Hello everyone! I have a big question, and I need help from someone who has done this: Moving to Japan with a BBA in Finance and/or Management. I am currently about to enroll in a community college, after which getting 25 transferable credits, I am guaranteed admissions into a college for BBA for Finance and hopefully, a dual course that includes management. While I work towards my BBA, I will take Japanese language classes, be actively involved in my community, maybe even try to spend a year studying abroad in Japan, and work part time as an assistant manager at a company like Walmart. When I graduate I will have my BBA and three to four years of management experience. My goal after graduation is to either 1) continue for a MBA and work in NYC or 2) move to Japan, complete my MBA while working as an English teacher, and then work as a banking, Finance, or Management employee. However, this is easier said than done. I am unsure as to which path is better for longevity, and which path is better for happiness. For option one, it would be easier if I study and earn more/quicker here in the US. It would be incredibly easier and more profitable if I stayed here in the US. But on the other hand, I used to live in Japan as a kid, and I LOVED IT. The people, the culture, and the land. Moving to Japan, living life would be a dream come true for me, but in Japan, I would have to study and learn the language to be proficient at business level, I would have to complete my MBA either online or at a Japanese university which would require passing additional entrance exams, and I wouldn’t make as much. Plus as a foreigner, the chances of me being promoted wouldn’t be high as a company would rather promote a Japanese national. I’m not even sure if working in Finance or Management would qualify for a work VISA (specialized worker). I want to live and work in Japan, but I would be essentially only making 1/4 of what I would make here in the US, I would have to learn and pass language exams, and as far as I can research, their are not a lot of openings in Finance and Management for Americans in Japan. The only career option I can see is if I work to become a Japan university professor, which I do not want to do. What should I do? Are my degree choices good, or should I consider others, there is still time for me to switch. What jobs could I take in Japan with my current degree goals as long as I become proficient in Japanese? Please, I need help. My thought process is everywhere.
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This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.
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**Studying to move to Japan as a Finance Major – I need help ASAP**
Hello everyone! I have a big question, and I need help from someone who has done this: Moving to Japan with a BBA in Finance and/or Management. I am currently about to enroll in a community college, after which getting 25 transferable credits, I am guaranteed admissions into a college for BBA for Finance and hopefully, a dual course that includes management. While I work towards my BBA, I will take Japanese language classes, be actively involved in my community, maybe even try to spend a year studying abroad in Japan, and work part time as an assistant manager at a company like Walmart. When I graduate I will have my BBA and three to four years of management experience. My goal after graduation is to either 1) continue for a MBA and work in NYC or 2) move to Japan, complete my MBA while working as an English teacher, and then work as a banking, Finance, or Management employee. However, this is easier said than done. I am unsure as to which path is better for longevity, and which path is better for happiness. For option one, it would be easier if I study and earn more/quicker here in the US. It would be incredibly easier and more profitable if I stayed here in the US. But on the other hand, I used to live in Japan as a kid, and I LOVED IT. The people, the culture, and the land. Moving to Japan, living life would be a dream come true for me, but in Japan, I would have to study and learn the language to be proficient at business level, I would have to complete my MBA either online or at a Japanese university which would require passing additional entrance exams, and I wouldn’t make as much. Plus as a foreigner, the chances of me being promoted wouldn’t be high as a company would rather promote a Japanese national. I’m not even sure if working in Finance or Management would qualify for a work VISA (specialized worker). I want to live and work in Japan, but I would be essentially only making 1/4 of what I would make here in the US, I would have to learn and pass language exams, and as far as I can research, their are not a lot of openings in Finance and Management for Americans in Japan. The only career option I can see is if I work to become a Japan university professor, which I do not want to do. What should I do? Are my degree choices good, or should I consider others, there is still time for me to switch. What jobs could I take in Japan with my current degree goals as long as I become proficient in Japanese? Please, I need help. My thought process is everywhere.
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This is less towards your japan goal and more towards the MBA thing.
I know you have experience, but most, if not all MBA programs worth their weight don’t take fresh grads for their intake. The ones that do are frankly, not worth it.
My advice to you is to understand why you want to do an MBA. I know of 3 very common reasons to do one; they want to change industry, or they want to move into a managerial/executive/leadership role, or for international students, they want to immigrate to that country.
Now of course there are other reasons to pursue an MBA, but you need to determine why you want to do it. MBAs are not exactly valued in japan; having the degrees with medium of instruction in English in Japan are known to be a bit subpar in quality.
If you want to do banking/finance, here’s what I would do:
– ramp up your Japanese while in college
– try to get into a big NYC firm, and then after working a bit request for a transfer to japan
OR
– get experience post your BBA
– apply to the best MBAs
– recruit for the top firms and then request for a transfer to japan
Granted, this is a lengthy and time consuming route, but it’s the best way to build your career without compromising on anything. The big names on Wall Street have excellent career/global mobility and they will be able to work out a transfer to japan for you. You won’t be earning American salaries but can easily break 10M yen, and it’s common to see pay to 20M (there are a few who even break 50M and even 100M; go to some career review website like gaishishukatsu to learn more about salaries).