Planning to move to Japan in 3 years, want advice on job hunting and planning ahead

6 comments

1. This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.

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   **Planning to move to Japan in 3 years, want advice on job hunting and planning ahead**

   So almost 3 years ago I made a [post](https://www.reddit.com/r/movingtojapan/comments/l2ugl7/asking_advice_want_to_eventually_move_to_japan_3/) asking for advice on moving to Japan. Well this was when I was planning to move, but realized I am not ready yet and need to make a new plan going forward. I have a new plan but wanted to ask here for general advice before I try to fully commit to it.

   For some context about myself, I work in Software Development and want to stay in that field of employment when moving. I also have around JLPT N4 in understanding of Japanese. Finding employers willing to sponsor have been hard to find mainly due to my lack of industry experience and Japanese level. So I intend to fix both.

   I thought I was addressing these issues back in 2021 when I decided to stay in my home country (US) for 3 years to get both work experience and Japanese experience. However it’s almost the end of 2023 and I wasn’t able to get either. I have some work experience but my last job before I was laid off (alongside everyone in that department) wasn’t very much, so my resume isn’t great. My Japanese also hasn’t improved much over this time period, staying roughly the same as when I graduated college in 2021. I know a lot more words now (Anki today says 6k while back in 2021 it was 1k) but I still cannot understand the majority of Japanese (almost zero spoken).

   So my current plan as of now is to again, remedy these problems. Finding a job here in my home country and work experience; as well as continue learning Japanese (to N2) in another 3 year time period. On paper I think it sounds good, but if anyone takes a quick look at my post history it’s easier said than done. It shows that I struggle immensely with the language part, so suffice to say I’m not super confident about my plan. I’m hoping that my 5-6 years of experience will be enough to market myself better but to be honest I’m kind of lost as to what to do; hence the post.

   Is there anything I should do to better my marketability? Language advice? Life advice? Pretty much anything is appreciated since I feel like I’ll be on this “3 year improvement” cycle indefinitely until I change *something*. I know that market even domestically here is hard on software, but still I’m struggling to find anything abroad.

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2. While I think it’s a really good idea to prepare before moving to another country I also think at some point you just have to take the leap. 3 years is a long time to get ready for a move.

3. Tbh it is hard to get a job from abroad, but having that experience does help. I mean you got all the info you just got to execute your plan and “just do it” like shia labeouf said lol. Depending on when you want to be in Japan just get some more work experience whether that’s another year, two or three, ideally get N3 or N2 before leaving and maybe consider going to a language school and job hunt there if you can’t get a job from abroad.

   In terms of language learning it sounds like you were doing too much anki and not enough immersion (listening and reading). I know its tough learning a language because it’s a massive time commitment, but you have to try to put in time everyday even if thats only an hour or two. The key is consistency. You don’t have to go super hardcore like some learners with 6+ hrs a day, it just isn’t feasible if you are working a 9-5 job and trying to live a balanced healthy life. You’re not going to aquire your words in anki btw, you acquire it through tons of reading and listening (immersion). Maybe download something like toggl or make a time tracking spreadsheet to see how much time you put into Japanese everyday (ex: time spent reading, time spent listening, anki, new words learned per day, time spent studying grammar etc.)

   How much work experience do you have now? I know the job market ain’t great, but just continue studying Japanese if you are not working atm and keep your head up champ!

   Also it sounds like you might be getting cold feet. Like one of the other comments mentioned, you just have commit to a plan and just take the leap at some point.

   Edit: How are you currently studying Japanese and how much time do you put in? 3 years from now certainly is enough time to get N2 from N4.

4. Forget timelines. Only move when you find and secure a job that makes financial sense.

5. You should consider getting a private Japanese teacher. Can easily find one online although in person is good too if available. It will help you improve faster as you’ll get actual conversations not just using apps but more importantly will hold you accountable as you are spending some money on it. Even just 1-2 times per week will help keep you on track.

6. The only way you can get a job offer while not a Japanese resident is by being able to speak Japanese, and to interview in japanese. I got 2 swe job offers before coming to Japan: no JLPT and basic hiragana and katakana reading, but ability to speak Japanese at tech interviewing levels.