. Are you looking for management-level work instead? What are the current hours you’re working now?
I’d say life is not fully about working. You didn’t mention your social life in Japan, but that your friends are ditching Japan, and the yen getting hammered. Do you have anything out of work that you like to do as a hobby?
It’s okay that you don’t have commitments now, but are you planning for that in the future to come? Because if that hits you in the future, you might wish that you have the current comfortable job you’re having now.
Sounds like you should try getting into a top MBA program in the US. Ignore the naysayers. You’re in a good position to take risks and Japan will always be there. Follow your ambition.