Getting a white collar job in Japan as a dropout? (for Japanese natives)
 

Once, some random Japanese person contacted me through Skype. He said he dropped out of Uni after 2 years because he didn't see the point (I think he said something to the effect of 'you can still get good job without Uni" but that was my guess because he had an accent)

He said he works for a company where he has to correspond with foreign customers via email in English. He had been in Canada in HS for exchange student program for a year or two.

I haven't heard from him since, so I wasn't able to ask him this question: In Japan, even if you don't have a Uni degree, can you get a respectable job at a company like he seems to have? (I guess not for gaijins)

My guess is that it's the same as any other country. In other words yes you can get a very good job, but no it's not going to be very likely and certainly you'd be very lucky if you did.

I know one or two people with fantastic jobs, who travel the world and get great pay, didn't go to university but did start at the bottom and worked their way up, teaching themselves all they needed to know and working hard in the process . . . however the majority of people I know who didn't go to university aren't so lucky. They work dead-end jobs, or forever seem to be on the lowest rung of the ladder. I don't see how Japan would be any different in this respect. You can get a respectable job, but it'll be a lot harder and you'll need a lot of luck - same as anywhere.

Yes.. its possible if you have marketable skills.... but as you said, it will only be for locals or someone who doesn't need any sponsorship

What are the fantastic jobs? I would like a job where I travel the world too. Where did they start?

The one who travels the world is the manager of the UK division of an international company that specialises in IT. They do not have a university degree, but they worked their way to the top from the bottom (to my knowledge, I've never asked them in detail). That meant going from basic repair work, to manager of a smaller division, to training in more specialised areas, etc. etc. until they are at the level they are now. They're currently working further in managerial programmes and travelling with their bosses in order to prepare for a promotion.

The others have great jobs . . . social workers, teachers who work with disabled children, etc., but these are jobs that don't require travel. There's not many jobs that allow you to travel the world on a regular basis, and to get to that level (even with a degree) you need experience and training, regardless of the job really. No one turns eighteen or twenty-one and lands a job that allows them to do everything they ever wanted.

If you want to succeed I'd say pick an area where you are talented, and either get qualified or get working hard. The person I mentioned who travels a lot is middle-aged, it took a long time to get where they are. Nothing comes easy in life.

I think you`ve pretty much hit it on the head. It is possible to get a decent job, but you`ll be starting out much lower on the ladder and with much lower pay (something that lasts for most of your career, really).

In Japan, you`ll often see companies advertising positions for those without degrees but with much lower salaries.

A good example would be a something like this;
210,000/month starting salary with two 2.5 month bonuses a year for a 4 year university graduate.
160,000/month with two 1 month bonuses a year for a high school graduate.

Chances are, they`ll be doing something similar - the main difference is the pay. The high school graduate will also probably have to prove their skill more than the university graduate.

What kind of work is that example?

Base start for IT positions in medium to large companies. The start pay is actually a bit generous - you`ll see a lot more 190,000/month and 140,000/month than over 200,000s.

It always makes me ponder when I see people considering spending six to ten+ years getting borderline livable wages as a good alternative to spending four years getting a degree and skipping that below ground floor grind.

Also keep in mind a degree also doesn't just get you in the door, it keeps you in when the company is looking at making cuts.

In the first example, that guys English speaking skill clearly had a heavy influence on his ability to get work.
Fluency in two languages, or even near native level in English with good business Japanese will land a Japanese native a petty sweet job with or without a degree.
Like Nyororin pointed out, though, at a lower starting salary.

hitotz, if you're considering this for yourself, stop considering, it just wont work without the degree.

Sales is a position in which a degree is not required. My sister didn't even finish secondary school, she only completed up to year 10. She has excellent people skills though and worked her way up pretty quickly in sales. She is now a regional manager in advertising for Yellow pages making well in excess of $100,000 per year with a company car.
Most professional careers though will require a degree as the bare minimum just to get to the interview stage.

Wow! where do I apply for a sales job that has potential to lead me up to 100k job? Can shy people overcome their shyness and become a salesman? Also what kind of sales job did she have?

He answered your last question already. And are you wanting to do sales in Japan? Then you'll need the degree and fluency in Japanese.

And any commissioned sales job can make you 100k a year. You just have to sell a million or two in merchandise and take your cut.

Did she also start at YellowPages? Give me some sales ideas, I only know of one from the careers page on Comcast because I was interested in being a satellite/cable installer.

Pretty much every company with more than 12 employees that sells something has a sales department.

If you are a people person that is good at talking with strangers and getting them to listen to what you have to say, sales may be your thing. It is kind of something you are born with.

Sometimes I think that if people invested as much time into actual study and acquiring skills as they do into searching for a way to get around doing so - they`d already be halfway there.

what is going on here?

I am native Japanese and a high school dropout. I am a regular employee of a Japanese subsidiary of a major European corporation and currently working as in-house translator. I don’t know if mine is “a respectable job at a company” but at least I am treated equally with other employees with Uni degree in every aspect (pay, promotion etc.).
I was once a rough and delinquent boy from dysfunctional family. I used to believe that I am born different from those salarymen. Anything happens in our lives.:)

If you are a Japanese native and fluent in English, then yes, Anything happens in your life ;)
High school drop outs, or masters graduates, it's all about having a skill others are willing to pay for, and being in the right place to do so.
Bilingual in a 1st world country which specializes in exports and has a freakishly low number of immigrant citizens is like shitting gold every morning lol.

and gratz on the sweet job! :)

How did you learn your spectacular English? What led you to drop out of high school?

That's kind of personal.

oh. excuse me. siturei simasita.

Thanks for the compliment. I started to learn English in my backpacker days. Then I went to translation school for a few years, but I am still learning. I somehow always loved reading English literature even in the roughest days of my life, and it consequently saved me from misery.

I dropped because I was a hopelessly ignorant kid who thought working as construction worker and hanging out with bikers (aka Bōsōzoku) on Saturday night is way cooler than sitting in class room:) .

Believe me that would have been way cooler than sitting in a classroom!! :)