I browsed past “game dev who wants to live in Japan” posts in this subreddit, and most of them seem to be fresh grads or folks without much experience, so I was wondering what my chances are or if this is even a realistic goal.
I’m a mid-career 3D Environment Artist at a studio owned by a worldwide-known name. I’m late 30’s, single, no kids. I’m studying to take the N3 in December. I’m a woman of color, if that’s relevant to my chances there (I assume so).
I’ve been feeling ready to move on from my current studio and want to take a career break.
I’m planning on applying to a language school that specializes in people who already have a degree and want to transition into working in Japan, starting April 2024. This school focuses on teaching business level Japanese, speaking skills, etiquette, passing JLPT N2+, etc. They encourage you to apply to jobs as soon as you arrive and offer support and contacts. They have worked with students in my field before, but unclear if they found industry jobs or something else afterwards.
The reason I want to do this instead of just applying overseas is because most of the jobs I’ve wanted specified that applicants have to currently reside in Japan, and some required higher language proficiency. I’m also feeling burnt out after nearly 10 years in this industry with nothing longer than a 2-week vacation at a time. I have more than enough savings to afford a year of language school and take an adult gap year. I think it’d be a good way to network, test the waters of living there, update my portfolio/knowledge, make friends, travel, and learn more of the language to access more opportunities. I feel like it’s now or never since I’m in a unique situation to be able to do this right now, and that I’ll regret not taking the time to do something like this when I had the chance.
So, am I insane? I’m also considering other industries outside of games as I hear the crunch culture is as well-established in Japan as it is here in the US, though my current studio doesn’t crunch. What do you think the odds are of getting hired at my age, demographic, and experience level? Any tips for networking? Do you know of any adjacent 3D fields that are hiring over there? Does your studio crunch?
Some additional points:
\- I’ve been to Japan 3 times previously, no longer than a few weeks at a time though.
\- I have tech friends who currently live (and used to live) in Japan, I’ve gotten advice from them as well. They say go for it but it’s not their money and risks lol. One who worked in a big studio that was a traditional Japanese company said to only focus on western-style studios. She loved living in Japan though.
\- I’m aware N3 is a laughably low proficiency level for everyday life there, hence why I want to go the language school route. I don’t get far at all with self-studying and working full time.
\- I know I’ll be taking a massive pay cut.
Thanks!
2 comments
This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.
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**Experienced 3D Environment Artist (9 years), planning to go to language school for a career break and to possibly find work. Is this realistic?**
I browsed past “game dev who wants to live in Japan” posts in this subreddit, and most of them seem to be fresh grads or folks without much experience, so I was wondering what my chances are or if this is even a realistic goal.
I’m a mid-career 3D Environment Artist at a studio owned by a worldwide-known name. I’m late 30’s, single, no kids. I’m studying to take the N3 in December. I’m a woman of color, if that’s relevant to my chances there (I assume so).
I’ve been feeling ready to move on from my current studio and want to take a career break.
I’m planning on applying to a language school that specializes in people who already have a degree and want to transition into working in Japan, starting April 2024. This school focuses on teaching business level Japanese, speaking skills, etiquette, passing JLPT N2+, etc. They encourage you to apply to jobs as soon as you arrive and offer support and contacts. They have worked with students in my field before, but unclear if they found industry jobs or something else afterwards.
The reason I want to do this instead of just applying overseas is because most of the jobs I’ve wanted specified that applicants have to currently reside in Japan, and some required higher language proficiency. I’m also feeling burnt out after nearly 10 years in this industry with nothing longer than a 2-week vacation at a time. I have more than enough savings to afford a year of language school and take an adult gap year. I think it’d be a good way to network, test the waters of living there, update my portfolio/knowledge, make friends, travel, and learn more of the language to access more opportunities. I feel like it’s now or never since I’m in a unique situation to be able to do this right now, and that I’ll regret not taking the time to do something like this when I had the chance.
So, am I insane? I’m also considering other industries outside of games as I hear the crunch culture is as well-established in Japan as it is here in the US, though my current studio doesn’t crunch. What do you think the odds are of getting hired at my age, demographic, and experience level? Any tips for networking? Do you know of any adjacent 3D fields that are hiring over there? Does your studio crunch?
Some additional points:
– I’ve been to Japan 3 times previously, no longer than a few weeks at a time though.
– I have tech friends who currently live (and used to live) in Japan, I’ve gotten advice from them as well. They say go for it but it’s not their money and risks lol. One who worked in a big studio that was a traditional Japanese company said to only focus on western-style studios. She loved living in Japan though.
– I’m aware N3 is a laughably low proficiency level for everyday life there, hence why I want to go the language school route. I don’t get far at all with self-studying and working full time.
– I know I’ll be taking a massive pay cut.
Thanks!
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>most of the jobs I’ve wanted specified that applicants have to currently reside in Japan
Bear in mind that when job listings say this they mean “Must already be in Japan on a *working* status of residence”.
While it’s possible that they might accept someone who’s present as a student, it’s also very possible that they will not. The transition from a student visa to a working visa isn’t quite as complicated as doing it from scratch, but it still requires some effort on the employer’s part.
>I’m also feeling burnt out after nearly 10 years in this industry with nothing longer than a 2-week vacation at a time.
Um… If that’s the case you’re probably ***not*** going to enjoy working at a Japanese company. Crunch (and OT in general) is a fact of life here, and many companies only offer the legally mandated 10 days off.