What should I do so I get a better chance to enter Sega as an audio engineer?

5 comments

1. This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.

   —

   **What should I do so I get a better chance to enter Sega as an audio engineer?**

   I am moving to Tokyo next year to enroll in a language school (KCP to be exact), and once I’m done learning Japanese I’m planning to complete a sound production related degree so I can work in a big video game company such as Sega (RGG Studio being my dream), Capcom, Square Enix, etc as a sound designer and recording engineer.

   I have completed a diploma for sound production and there is where I found my passion in sound design. However, chances are, a diploma from Malaysia will not be recognized in Japan, and in order to complete a degree I will have to study a full 4 years from the beginning.

   I am 28yo now, I can’t afford to make another wrong decision and waste more time and money, so this is probably my only shot to make it right if I really want to pursue that dream job of mine.

   I am currently looking at HAL Tokyo for their game music course, but I have read from previous articles saying that HAL does not offer a degree, but an advanced diploma instead, so I’m really not sure if this is the right school for me.

   If there is anyone in the community who is involved in the Japanese game dev industry, I sincerely ask for your advice on what should I do/which school should I consider so I will have a better chance at finding a job as part of the sound production team in the game dev industry in Japan. Thank you in advance.

   *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/movingtojapan) if you have any questions or concerns.*

2. >once I’m done learning Japanese

   Here is the problem in your plan.

3. One of the major issues here is your age.

   You’re 28 now. You’ll be 29 when you come to Japan next year. Which means you will be *at least* 32 when you start looking for jobs. Possibly/probably 33 or 34. That’s relatively old to be starting a new career in Japan.

   I’m figuring the ages based on the following:

   2 years of language school to get to JLPT N2, which is the absolute bare minimum to study in a Japanese taught program.

   2-3 years for a semnon gakko (vocational school) program like HAL. 4 years if you decide to do a full degree.

   On top of all that, JLPT N2 is, quite frankly *not enough* to work in a creative field in Japan. You’ll be required to have conversations that are both highly technical and deeply emotional, all with little to no misunderstandings.

   You say you’ve completed a sound design diploma. Imagine what how hard it would have been if one of your partners on a project only spoke very basic Malay. It would have made things significantly more difficult, right? Now imagine *you* are that person, and you’re trying to get a job.

4. The only advice I have is that Japanese companies are generally not that great to work for and game devs in particular are known for their bad work-life-balance.

   At least think a bit about career paths that involve foreign companies in Japan is what I would suggest.

5. I am 28 y.o and trying to get UIUX career in Japan too…

   This year on Sept, I’ll be 29…

   I think, if you are came from basic, such as didn’t know how to connect words into sentences, the progress will be slower.

   In my case, now on my 1y3m Japanese studies, I know many words, able to read paragraphs. Can speak but slow (for N2 level, but for N3 can speak faster bcs I also talk daily things with part time colleagues)

   People who are 19y.o can read faster because they are aiming for University. But not really able to speak fluently. But it depends on the person I guess.

   Maintaining part time work and study and also career in the same time is very difficult….

   If I focuses on study and do 1 or 2 times baito a week, maybe my progress can be faster….

   But same as you, I worry about waste of money and time 😔