Hello everyone,
I want to live in Japan like a lot of other folks here but I’m at a crossroads of what to do so let me lay out my current situation and tell me what sounds most beneficial for long term/indefinite stay.
I am a 9 year US navy veteran (submarine sonar technician/data analyst) who spent the last 3 years living in Japan, I have a clearance, 2 years of university towards an associates in math (unfinished at this time), at least 60k in saved up, and an unused GI Bill. I am also 28 as of typing this.
With all this in mind here are a few things I’m thinking of:
– Going to language school for a year or two and finding a sofa job afterwards
– Transferring to a Japanese university English program using GI Bill (not Temple as I’ve seen).
– Going to a language school for a year or two then going to a Japanese university Japanese program
At the end of the day, the big goal is simply achieve sustainable (not exactly rich) living in Japan for a long period of time. The lofty part of this is being able to participate in Japanese society (as a foreigner I know) rather than be a visitor.
I also don’t wait until my mid 30s to move to Japan, I didn’t get to be young in the military and somewhat want the college experience while I’m young and more free.
All that aside, if you were in my situation, how would you make it work? Do I need to invest more in my education or is it going to be a waste of time in the long run?
3 comments
This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.
—
**Ex military seeking advice**
Hello everyone,
I want to live in Japan like a lot of other folks here but I’m at a crossroads of what to do so let me lay out my current situation and tell me what sounds most beneficial for long term/indefinite stay.
I am a 9 year US navy veteran (submarine sonar technician/data analyst) who spent the last 3 years living in Japan, I have a clearance, 2 years of university towards an associates in math (unfinished at this time), at least 60k in saved up, and an unused GI Bill. I am also 28 as of typing this.
With all this in mind here are a few things I’m thinking of:
– Going to language school for a year or two and finding a sofa job afterwards
– Transferring to a Japanese university English program using GI Bill (not Temple as I’ve seen).
– Going to a language school for a year or two then going to a Japanese university Japanese program
At the end of the day, the big goal is simply achieve sustainable (not exactly rich) living in Japan for a long period of time. The lofty part of this is being able to participate in Japanese society (as a foreigner I know) rather than be a visitor.
I also don’t wait until my mid 30s to move to Japan, I didn’t get to be young in the military and somewhat want the college experience while I’m young and more free.
All that aside, if you were in my situation, how would you make it work? Do I need to invest more in my education or is it going to be a waste of time in the long run?
*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.*
I don’t see any value in finishing your degree program at a Japanese university.
You must consider your earning potential right after graduation. You now have $60k but you will not be broke once you have finished your Bachelor’s as it should take only two years from your Associate degree to a Bachelor’s degree and you can begin working after that, whether it is in Japan or in the US. However , if you were to go back to a language school and apply for a Japanese university, that would be a 5 to 7 year journey and whatever you had earned in the navy would not be sufficient to cover the expenses and may land you in debt.
And also, “Once a Gaijn, always a Gaijin”.
Have you checked usajobs and putting japan as the location in the job search? Maybe something of your interest and skill set might come up.