[jack10110]

Lived in japan 9 years. Here is a TODO list to reach success in Japan.
6 STEPS:

1. Study any of these three majors (Computer Sci/IT, Business, Law)

2. CHOICE: (A or B)
A.Minor/Major in Japanese. (Be careful many schools do not have
Japanese majors. Choose wisely.
B.Take 1 1/2 years off after college and enroll in Korean language
school in Japan (I did this. It's geared for Koreans, so the Japanese learning is
much faster. Also teachers are usually a bit more friendly. Get a side English job to
make ends meet. If you share a SMALL apartment outside tokyo + food
$380 a month)

3. Pass Level 1 Japanese proficiency test (hardest one.)
4. Intern like crazy at companies while your in college. Most Japanese jobs
will only hire mid level, not new grads.
5. Use gaijinpot.com/careerbuilder.com/ and social media as Linkedin to find a job.
6. Be prepared to work long hours.


Also Temple University has a sister campus in Tokyo, and Sophia is also another college you could attend for a degree. Little expensive though and probably not necessary.

And in regards to #1, any other major than CS/business/law will result in you becoming an English teacher in Japan. These salaries are now low (since 2007) and for the most part will NEVER increase. For example, if you work as an ALT at a high school, you will A.have to find new work every year. B. Salary will stay the same.

Research "Jet program". Its the only 2 year program that pays ALT's really well, but again, its only 2 year. Your basically an ambassador of your country, make friends and go home (and they pay you to go home.) If you still decide to stick around afterward, your back to the dead end ALT jobs (- that is of course, if you dont have the right degree and work experience.) Learning Japanese is just half of the game.

...And yes many foreigners in Japan speak Japanese very well these days, and also have great corporate skills too, so the competition to get even a decent job is very high.