Greetings, Redditors!
I’m currently studying at a Japanese language school, and I have some important decisions to make regarding my educational future. Next April, I’m planning to advance into the field of IT engineering, but I’m torn between two paths: attending a university or enrolling in a vocational school.
Originally, I had my heart set on attending a university, but I’ve heard some mixed opinions about Japanese universities. Some say that they are more focused on enjoying the student life, and the real education happens after joining a company.
So, I’m here to seek your valuable advice and experiences. Can you help me weigh the pros and cons of both options? Have you attended a Japanese university or vocational school for IT engineering, or do you have friends who have? What was your experience like, and would you recommend one over the other?
I’m also planning to talk to my teachers at the Japanese language school, but I believe in the power of collective wisdom, and I’d love to hear from this community as well.
Your insights, personal stories, and advice would mean the world to me as I make this life-altering decision. Thank you in advance for your help! 🙏🏼🎓🤔
6 comments
All students should enjoy their student life. If Japanese students are indeed enjoying it then it’s a very different kind of enjoyment to UK students where there are bars/clubs etc on campus, student nights, parties etc. My advice is to go to uni and get the degree.
Where do you intend to work after you finish school, and what kind of work? Japan? Or another country?
In Japan, the percentage of students who go on to university is high. Students who go to technical schools are basically people with abilities well below average. Therefore, the classes at technical schools are not “advanced”. Also, there are many low-grade universities that only sell degrees, and even an idiot can get in. This trend has become much stronger in the last 20 years.
Therefore, the more decent a company is with good conditions, the less likely it is to hire students from technical schools or low-level universities. In some companies, if an applicant’s university level is low, he/she will be automatically rejected or his/her application will be rejected.
If you want to work in Japan as a newcomer in the IT field, we recommend that you go to the best university possible. It will increase your chances.
like you said, Japanese universities are pretty crap and mostly focused on having fun and underage drinking. the true value comes from the companies that have partnerships with each university. if you play your cards right, you’ll have a job lined up before you even graduate. a Bachelor’s degree is also more valuable and universal than a degree from a vocational school. in 10 years from now you may want to pivot out of IT for something, and a degree from a university will be much more valuable then.
I say go to university and make sure you study as much as you can on your own time.
Went to an IT vocational school in Japan and would recommend University + studying on your own.
The former will ensure that you have a nice degree to apply for a job after graduating, and having a good place to work at is going to be the best way to ensure you learn after graduating.
The latter will ensure that you can go beyond learning the minimum that they will teach you and which will not be good enough when compared to what is needed in a workplace.
Definitely go to university. Many jobs require a bachelor’s. The “enjoying the student life” kind stuff does exist, but it’s no longer the case in STEM majors of prestige univs these days.
Sorry if I missed it in your post, kinda flew through the last part but since you’re currently attending a language school, what kind of visa do have?
Because if I’m not wrong (someone correct me if I am) you need a bachelors degree in order to get a work visa and a degree from a vocational school will not work. So that might be a point to consider as well.
You’re definitely not wrong that compared to western universities Japanese ones tend to be more chill. But that doesn’t mean that you won’t learn anything. But as another commenter suggested already, especially in this field I think what you do/learn by yourself is also very important.
You’re also not wrong that the company will train you on the job. Some (mostly more „traditional“ Japanese) companies you can only apply to the company and they decide for you what department/job you will do, so be careful for these types. I actually have a friend that studied public relations or something like that and got placed in it department and has to write new programs now. First time she did more with a pc than using it for YouTube and Netflix hahaha
But in my experience nowadays most companies, especially international ones, you can apply for the specific job or at least department. But the whole job hunting process as a new grad is a whole other story. If you don’t know you can look it up 就職活動 or 就活 in short.