Is Japan a country to build a career as an engineer?
 

Hi all,

my name is Konstantinos, I am 23 years old from Greece and I am studying Electrical and Computer Engineering (5-year-diploma). I want to ask you some information about Japan.

Is Japan a country to build a career as an engineer?

If I have 150.000 yen every month (from scholarship), can I live? What is the cost of life? (expenses, transportation, rent, entertainment).

Thank you very much.

Just as I am sure it is true in Greece, it simply depends on where you live. If you want to live near the center of Tokyo, then 150,000 a month might be difficult. 1/2 to 2/3 of your income may go to rent alone.

However, if you can find work outside of the major metropolis areas like Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, etc. then you will see cost of living prices fall quite a bit.

Second what MMM said

and as far as being an engineer is concern, I think it will be easier if you obtain your engineering degree in Japan, or if you further your study in Japan and eventually move into a research role.

It is very difficult for foreign graduuate of any engineering discipline to build a career in japan, not even with the required language skills.

Note I said difficult, I didn't say impossible, but it will be a very very challenging task

Thank you my friends for your replies.

I want to tell you further information:

If I come in Japan, I will not come alone suddenly a morning. I have found a program which is financed by Japanese Government (scholarship). This program will last 2 years. My education in Japanese language will last 6 months and my postgraduate in a Japanese university (in Japanese language) will last 18 months. And this scholarship will offer to me 150.000 yen per month. For more details please click this link: http://www.gr.emb-japan.go.jp/pdf/Ke...youkou_EN_.pdf

If I tell you that my scientific interests are control systems, robotics, physics, engineering, quantum mechanics and applied mathematics can you tell me your opinion about this plan?

Is it good to do this in the near future? Is life in Japan nice? After my studies in Japan, can I build my career as an engineer in Japan? Do you believe I will have problem with only 150.000 yen per month? If so, can I find a job with 3-4 hours per day as a postgraduate student in engineering field parallel my studies to cover my expenses?

General what is your opinion? Yes, or no?

Thank you again my friends.

So 150000 with no tuition and housing provided? Then yes, you can do it..... if you are getting a scholarship and able to enter post grad, you ca probably work in the university doing research, or is the 150000 yen cover "wages" during the research?

I am into robotics myself, more in the area of neuron circuits and robotics :) Nice to meet you

You are coming with a Monbusho scholarship? I believe you will have access to university housing, making your rent and utilities to maybe around 40000 yens per month. I'm guessing here, of course, but after I paid the rent, utilities and food, I had about 120 000 yens per month left from my scholarship. I bought two laptops with the money I saved (not my fault, they kept breaking up). Then again, my "post" was in the middle of the mountains, where I had to walk 45 minutes to the closest kombini and cross the mountains to get to the post office. I didn't have so much to spend on.

I know many Monbusho scholarship holders, and they all failed their entrance exams after the kenkyuusei period either deliberately or not, and got jobs in Japanese companies. I got the impression that this was more standard practice than actually entering a doctorate course, so you might as well start looking for companies immediately. You might want to keep this from your supervisor, he might question your motivation. If you have an M.Sc (?), you'll land a job faster than without (which is kind of obvious). Japanese companies don't know what you've studied, so you're going to have to come up with ideas of your own and present them. Might want to work on your Japanese skills, but it is not imperative in all the companies. Showing that you have enough language skill that you won't stress out in two weeks for not being able to do business in city hall is sometimes enough.
Foreign students are attractive to Japanese companies, because the visa can be changed from student to engineer while in Japan.

I'm professionally not into robotics, but I noticed that Japanese are very jealous of fields that are "traditionally Japanese", such as robotics and optics. That spells out trouble for you. You're going to have to outshine everybody in a way that does not embarrass the hell out of everybody. This will be extremely difficult, if you are in tech field AND speak English. Japanese in tech field rarely have self-confidence nor follow any research developments other than their own.

Personally, I think you won't have any trouble landing a job in Japan. Everything else after that will be open for interpretation.

@ acjama, godwine

Thank you my friends for your replies. I have sent you pm.