Hi all, I’m currently a 28 year old software engineer with \~5yoe working in Australia. I currently work at one of the top companies in Australia and have a very cushy compensation/effort ratio. Currently, I earn \~20M yen as a base salary, with \~10M-15M extra coming in as company options per year.
Financially I have around \~30M yen worth of liquidatable assets and another \~85M yen worth of private company options (worth noting that the value of this can fluctuate heavily and possibly to 0, I expect the value in 5-10years to be somewhere between 50% -> 200% of its current value)
I love Japan, specifically the culture and the people. I’ve visited 3 times, and recently have been spending more time self-learning Japanese \~N4 level currently. I feel like I really want to give living in Japan for an extended period of time a try (thinking \~5+ years) but I’m heavily conflicted from a financial point of view.
The software market is not very hot at the moment but I think realistically I could get a \~12M yen salary (currently already interviewing with a few places to test the waters). I feel like that’s not a bad salary but also wonder if I’m better off just waiting a few more years (while getting a bit more money) and then making the move. Especially considering my current workplace is extremely chill and potentially quite lucrative (if it continues to do well financially).
Im worried that if I wait too long I might miss out on living my life in Japan. I might be in more of a rush to settle down / find the right partner etc and that kind of worries me.
A few additional pieces of info
\- My current company has no business presence there, so no chance to relocate through my company
\- I currently have an unactivated WHV that I might be able to use for a 1year sabbatical from my current company (pending approval)
\- I’m also open to the idea of potentially being a language student
Im keen to hear any thoughts/opinions/advice on my situation, thanks in advance
6 comments
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**Looking for advice / thoughts on my situation**
Hi all, I’m currently a 28 year old software engineer with ~5yoe working in Sydney Australia. I currently work at one of the top companies in Australia and have a very cushy compensation/effort ratio. Currently I earn ~20M yen as a base salary, with ~10M-15M extra coming in as company options per year.
Financially I have around ~30M yen worth of liquidatable assets and another ~85M yen worth of private company options (worth noting that the value of this can flucate, I expect the value in 5-10years to be somewhere between 50% -> 200% of its current value)
I love Japan, specifically the culture and the people. I’ve visited 3 times, and recently have been spending more time self-learning Japanese ~N4 level currently. I feel like I really want to give living in Japan for an extended period of time a try (thinking ~5+ years) but I’m heavily conflicted from a financial point of view.
The software market is not very hot at the moment but I think realistically I could get a ~12M yen salary (currently already interviewing with a few places to test the waters). I feel like thats not a bad salary but also wonder if I’m better off just waiting a few more years (while getting a bit more money) and then making the move.
Im worried that if I wait too long, I might be in more of a rush to settle down / find the right partner etc.
A few additional pieces of info
– My current company has no business precense there, so no chance to relocate through my comapny
– I currently have an unactived WHV that I might be able to use for a 1year sabbaitical from my current company (pending approval)
– I’m also open to the idea of potentially being a language student
Im keen to hear any thoughts/opinions/advice on my situation, thanks in advance
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The 12M JPY of salary is pretty much the ceiling for a salaried worker. Japanese IT workers are paid half or a 1/3 of that, so you have to consider what is the financial opportunity cost for taking up the 12M JPY salary job.
I would wait a couple of years until you have to use or lose the WHV. Target actual spoken N3 or better by then, not just on paper.
If you like it, getting back with work or as a student will not be hard with your skills, you’ll be 30-31 (which is not even close to old btw), ~50M yen by then and the language skills to integrate faster and met people more easily, and have a better connection with them.
Don’t make the choice about that salary drop without the informed decision of being here for 6-12 months.
“i love japan, specifically the culture and the people” is so funny man
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My feeling is that if you have a great job and good situation outside of Japan that will allow you to travel to Japan, then just stick with it. If you can take a sabbatical from work then do it. Japan is probably one of the best places to travel to/vacation in. However living in Japan is a lot less exciting. When you travel you can go anywhere at any time (avoiding crowds), go eat all of the good foods and you don’t get sick of anything because you leave before that happens.
Finding a job that will pay well and be as comfortable as your current job will be extremely difficult.