Which engineering degree for working in Japan?

[pecosmile]

Hi everyone,

at some point of my life I would like to live and work in Japan - not sure for how long, let's see how things will turn out. First I wanted to study International Economics with Japanese as a second language, but I don't want to base my whole education on my present dream of living/working in Japan - who knows if I still like it in a few years.

I have heard that with IE and Japanese I won't acquire any skills they couldn't get from a local applicant anyway - my Japanese will probably not get me a job and economics jobs will be very rare for foreigners, especially without several years of working experience.

So you need something that sets you apart from the local applicants, at least that's what I have read. The best university of my country is not far from where I live but it only offers technical degrees. The graduates usually get multiple job offers and maybe after a few years I could get the chance to work in Japan for some time.

My actual question is which of the following studies/courses will give me the best chances (in your opinion). On my shortlist are the following:
-Mechanical Engineering
-Industrial Logistics
-Material Science

maybe also:
-Applied Geosciences
-Mineral Resources Engineering
-Petroleum Engineering
-Industrial Energy Technology
-Polymer Engineering and Science
-Metallurgy
-Industrial Environmental Protection and Process Engineering
-Recycling

I hope you can help me.
Best regards

peco

[RadioKid]

In most case, you must compete with the Japanese workers or students who can　of course speak Japanese very frequently. You need to have the advantage to convince the company that the company will get the merit by hiring you overcoming your Japanese skill.

One thing you can provide is your English ability with your technical knowledge.

I think you can be very important person for the company if you can provide the information about the international standards. Study each of your candidates for what kind of international standards the field has and learn the standards very hard then your will be the person whom major Japanese company love to hire.

[Sangetsu]

I would not recommend trying to get a job with a Japanese company in any field. First, most companies hire only newly-graduated students, and next, few economies offer more in the way of dead-end careers in Japan.

Much as I like living in Japan, the corporate and business structure here is backwards to the point of being dysfunctional. Companies who hire new staff members do not care what kind of degree they have. You will see people with degrees in horticulture working in tech companies, and people with degrees in chemical engineering working in insurance companies. The reason behind this is that Japanese universities are not real institutions of learning, they are three or four years of summer camp which most students spend traveling and playing tennis.

Companies do not want highly educated and highly capable people entering their businesses. They want inexperienced and ignorant young people who can be indoctrinated into the company's culture, and made dependent upon it. Japan is a patriarchal society run by old men, and the system is designed so that you will not have any voice or responsibility until you yourself become an old man.

Japanese companies are strictly seniority-based, and workers receive promotions depending on their time in the company, not their effort, ideas, or skills. If you are the brightest and hardest-working person in your department, you will not be promoted any more quickly than the dullest and poorest working person in your department.

The only positive thing about Japanese companies is their safety. Once you are hired into a full time job, you are in for good. You cannot be fired or demoted, even if you sit on the toilet and read a newspaper all day. Japanese companies are full of workers who do little, or even nothing, and as a result, they have to hire more workers to pick up the slack. Many departments have two managers, sometimes three, only one of which actually does any managing. This excess of staff drives down wages, as companies only have so much they can spend on payroll.

Once you are into the company, you can sit back and enjoy a 40 year ride which includes long commutes to a small apartment or home in the suburbs, mediocre pay, seldom more than 5 consecutive days vacation per year, unpaid overtime, and living on whatever tiny allowance your wife gives you each month. There is a reason Japan's suicide rate is as high as it is.

If you are going to come to Japan, you must come here to start a business or create your own company. Japanese are very risk-averse, and much prefer to work for someone else than to work for themselves, so the country is starved for entrepreneurs. There are few opportunities for the poor schmucks who spend three hours on the train each day, and another ten hours at work, but there are plenty of opportunities for people who are willing to think outside the box and work for themselves.

[RadioKid]

>First, most companies hire only newly-graduated students...

Why do you believe it? I do not think so. Many companies hire people who experienced works in other companies and start his carrier without intensive training.

[Sangetsu]

Originally Posted by RadioKid

>First, most companies hire only newly-graduated students...

Why do you believe it? I do not think so. Many companies hire people who experienced works in other companies and start his carrier without intensive training.

Because most Japanese companies hire full-time permanent workers as new-grads. Managers and executives can change companies easily enough, but young people cannot.

My own office is in Otemachi in Tokyo, most of my friends are executives in the large financial and trading houses. This spring I attended new employee induction ceremonies for SMBC and MUFJ banks. Hundreds of young people with black suits, only days out of university, attended the events. You would never see anything like this in America or Europe.

[RadioKid]

Certainly, most of new-graduates enter major, minor or so called "black" companies. But it does not mean SMBC or MUFJ do not hire experienced workers.

I don't know the financial companies in detail. There can be some security reasons not to hire experienced workers. However, I saw most production companies like as SONY, HONDA, TOYOTA or other often hire experienced workers.