University Degree: Good Rule or Bad Rule?

[Umihito]

Do you think the rule of needing a university degree to obtain a work visa in Japan is a good idea or one that's too strict?

I know there are exceptions like the Working Holiday Visa and 10 years experience, but it generally seems that a university degree is the main road for people wanting to move to Japan.

Do you think it's needed to keep time wasters out, doesn't make a difference, or should be scrapped to give everyone a chance?

I know that everyone preaches to people about needing one when the say about wanting to live in Japan, but I've never really seen if people actually agree with it or not. The closest I came was seeing someone saying how it shouldn't be needed, and how the experience is more important, and someone else even saying that no experience and no degree is better.

[WingsToDiscovery]

I wholeheartedly agree with it. There's just no way to be able to grasp a scope of how beneficial it is to have that kind of limitation. You can just see how many other nations are going to the dumps, including the US, because there's zero regulation.

I may complain sometimes that I have to go through a lot of extra red tape being a foreigner in Japan, but at the end of the day, it's not about me, but the whole society.

If people are going to complain about how their "dreams" of moving to Japan are being crushed because they don't have a degree, then they don't have what it takes to be here in the first place.

[Nyororin]

A degree is not that incredibly hard to get. Even for those without the money, there are countless ways to attend. (For those countries where it is difficult to receive an education, there are programs bringing promising students to Japan for university or apprenticeship programs.)

If you can`t manage to get a degree, you definitely aren`t going to give an employer confidence in your reliability.

Without a degree being used as a regulator, there would have to be some other regulation put in place... One that is potentially more difficult in the long run.

I really don`t see the reasons behind the negativity toward the degree requirement. I find no negatives in receiving more education. (And it isn`t as if they`re asking for a degree from a prestigious school. As long as it`s accredited, anywhere will do!)

[WingsToDiscovery]

Originally Posted by Nyororin

I really don`t see the reasons behind the negativity toward the degree requirement. I find no negatives in receiving more education.

It's not that they hate the education. They're simply mad at the fact that they have to put their after high school plans on hold for an extra 3-4 years.

[pumpum]

WHOA -do you need a degree to get a job in japan??

[Nyororin]

Originally Posted by WingsToDiscovery

It's not that they hate the education. They're simply mad at the fact that they have to put their after high school plans on hold for an extra 3-4 years.

In most cases that is true, but I`ve seen adults who have been out of school for years complaining about how they absolutely did NOT want to go to university. They were willing to explore any other route to get into Japan, even when it took just as long or longer.

Or the people who are graduating and want to go to Japan in 5 years... Have an independent language study course all thought up, have a plan for saving all the money for an extended trip, and are hunting for loopholes so that they could live in the country... but the idea of attending university during that time so that they can actually stay legally is strangely unthinkable.

Those sort of things are what I was referring to. (If you go back through the threads about moving to Japan, you`ll find numerous examples of these.)

WHOA -do you need a degree to get a job in japan??

You need a degree to get the visa that would allow you to get a job in Japan. Natives don`t need one as they don`t need a visa.

[WingsToDiscovery]

Originally Posted by Nyororin

but the idea of attending university during that time so that they can actually stay legally is strangely unthinkable.

Oh believe me, there are A LOT of people at my school doing that...

[Umihito]

Isn't the number of, for example Americans with degrees quite low? I read somewhere that it was around the 25% mark? Don't remember where I saw it exactly, but that seems to be the trend among some countries.

Originally Posted by WingsToDiscovery

I wholeheartedly agree with it. There's just no way to be able to grasp a scope of how beneficial it is to have that kind of limitation. You can just see how many other nations are going to the dumps, including the US, because there's zero regulation.

I may complain sometimes that I have to go through a lot of extra red tape being a foreigner in Japan, but at the end of the day, it's not about me, but the whole society.

If people are going to complain about how their "dreams" of moving to Japan are being crushed because they don't have a degree, then they don't have what it takes to be here in the first place.

Yes, everything you said I fully agree with. Especially the point about other countries with less regulation. There's just no denying it.

It's just a relief that (so far) Japan hasn't buckled to population pressures to throw the floodgates open to everyone...

Originally Posted by Nyororin

I really don`t see the reasons behind the negativity toward the degree requirement. I find no negatives in receiving more education. (And it isn`t as if they`re asking for a degree from a prestigious school. As long as it`s accredited, anywhere will do!)

Exactly, I think it's just because another 4 years of education is shock, horror and gasp, and just too much work for most people to think about. But as Wings said, these people probably won't get anywhere close to living in Japan. It's just annoying that they seem to be the one cluttering up forums and such.

Originally Posted by Nyororin

In most cases that is true, but I`ve seen adults who have been out of school for years complaining about how they absolutely did NOT want to go to university. They were willing to explore any other route to get into Japan, even when it took just as long or longer.

Or the people who are graduating and want to go to Japan in 5 years... Have an independent language study course all thought up, have a plan for saving all the money for an extended trip, and are hunting for loopholes so that they could live in the country... but the idea of attending university during that time so that they can actually stay legally is strangely unthinkable.

Those sort of things are what I was referring to. (If you go back through the threads about moving to Japan, you`ll find numerous examples of these.)



You need a degree to get the visa that would allow you to get a job in Japan. Natives don`t need one as they don`t need a visa.

Heh, if they put as much effort into getting a degree as they did trying to find loopholes to avoid it, they'd probably be more than qualified.
It's probably because they find planning things such as funds, language options and such more fun than buckling down to work.

[WingsToDiscovery]

Originally Posted by Umihito

Isn't the number of, for example Americans with degrees quite low? I read somewhere that it was around the 25% mark? Don't remember where I saw it exactly, but that seems to be the trend among some countries.

Yes, that's true. Quite ironic considering they have over 100 of the top 200 universities in the world. While higher education is continually on the rise, you can literally draw on a map which states you can expect an increase and which ones won't. There's such a distinct division currently in the states as far as education, politics, and more. That 25% division is spread pretty thin.

[MMM]

Originally Posted by WingsToDiscovery

Yes, that's true. Quite ironic considering they have over 100 of the top 200 universities in the world. While higher education is continually on the rise, you can literally draw on a map which states you can expect an increase and which ones won't. There's such a distinct division currently in the states as far as education, politics, and more. That 25% division is spread pretty thin.

I don't understand this post. Higher Education is on the rise in what way? Quality? Costs?
Increase in what? Students?