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Need advice about my future -
11-18-2009, 05:46 PM
I need some advice from you guys. First let me tell you a little about my situation.
I have been working my first job in America for about 6 months now fresh out of college and trying to pay off my student loans. As soon as I finish paying off my loans ( about August 2010 ) I will have saved up about $8000 and am planning to go to Japan to live there for sometime and get an entry level job in manufacturing\production\project management as a process engineer or improvement specialist. My girlfriend also lives there, she will graduate next year but will then enter graduate school and graduate in about March of 2013. Until that time, my plan was to move to Japan and continue studying the language and getting as much work experience in industry as I can. Then come back to America and apply for many managerial positions either at a Japanese or American manufacturing company. Some background about me. I have a bachelors degree in Engineering Technology with a concentration in Industrial systems. I have 2 internships under my belt. I have spent 1 year abroad in Japan as an exchange student. My Japanese level is at best at the casual conversational level as of right now. (JLPT Level 3) I am still studying to improve everyday and pass level 2 in December 2010. Me and my girlfriend are talking about possible getting married next year if I come there to live to save money. It would also take care of that annoying 90 day visa issue and give me more time to look for a full time job. I would prefer NOT to teach English though. I don't mind doing it part time to get by but I think it is a waste of time to do that when I should be concentrating on my major skills and trying to get experience I can use for future jobs. Do you think this is a plausible plan? Are any of you living in Japan or know someone living there that is working who is not in a teaching related job ? If you have any advice, please share it with me. Thanks 
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11-18-2009, 07:55 PM
Maybe it should be more obvious to me, but is your girlfriend Japanese?
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11-18-2009, 08:39 PM
This is the other reason why I haven't gone to university yet. XD At present, I am going around asking people what they think I should do, because I want to be a musician, but even if I don't make it as one, I would like to be involved in music, as I will never be happy with my job if music isn't involved.
However, if I was to do a major i cinematography with a minor in telecommunication and photography, while I could get a job, I know there are plenty of Japanese nationals that want to do the same as me, and I know that they will logically get hired over me since I'm not Japanese. I'm thinking of possibly taking something involving the language so that I can be a translator, especially because I am told that they are in desperate need of that, and I know I would most definitely be hired, since if/when I learn Japanese, I will be trilingual. The reason why I'm looking into that is because I like promoting Visual Kei bands; I just need to find out how to go about actually getting a job, and then get in to a university for either cinematography or language(and I will most likely be taking language, I just need to be better oriented about this.)
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11-18-2009, 09:32 PM
Personally I wouldn't bother with the JLPT 2 unless you are doing it for yourself, as it isn't something you would want to put on a resume unless you passed JLPT 1.
I think if you are planning on getting married it is more plausible, but since you both have plans taking you all over the world in the short term, I would recommend marriage when you are more ready to settle down, are both out of school and out of debt, and want to live in the same place for a long time.
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11-18-2009, 10:04 PM
Really? I thought most jobs require at Least level 2. I know I will have to be able to communicate and read documents so I am aiming for Level 2 first, maybe Level 1 in the future. As for getting married. If I don't get married, I will have to live alone ( extra $700 a month at least ) and it would be hard to get a working VISA and stay in Japan I think. If we get married then both of those problems go away.
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11-18-2009, 10:09 PM
Quote:
I have never heard of a job where Japanese is required asking for anything less than a level 1. However, I am not in the job market right now, so maybe things have changed. I would say getting married to live in Japan temporarily is not a good idea. If you and your girlfriend were both planning to move to Japan permanently, then I would say you are on to something, but if she is going back to school in the US until 2013, I don't think you will be able to live in Japan without here there.
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11-18-2009, 10:23 PM
Quote:
You've already stated that you'd like to work in a Japanese or American manufacturing company. Would it be an option to start off in one and then transfer/move to Japan? Doing so would offer you a better chance of success. Not to mention the fact that the Japanese economy is showing no signs of recovery.
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11-18-2009, 10:23 PM
Sorry. I have to be more clear in the future. my girlfriend is Japanese. She is going to be living in Japan until about 2013 at least. So in order to stay together and improve my language skills and job skills, I am moving there for at least 4 years. After she gets a little working experience we will probably move back to the USA together and buy a house. Thats the plan anyway.
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11-18-2009, 11:44 PM
at GaijinPot: Jobs, Apartments, and Information for living in Japan you can find alot of jobs where only basic understanding of the langauge is required. sometimes they even give you (paid!) courses
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