Living in Japan with no degree but extensive career experience

5 comments

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

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   **Living in Japan with no degree but extensive career experience**

   Title says is for the most part. I am in the initial phases of learning Japanese and doing research on their culture and modern customs. I’ve also been a life long consumer of Japanese history, art, and of course anime/manga and video games (which isn’t to say I expect to live in an anime fantasy land – I am more interested in the lifestyle and environment than media).

   In about 1.5 to 2 years I want to take an extended vacation in Japan, anywhere from 45 to 60 days. During this time I would be getting a feel for living there and speaking the language with native speakers. Essentially, it would be a litmus test of sorts, not so much a traditional tourist visit.

   With all that being said, I do have to earn a living and I have not earned a degree. I am currently 31, and would ideally like to be living in Japan before my 35th birthday.

   For the last 11 years I have worked in web development, internet marketing, software and game development, and most recently the e-commerce industry. I’m primarily a frontend developer in the beginning stages of growing into a senior role at my current company.

   In these roles I’ve held, my longest tenure is 6.5 years and the others no less than two. So, I guess my question is, is the experience and proof of consistency in tenure enough to have a Japanese (or foreign) employer overlook the lack of a degree? It hasn’t hurt me in the states as far as getting jobs, but I know Japan can be a little different. I would like to have achieved N2 or N1 level language skill, but I know that foreign employers may not be as strict on speaking Japanese.

   I’d really love to have more than just an extended vacation in Japan, but I want to be realistic and not waste the next few years of my life! Thanks for any and all responses 😊

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2. Can’t speak to your question directly, but can say that you could complete an online degree through r/WGU -Western Governors University in as little as 6-months at low cost. It’s worth looking into to fill your education gap and improve your employment prospects.

3. >is the experience and proof of consistency in tenure enough to have a Japanese (or foreign) employer overlook the lack of a degree?

   Your problem is not convincing an employer to give you a job. The problem is convincing *immigration* to give you a visa.

   Which *should* be possible, as the requirements for a working visa are generally a bachelor’s degree ***or*** 10+ years of experience.

   I say “should” because they require 10+ years of relevant experience. And immigration has been known to be very strict about what counts as “relevant”.

   My concern here is your (apparently) somewhat varied experience:

   >For the last 11 years I have worked in web development, internet marketing, software and game development, and most recently the e-commerce industry.

   On the face of it this is a somewhat eclectic working history, and depending on your role in each of these fields, as well as the role you’ll be filling in Japan you might end up with some issues.

   Which of these was your 6.5 year tenure? And is that related to the work you’re doing now/will be trying to do in Japan?

4. You have two issues, qualifying for visa and getting a job. I will focus on visa. You must prove at least 10 years work experience with official documentation in your specific field (you make it sound like your work experience is very broad, that may be an issue).

   I forget what it’s called in japanese. But basically something written on official company letter head signed by someone ideally who supervised you. Stating exact dates of employment, job title, responsibilities, and status. Only full time work counts. Should have a direct company phone number, email, and company website.

   Getting this proof is what many people struggle with. I have over a decade in my field, but proving it was nearly impossible the japanese way. Some of the companies I worked for no longer had me on record as working there (their internal records only went back 5 years when company was bought). Some companies went bankrupt and there was no one left to contact. Some of my work was as an independent contractor, not qualifying as full time.

   I would suggest working on making sure you can document at least 10 years before thinking about this path. Otherwise gotta get that degree.

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