Heya guys! I just want to ask if anyone has transition to IT industry (as software engineer or front end engineer) with a non-IT related degree? Like how were you able to transfer from one career path to another in Japan?
I cannot clearly say that I have changed career paths, but just like switching from student to worker, you have to change your visa even you have time left on your student visa and if you are sure it is work you want to do. The same goes with the types of work visas, thus you may need to have the company you are aiming for to hire you may need to help you visa support is my understanding. And depending on the demand of the type of new position you want depends on how easy or difficult it may be. If in a sense, you work up to a different position may prove more challenging rather than switching say to English teaching in Japan. It may not be easy, especially in some cases they may wondere why you switched, but if it’s what you want to do it can be worth looking into, especially if you have the qualifications.
Personally I started working in IT industry, but for the people I know who switched to IT works, there generally are a few similarities.
– IT is more than just software engineering. Depends on your skill set, there might be other easier roles to transit to like Bridge Software Engineer, PM,… – Getting the first job is almost always the hardest part. You might have to temporary accept lower salary than what your are currently receiving. – Tied to the above, Japanese skill is a lot more important at that step in your career path. For every one gaishikei, there likely are ten Japanese companies which have lower standard and more ready to accept someone without experience. – Be ready to job hopped, but make sure not to burn bridge. The IT world, especially high paying one, can be smaller than you expect.
I had an unrelated undergrad degree. I got a master’s in IT, then switched.
I mean you can probably go to some boot camp to get a soul sucking coding job making 4 million yen but is that what you really want?
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I cannot clearly say that I have changed career paths, but just like switching from student to worker, you have to change your visa even you have time left on your student visa and if you are sure it is work you want to do. The same goes with the types of work visas, thus you may need to have the company you are aiming for to hire you may need to help you visa support is my understanding. And depending on the demand of the type of new position you want depends on how easy or difficult it may be. If in a sense, you work up to a different position may prove more challenging rather than switching say to English teaching in Japan. It may not be easy, especially in some cases they may wondere why you switched, but if it’s what you want to do it can be worth looking into, especially if you have the qualifications.
Personally I started working in IT industry, but for the people I know who switched to IT works, there generally are a few similarities.
– IT is more than just software engineering. Depends on your skill set, there might be other easier roles to transit to like Bridge Software Engineer, PM,…
– Getting the first job is almost always the hardest part. You might have to temporary accept lower salary than what your are currently receiving.
– Tied to the above, Japanese skill is a lot more important at that step in your career path. For every one gaishikei, there likely are ten Japanese companies which have lower standard and more ready to accept someone without experience.
– Be ready to job hopped, but make sure not to burn bridge. The IT world, especially high paying one, can be smaller than you expect.
I had an unrelated undergrad degree. I got a master’s in IT, then switched.
I mean you can probably go to some boot camp to get a soul sucking coding job making 4 million yen but is that what you really want?