Asking this question out of personal curosity, as while I’m a student and ideally will continue studying until 2027, there’s a chance things fall through.
It seems like IT workers tend to be the happiest on average across these subreddits, and I have some experience in UNIX and statistics so I’m wondering what would be the ‘smoothest’ path in terms of a career in IT. I am also assuming N2 Japanese is required.
Edit: Cheers for all the responses, if I fail at finding postgrad studies I have plenty to think about. I have two bonus questions:
1) Where did you apply for your jobs?
2) Are jobs as competitive as in the UK/Europe/USA
48 comments
I am a research scientist working for the government. I did all my studies in CS outside of Japan.
Edit: I got the job without speaking a single word of Japanese. I have a PhD.
CTI Analyst
sysadmin, helpdesk
this type of work in general needs N1 or you’ll be unhappy in fhe workplace unless most people are foreigners
edit: To answer your question other than the N1 it wasn’t that hard to get in especially if you know basic IT concepts like DNS and DHCP
I create plug-ins, features and bug fixing for a commercially available software. If you know a company called Cadence Software, they would be similar to what I do.
I have N2 and while my Japanese is probably pretty broken, the good news is that it is mostly technical and engineering talk so, the people I have to train occasionally can figure out what is mathematically going on.
I use python and C++ mostly. I have the easiest time solving the algorithm problems on leetcode. The other problem categories I am not as good.
I think the smoothest path is to first practice til you get good enough at a language, then familiarize yourself with all the standard tools like VS code and github. Then create a coding portfolio.
Be careful in regards to the specific area of IT that you prepare to go into. AI is becoming very powerful and it won’t be long until it can be used to cut down on the number of low level software engineers. Some of the tasks that I used to assign to beginners I now give to ChatGPT and it often does a much better job than what the engineers would give me. It’s not perfect, but I can use it to knock out many tasks in less time.
I say this because in years past there were a lot of people who were attending bootcamps, taking online courses or just reading documentation to try and learn the basics and get their foot in the door and the low-level jobs that they were targeting are the exact positions that are going to be affected by AI. You can already use AI to cut out much of the smaller duties of these jobs just as I often do, and I fully expect that within the next few years we will see fewer engineers at these companies and the ones that do get hired will be used AI to complete more work in a shorter timeframe similar to what translators sometimes do. ChatGPT isn’t even trained for this, so imagine what would happen if someone releases an AI model that’s specifically trained for programming.
It is not my intention to scare you away from the field entirely. There are and there will continue to be good jobs. All I want to say is that you should focus on learning particular skills because a lot of these lower level front end and back end engineering jobs that people have been aiming for are going to dry up due to AI.
One more tip: learn Japanese. Shoot for N1 or higher and don’t settle for less. You will be far more valuable.
Backend at a fintech company. I have N2.
I work full stack in finance. English speaking environment, so no Japanese is required. I would suggest to learn programming. Web frontend will always be a good skill to have. If you like statistics, Python might interest you as well.
Support engineer for a globally known SaaS company. As far as workplace is concerned, I effectively have no Japanese. But the company uses English as the language of business (no, it’s not Rakuten).
My title says “Security Operations Engineer”, but most of my actual work involves building and maintaining cloud infrastructure (both internal and for customers), writing scripts to automate deployments and updates (shell/Python, CloudFormation, Terraform, Packer, Ansible…), and other miscellaneous tasks such as deploying and maintaining security-related tools such as monitoring agents, bastion hosts, etc.
I work mostly on backend using Java/Kotlin, with some machine learning using Python sprinkled in (you know the saying: if it is written in Python then it is machine learning, if it is written in Power point then it is AI 🤣). My company is pretty well known, I think you have used our service.
As for “smoothest” part, speaking Japanese at a professional level makes it easier to find a job. But all the highest paying jobs I had “coincidently” required zero Japanese.
Finance, Project Management.
Typical fresh graduate on-the-job training programme: Skillset and background doesn’t really matter, you rotate couple times over several departments and teams, learning and training along the way, and choosing a permanent position by the end of your second year. (Our choices include cybersecurity, architecture, devops etc)
N2 or equal level of conversational Japanese is required
5G engineer in a japanese major telecoms company. Most of my studies in Europe, with a year of exchange at Tohoku university and half a year of internship at Japan National Institute of Informatics.
I do speak a bit of japanese but I don’t have any JLPT. Japanese is the default language but sometimes we switch in english.
Technical Sales – accompany salesmen to demonstrate solutions, build POCs, present at webinars, and manage my own team of junior consultants.
Make video games
Full stack software engineer – currently working mainly on backend side writing microservices though.
Data Analytics and Engineering and now generative AI (used to be analytical ML)
Started as backend engr then moved to data engr and now BI engr. If you have solid statistics knowledge, learn some SQL and Python and you can get in as DS/DA/ML/Data engineering jobs.
Site Reliability Engineer and distributed systems architect at an international fintech company. It is basically SWE job (I still do code) but focus is different. I quite like my job as it requires knowing many bits of infra and systems rather than focusing on one area. It’s also very secure and well paid realm here as most companies struggle to hire locals who can make decisions on their own and take responsibility (rather than sumimasen themselves out when poo hits the fan). I literally had Japanese candidates who asked if we have recipes and checklists for all failure modes not understanding that our main concept is having only novel issues.
I have no Japanese ability (N4ish) and after short gig in English speaking Japanese IT company (Final Fantasy one) I recommend to stay in international realm – you will get the best out of both worlds (being in Japan + reasonable work culture and LWB).
Btw. I don’t believe whateverGPT will replace true computer science jobs as most articles state. What is called AI is just generative model unable of any invention or even understanding of problem. No intelligence involved at all. Its just another iteration of autocomplete (and not always good one, I was involved in couple of outages that resulted from developer using “AI” generated code. IMO it will (at best) reap some web/mobile app jobs that are very repetitive pattern in terms of coding.
CRM Analyst for international finance. Started off primarily support but am expanding into project management, architect, etc. as it turns out I have the most experience (35+ years) of anyone globally.
Use Japanese mostly in the Tokyo office although most do speak English to some extent. N2 level would be the minimum requirement.
N2 is not required if you’re willing to work in a data center and do shifts (night shifts approx 1 week a month).
Nor is education required. If you saw the idiots running your internet you’d shit your pants.
Work as Cloud Hardware Support / Data Center Ops for a major cloud provider (also involves software development projects)
Much better work life balance than some of the other cloud providers like AWS and much more hands on. Would say at least basic level Japanese is needed.
I am a IT Support Technician working in a Listed US Tech company. I’ve joined them back when I was still living in Europe and I convinced them to send me in Japan. It worked out. I have a university degree and a JLPT N3 certificate
My Japanese was maybe N5 or below, but I worked IT for an eikaiwa for a couple of years. It was a real mix, I was the only foreign IT person and as such not actually a part of their IT department. I managed like 100 computers and worked on projects modernizing the teaching programs, that sort of thing. The pay was pathetic compared to what it would have been in other countries, but I was mostly left to my own devices.
My point being that you can make it happen one way or another, attitude and handiness are assets that can make up for a lack of language skill.
Middle manager in IT infrastructure (networking) at a Japan-based multinational. N4ish Japanese but my office language is English.
SAP consultant (mainly SD and SAC).
It’s more business than it is IT, but a decent level of IT knowledge goes a long way. Being a client-facing consulting job, N1 would be the absolute minimum outside of years of experience in other implementation projects . N2 would not suffice unless you were SAP certified and only doing ABAP/BASIS.
I know a few other foreigners in more “traditional” IT roles here, most have at least N2 but some don’t. In fact I’m pretty sure the most successful, best paid one I know only has N3, but he’s just great at his job.
Penetration testing/Red Teaming/Legal bank robbery
No Japanese required but I do it anyway
Go for “Web Development”, Frontend or Backend. Lots of choices, and job market is good.
Pre-sales focusing on cyber security solutions, have N2 and was a network engineer before that.
Don’t get a sales bonus even though I see the sale through to the end with sales rep.
Not sure if that’s a Japan thing or just my Japanese company.
A lot of people are listing their jobs without answering the question.
I’m a web engineer and I think that’s probably one of the “smoothest” job paths in terms of accessibility. Plenty of resources online and a good demand.
IT is one of the few sectors in Japan where English dominates but you’ll still need to be able to communicate effectively with your teammates. N2, N1 for your basic communication but fluency with the industry lingo is going to be important.
Ex. Some basic words that threw me off when I started:
* ヌル (pronunciation threw me off)
* 可動
* スパイク
Probably a lot more that I’m forgetting too. (Hell even 二分木 came up in my first week.)
Software product manager
Depending on the project/ company, this can quickly become a glorified project manager role
Data Center Ops. Have N2, but not really needed.
I get paid more than average IT grunt salary.
I am not an IT person but a sales engineer in a European tech company in Tokyo so maybe you are interested in my two cents. Personally, this feels like the perfect combination. I am able to live in Tokyo while getting a decent salary, the ability to take 2-3 weeks of consecutive holiday and not having to deal with Japanese corporate bulshittery. Of course, there is still a lot of bulshittery when dealing with customers, but internally, our office is pretty much indistinguishable from a European company.
2027 is still a long way down the road, especially in the IT sector with AI going crazy right now. It feels like the whole industry will dramatically change during the next few years.
Upstream SE.
Yes N2 is required, but it’s not enough, you need to be able to talk with customers to understand requirements, so you need vocab for the business domains (for me it’s Logistics)
Not a position you can or should start with, but it’s a stable position you can aim for later.
However, my jobs also include transfer requirements to Offshore team that don’t have many member who can understand JP and even EN, which is a massive pain in the ass, and my salary is just average. Well I just started (less than 1 year in JP working this after 7 years of experience in my home country), so I can’t complaint.
As an IT worker reading this thread replies makes me so anxious lol, everyone seems to be doing pretty awesome stuff and all I do is copy paste python or js code, have even been letting gpt do the debugging and gets it right half of the time, the other half I just put a bunch of prints() until I narrow whatever is causing the problem, compared to everyone here is a pretty lame work.
Tho, work life is pretty well balanced, 99% from home, and almost 0 stress, but compared to the guys at Tokyo salary is kinda low.
Just keep in mind IT workers are overrepresented on reddit, especially in a Japan subreddit. There’s major confirmation bias here.
In sap. But the environment is full japanese.
Software development, no idea what my official level of Japanese is, but I’ve worked in Japanese only offices over 2 decades, and it’s been the language I mostly speak for almost 3.
I am employed at one of those medium sized IT guy staffing companies. Was barely N2 when I got the job.
For the past 3 years I have been on a project that manages the SWIFT system infrastructure for most of the banks in Japan. Have not touched a code editor except F11 in Excel in 5 years.
Data guy
Java software engineer
Product manager and front end developer here with basically no Japanese experience, written or spoken
taxi driver
3D artist in a videogame company everybody knows. Pretty fun.
No university degree. No language titulation (I speak fairly well tho), but a decent portfolio.
After a decade or so of dev/tech lead positions, I am now in product management for the past 2 years or so since lack of product thinking was the reason some of my past projects/companies failed. Endless meetings and bullshit is slowly killing me though so might go back to more technical position in a couple of years (pay is good though). My background is varied across AI, robotics and automotive.
I speak little Japanese. Also worth noting, as others said: tech is crazy wide field and even wider if you are considering adjacent stuff like product, UX, infrastructure, data science, etc.
Frontent dev who also can do backend. I’ve had 4 jobs in Japan in the last 6 years (just started one) and I don’t speak Japanese, though ofc if possible I’d recommend learning it, it cannot hurt.
>I am also assuming N2 Japanese is required
No for the best paying jobs, since those are in an international environment usually where everyone uses English. Think of international companies with a branch here, bigger USA startups hiring here for multiple reasons, or local companies that want foreign talent.
The market, specially the international one, is a bit dry now with all the firings though, but if you are starting now as a side hobby my safe bet is that by the time you are good enough to search for a job in 1-2 years the market will be much better.
PS, you do need a degree for immigration if that’s a possible concern.
Just to be the voice of contrast went to school for cs got my bachelors and the started slinging code and fucking hated it other than the paycheck. I now work as a mycologist and I’m much happier and have great work life balance. It isn’t the end all be all.
SaaS app development full stack. This is only the second Japanese company I’ve worked with, but both the previous one and the current were/are pretty chill. The first one was no Japanese required. From what I hear that’s the norm, but all Japanese dev teams seem to pay better. So here I am.
Technical project manager, no Japanese technically required but I do speak around N3 level and communicate occasionally with our Japanese teams.
Before that, I was a datacenter technician. Have a BS in IT and a few certifications.
Go for programming would be my recommendation. (I’m in hardware, much much more niche and harder to find good opportunities. I have been extremely lucky to end up where I am..)