Seeking advice

[MMM]

Originally Posted by johnnyboydave

You've just about answered all my questions. Thanks a bunch. What I've decided to do, before I look into getting a 4 year degree, is find out what jobs are in demand in Japan for permanent residents so that when I choose a degree, it is going to actually benefit me. Game design is still looking good, although I'm still pretty young and having a hard time deciding on whether I want to take a risk and get a degree in game design when I may or may not be able to land a job in that field once I've made the move to Japan. My priorities now look like this:

1. Become semi-fluent in Japanese
2. Decide on what field to earn a 4 year degree
3. Find out more information on English teaching companies in Japan

That sounds like a good plan, John. Keep in mind that unless you have a Master's Degree, it really doesn't matter what your degree is in to start work in Japan. Part of the reason is that Japanese students work their asses off to GET INTO college, but then after that they pretty much check out for four years. It's the GETTING IN that counts, and graduating is a natural consequence. Unlike in the US where getting into college isn't the problem, but GRADUATING is the hard part (for some). Having a 4-year-degree means you got into college, and that is the sign of a hard worker.

A little messed up logic, but reality.

[Hatredcopter]

you must have a visa, which is sponsored by the company you're working for, and pretty much only foreign language schools are dedicated to sponsoring these visas?

If a Japanese company hires you, that means they'll be your sponsor for a working visa. They aren't specific to schools or anything like that - if you're a foreigner working at a Japanese company, you've got a working visa.

By the way, English is taught in just about every school in Japan and all students must take English. They don't go to language schools unless they want extra education in English. A lot of adults do go to language schools, though. Point is, if you apply with JET, they're putting you in a regular school (whether it be high school, junior high, or elementary), and not any kind of language tutoring institution.

Here's a good site about permanent residency in Japan -> www.debito.org: Brief on Japanese Permanent Residency Requirements

The guy who runs the site also has tons of good information about Japanese citizenship, buying land/houses in Japan, becoming a professor at a Japanese university, and so on. Worth a look, I'd say.

1. Become semi-fluent in Japanese
2. Decide on what field to earn a 4 year degree
3. Find out more information on English teaching companies in Japan.

Stick to this. College is four years long, and your first teaching job will be another several years in length, so what comes after all that is not something you need to worry about for at least 6 or 7 years. By the way, many big colleges teach Japanese. You can go for your degree in whatever you choose while learning Japanese all at the same time.

[johnnyboydave]

If I truly just want to remain in Japan, what would you say, in your own opinion, is the best degree to shoot for? I mean, if I planned to remain in the USA, it would be a whole lot different getting a degree. But if I want to make it in Japan, what degree would you most suggest above all to get for a 4 year degree? Let's just assume for a minute I'm getting permanent residency eventually.

With that said, I'll now ask - are the degrees in Japan on the same basis as those here in the USA? Or does a degree earned here in the USA not matter at all in Japan as long as it is a degree? I wouldn't think this but I just wanted to put the question out there.

[johnnyboydave]

It would matter what degree I chose if it were actually going to help me in America but I want to get renewals until permanent residency is an option, in which I then plan to remain in Japan. Are the degrees here in the USA the same type of degrees you earn in Japan? If so, wouldn't it be smart for me to find out what I want to do in Japan once I have permanent residency before I begin taking college courses towards a degree?

It just doesn't make sense to just get any degree, then get permanent residency and find out your degree is useless in Japan. Even if I were to get a degree in something that interests me, if I have no intentions on living in the USA, what good will it do me? Any information on how an American degree impacts your chances of landing a job once you've got permanent residency would be greatly appreciated (trying to make the right decisions now so I don't end up paying for it later).

[MMM]

Think about what kind of work you want to do, not so much what degree you earn. I got a degree in Japanese. Japanese businessmen like business or international business degrees, but you can throw a rock and hit an international business major pretty easily.

[samokan]

Originally Posted by johnnyboydave

If I truly just want to remain in Japan, what would you say, in your own opinion, is the best degree to shoot for?

I.T. , lots of oppurtunity.

[johnnyboydave]

Thank you

[johnnyboydave]

How does paying college loans work once you're living in Japan? Would I have the yen I'm making teaching converted to dollars and mailed back to the states?

[MMM]

The best thing to do is to arrange to have a bank account that has online bill-pay, and offices in both the US and Japan. The only one I know of off-hand is Citibank.

[johnnyboydave]

Okay, I'll look into Citibank.

Let's assume I get permanent residency one day. I no longer need a visa to work. If I had my name changed to a Japanese name, how tough is it to find a job in Japan? Let me take it a step further and say that I am completely fluent in Japanese and meet all requirements an employer requires on paper. Are their many foreignors who've gotten permanent residency working standard jobs in Japan that aren't "based" in Japan from an outside country?

Or is it just near impossible for someone even after getting permanent residency to land a position with a job in Japan based on race? I'm not jumping to any assumptions as far as Japanese being racist, I'm just asking based on what I've read. Beings such a large percent of Japan is in fact Japanese, I could only assume if I had to that, even with permanent residency, Japanese fluency, and meeting all requirements, it would be very difficult to find an employer that would hire you after being interviewed.

Could someone who knows from first hand experience enlighten me on this?

This is going to play a big part in helping me make my decision on whether moving to Japan for the rest of my life to get closer to the pros of it's culture, are truly worth the investment. Nothing could be worst then to journey through the prerequisites of total imersion right until the very end, only to find out their is no opportunity for a career to a foreignor even after PR.