Funeral planning, old person carer, convenience store staff
Whatever you do, learning Japanese really can’t hurt even if it means investing in formal classes. Many foreigners also make a decent living without ever surpassing n4 n3 Japanese so it’s not the end all be all. It just doesn’t hurt to have business level foreign language communication. Sure there are ai Chat bots to help, but people who are fluent in both English and Japanese are incredibly useful. You won’t bring chat gpt to a business dinner…traditional translation work though I hear is getting to be tougher and tougher but I don’t have any first hand experience.
There are a lot of different ways that foreigners make lucrative lives here. In terms of future proof, I’d think that working accounts management for import / export won’t be going away anytime soon depending on the industry.
Sales will always need bodies. The skills if you can last and have a knack for it can make you valuable in a lot of different places.I’d even go so far to lump in recruiting here. If you’re good at it, the skills you’ll take away from it are pretty useful imho, you can transition into other office work or internal Hr
IT skills whether it’s coding, cyber security, data analysis, are good but the current job market is kind of rough. A lot of recent layoffs from big companies between last summer and now. you’ll often encounter the chicken and egg of you need experience but can’t get experience without getting a job. Likely you may have to consider lower paying entry level jobs at the start to cut your teeth… on that note, you’ll have to accept that salaries here are also lower than what you might expect from anything in countries like the U.S. for example. It’s not usually god awful and it’s a decent amount if you don’t have a family who is dependent on you. Having a comp sci degree **does** help. Don’t let someone from one of the bootcamps here tell you it doesn’t matter. It isn’t the end all be all, but it does help if you have a tech background. This used to and in some ways still is a popular path. If you do choose this path, tbh I would just try to get an online degree or something from an accredited institution. Shop around for tuition. And compare what it means cost wise to your alternatives l.
Now that the borders are open again, hospitalities seem to be coming back to life but I can’t say the pandemic didn’t make me worried that someone in that industry could face some really rough times if and when the next time such an event occurs that they do an emergency border close.
Last but not least, medical field is surely a safe bet. But the question begs will you do your studies here or somewhere else. I don’t know nor do I have an opinion on medical education in here but I’m sure someone here has (a potentially out of pocket) one lol.
Anyways, these are just a few career paths to maybe think about and just my own opinion as well as the opinions of people whom I’ve met and talk to. I’d network with other people in person and see what they do / how they make their living.
Air conditioner maintenance
Go to bed. Stop spinning your wheels. Walk for an hour 3+ times a week. Get your head on straight. Talk to a counselor if you need it. Maybe stop asking reddit for advice and go do something. Sorry, but, damn. If you are drinking, quit.
Government bureaucrat.
Elderly home management. Lawyers, accountants, doctors.
Any job involving blowing a whistle and waving an illuminated baton.
Dominatrix
My other pick would be Eikaiwa teacher. Hear me out.
– it’ll be a long time before anyone serious about learning English will think speaking online is a truly adequate replacement for face to face. Even more so for chatbots.
– in the future, social interaction will be harder to come by and therefore those that have more face to face communication practice will have an advantage. I think organised face to face socialisation will boom.
– there will always be a need for babysitters while mom goes to the supermarket or the cafe for a few hours.
– the need for knowledge of the world and other cultures will only grow in the future, as tourism grows and the world becomes more globalised.
– it’s established that learning a second language staves off Alzheimer’s, so elderly people will pick it up again when/if they retire.
Giving head
Nurse. My friends quit and go back to work on a whim and there is always a job anywhere they want.
And the lack of nurses is only going to get worse.
Not too knowledgeable myself but check how japan handles its economy before making such a long term decision. Go for a career path which will be available outside of Japan too.
As far as I know, most majority of voters are old people which results in politicians with short term agendas to came to power. One noteworthy example is handling the drop in workforce. As Japan has a growing older population and shrinking young population, employing foreigners would be the logical move, however, is not favored due to traditional structure of Japan. This has and will have detrimental effects on their economy, especially well being of younger generation as they need to overwork to support the shrinking economy.
On the other hand, cultural activities has taken a blown due to the shrinking young generation. If the Japan is destined to an economic crisis, these may be the last time to experience the parts of the culture which will disolve in near future. One of my friends is a festival otaku, been in Japan for 10 years and visited over 1000 festivals. His 2 cents on the topic is that “If you want to be visiting all kinds of festivals, do it now because you may never know when they will be cancelled”
Literally just being a human body that knows Japanese, you can do anything
Japanese skills
Getting out of Japan. Going home. Getting a real job with a retirement pension or a 401K.
Don’t kill the messenger.
Because nothing says ‘solid career path’ like helping foreigners navigate the complexities of love and paperwork!
The popular job in 50 years likely doesn’t exist today. If I have to guess that’ll be heavily math and Eng related.
Engineering-materials science/chemistry for semiconductor industry. Decentralizing plans and global collaboration between the Dutch, Japan and US to bar China from the industry is leading to the next “oil boom”. Each countries individual government is dumping money into this endeavor in gargantuan amounts and they’ll be making huge hiring pushes in the near future to increase productivity and match demand.
People are memeing elderly care jobs but I think this has a big future. Especially if you can pioneer one on your own.
Fax operator
You’ll be busy if you work at a crematorium
Kind of insane to think that literally a million people are being cremated in Japan every year
Electrician….
Plumber….
Architecture (your skill set will change with digital tools, but the role of Architect will exist)….
Physician….
Registered Nurse….
Lawyer….
Accountant….
Human Resources….
The usual stuff?
Friend of mine’s family makes headstones. He said it’s one of the highest profit margins imaginable… they’re literally just rocks. Seems like a “solid” career path to me.
Anyone who tells you they know exactly what qualifications are going to be solid in 50+ years is lying to you and probably trying to take your money. No one knows what’s that far ahead.
But generally speaking the one constant of human civilization is that humans like working with other humans, at least up to a point. If you know how to be friendly, adaptable, self-motivated, patient, and communicate (speaking and writing) in the local language(s), you will be able to find work if there is work to be found.
Odds are good in 50 years you won’t be the same person you are now. Who knows what that person will be like? Future you will be more grateful to present you if present you gives them the skills and resources to ignore commitments present you sets for them based of what present you speculates about a future that is mostly future you’s memory.
HVAC
doctors obviously
Civil servants
I am getting my 第二種電気工事士 (electrician’s license). Won’t do any harm, I figure, and it isn’t hard to study for.
You really need 第一種 to earn money (even then, still shit salary), but to get that, you first need to pass 第二種 *and* work for three years as an electrician.
I figure a company looking for an apprentice electrician would rather hire someone who already has their 第二種電気工事士 than somebody who doesn’t….
Fax machine
Interpreting. Perhaps it’s a sister to translation which everyone worries will be gone due to AI, but no one in their right mind is going to rely on Google Translate when they’re dealing with the gravity, detail and immediacy of having a major surgery in a foreign country, trying to communicate about their children’s education or making a business deal with a foreign exec. I have spoken with several translators and they say, contrary to translation, the pay is excellent and the hours aren’t even that bad. They typically have a certain zone they cover like Osaka <–> Kyoto then a dispatch company will send them to clients throughout the day, but they can take time off pretty easily.
The only downside if you’re seeking to stay here is that apparently companies prefer to hire native speakers in their country of origin (i.e. more likely to work in an English-speaking country for Japanese clients than the reverse) however some of them are freelance and still do well, so you don’t even necessarily have to convince a Japanese group.
33 comments
介護士
Divorce counseling for foreigners.
日本語 + random marketable skills
Funeral planning, old person carer, convenience store staff
Whatever you do, learning Japanese really can’t hurt even if it means investing in formal classes. Many foreigners also make a decent living without ever surpassing n4 n3 Japanese so it’s not the end all be all. It just doesn’t hurt to have business level foreign language communication. Sure there are ai Chat bots to help, but people who are fluent in both English and Japanese are incredibly useful. You won’t bring chat gpt to a business dinner…traditional translation work though I hear is getting to be tougher and tougher but I don’t have any first hand experience.
There are a lot of different ways that foreigners make lucrative lives here. In terms of future proof, I’d think that working accounts management for import / export won’t be going away anytime soon depending on the industry.
Sales will always need bodies. The skills if you can last and have a knack for it can make you valuable in a lot of different places.I’d even go so far to lump in recruiting here. If you’re good at it, the skills you’ll take away from it are pretty useful imho, you can transition into other office work or internal Hr
IT skills whether it’s coding, cyber security, data analysis, are good but the current job market is kind of rough. A lot of recent layoffs from big companies between last summer and now. you’ll often encounter the chicken and egg of you need experience but can’t get experience without getting a job. Likely you may have to consider lower paying entry level jobs at the start to cut your teeth… on that note, you’ll have to accept that salaries here are also lower than what you might expect from anything in countries like the U.S. for example. It’s not usually god awful and it’s a decent amount if you don’t have a family who is dependent on you. Having a comp sci degree **does** help. Don’t let someone from one of the bootcamps here tell you it doesn’t matter. It isn’t the end all be all, but it does help if you have a tech background. This used to and in some ways still is a popular path. If you do choose this path, tbh I would just try to get an online degree or something from an accredited institution. Shop around for tuition. And compare what it means cost wise to your alternatives l.
Now that the borders are open again, hospitalities seem to be coming back to life but I can’t say the pandemic didn’t make me worried that someone in that industry could face some really rough times if and when the next time such an event occurs that they do an emergency border close.
Last but not least, medical field is surely a safe bet. But the question begs will you do your studies here or somewhere else. I don’t know nor do I have an opinion on medical education in here but I’m sure someone here has (a potentially out of pocket) one lol.
Anyways, these are just a few career paths to maybe think about and just my own opinion as well as the opinions of people whom I’ve met and talk to. I’d network with other people in person and see what they do / how they make their living.
Air conditioner maintenance
Go to bed. Stop spinning your wheels. Walk for an hour 3+ times a week. Get your head on straight. Talk to a counselor if you need it. Maybe stop asking reddit for advice and go do something. Sorry, but, damn. If you are drinking, quit.
Government bureaucrat.
Elderly home management. Lawyers, accountants, doctors.
Any job involving blowing a whistle and waving an illuminated baton.
Dominatrix
My other pick would be Eikaiwa teacher. Hear me out.
– it’ll be a long time before anyone serious about learning English will think speaking online is a truly adequate replacement for face to face. Even more so for chatbots.
– in the future, social interaction will be harder to come by and therefore those that have more face to face communication practice will have an advantage. I think organised face to face socialisation will boom.
– there will always be a need for babysitters while mom goes to the supermarket or the cafe for a few hours.
– the need for knowledge of the world and other cultures will only grow in the future, as tourism grows and the world becomes more globalised.
– it’s established that learning a second language staves off Alzheimer’s, so elderly people will pick it up again when/if they retire.
Giving head
Nurse. My friends quit and go back to work on a whim and there is always a job anywhere they want.
And the lack of nurses is only going to get worse.
Not too knowledgeable myself but check how japan handles its economy before making such a long term decision. Go for a career path which will be available outside of Japan too.
As far as I know, most majority of voters are old people which results in politicians with short term agendas to came to power. One noteworthy example is handling the drop in workforce. As Japan has a growing older population and shrinking young population, employing foreigners would be the logical move, however, is not favored due to traditional structure of Japan. This has and will have detrimental effects on their economy, especially well being of younger generation as they need to overwork to support the shrinking economy.
On the other hand, cultural activities has taken a blown due to the shrinking young generation. If the Japan is destined to an economic crisis, these may be the last time to experience the parts of the culture which will disolve in near future. One of my friends is a festival otaku, been in Japan for 10 years and visited over 1000 festivals. His 2 cents on the topic is that “If you want to be visiting all kinds of festivals, do it now because you may never know when they will be cancelled”
Literally just being a human body that knows Japanese, you can do anything
Japanese skills
Getting out of Japan. Going home. Getting a real job with a retirement pension or a 401K.
Don’t kill the messenger.
Because nothing says ‘solid career path’ like helping foreigners navigate the complexities of love and paperwork!
The popular job in 50 years likely doesn’t exist today. If I have to guess that’ll be heavily math and Eng related.
Engineering-materials science/chemistry for semiconductor industry. Decentralizing plans and global collaboration between the Dutch, Japan and US to bar China from the industry is leading to the next “oil boom”. Each countries individual government is dumping money into this endeavor in gargantuan amounts and they’ll be making huge hiring pushes in the near future to increase productivity and match demand.
People are memeing elderly care jobs but I think this has a big future. Especially if you can pioneer one on your own.
Fax operator
You’ll be busy if you work at a crematorium
Kind of insane to think that literally a million people are being cremated in Japan every year
Electrician….
Plumber….
Architecture (your skill set will change with digital tools, but the role of Architect will exist)….
Physician….
Registered Nurse….
Lawyer….
Accountant….
Human Resources….
The usual stuff?
Friend of mine’s family makes headstones. He said it’s one of the highest profit margins imaginable… they’re literally just rocks. Seems like a “solid” career path to me.
Anyone who tells you they know exactly what qualifications are going to be solid in 50+ years is lying to you and probably trying to take your money. No one knows what’s that far ahead.
But generally speaking the one constant of human civilization is that humans like working with other humans, at least up to a point. If you know how to be friendly, adaptable, self-motivated, patient, and communicate (speaking and writing) in the local language(s), you will be able to find work if there is work to be found.
Odds are good in 50 years you won’t be the same person you are now. Who knows what that person will be like? Future you will be more grateful to present you if present you gives them the skills and resources to ignore commitments present you sets for them based of what present you speculates about a future that is mostly future you’s memory.
HVAC
doctors obviously
Civil servants
I am getting my 第二種電気工事士 (electrician’s license). Won’t do any harm, I figure, and it isn’t hard to study for.
You really need 第一種 to earn money (even then, still shit salary), but to get that, you first need to pass 第二種 *and* work for three years as an electrician.
I figure a company looking for an apprentice electrician would rather hire someone who already has their 第二種電気工事士 than somebody who doesn’t….
Fax machine
Interpreting. Perhaps it’s a sister to translation which everyone worries will be gone due to AI, but no one in their right mind is going to rely on Google Translate when they’re dealing with the gravity, detail and immediacy of having a major surgery in a foreign country, trying to communicate about their children’s education or making a business deal with a foreign exec. I have spoken with several translators and they say, contrary to translation, the pay is excellent and the hours aren’t even that bad. They typically have a certain zone they cover like Osaka <–> Kyoto then a dispatch company will send them to clients throughout the day, but they can take time off pretty easily.
The only downside if you’re seeking to stay here is that apparently companies prefer to hire native speakers in their country of origin (i.e. more likely to work in an English-speaking country for Japanese clients than the reverse) however some of them are freelance and still do well, so you don’t even necessarily have to convince a Japanese group.