Thanks for your honest input...

That just makes my life harder and difficult for me to figure out what to do. With the advice that has been said, maybe translation is not for me. (Who knows.) -_-;; Now, I am back to square one without any ideas on what to do with my future. I do not want to be stuck at a retail store for the rest of my life, nor do I want to be doing a job I am not passionate about. I've looked through a list of majors to take, and I don't think anything suits me; nor am I interested in it.


-Sobs- ;_;

nurse; medical field.

figure out what youre passionate about and then take it from there. i wouldnt just jump into nursing or medical unless i had a reason to, besides money and having a job.

what about
 

what about us folks who have to move there for their husbands jobs? I would like to help support our living funds but what can I do without a college degree? I mean I never intended to go there and live there and make big money teaching english or being a businessman. So what options are there for the women who never had the chance to plan ahead?

some of us aren't the anime/cosplay/japan obsessed kids in the world with a dream to work and live in japan independently.

You are actually at an advantage, because if you can live in Japan with your husband who has a work visa, and you have a spouse visa (I believe) then you can work anywhere that will hire you. They don't need to provide you a working visa, so you will not be under the same scrutiny. You could even start your own business if you wanted.

Hey MMM, on that note, will starting her own business change her status? Let say, if someone, under the exact same scenario started a business, then the spouse who was there with a work visa didn't get his visa extended, then what will happen? Will they need to surrender the business (sell it, close it.. etc) or they can still stay?

I agree with you. a friend of mine is studying art in tokyo and she is saying even though the city is nice, fun, and full of life. Everything is very VERY expensive!

Sorry I missed this. Other people can probably answer this question better than I, but I know foreigners can own businesses in Japan, so I would imagine there is a visa for that. It wouldn't be in Japan's interest to deport successful business owners.

So maybe that is another option for people who want to move there, and that is to start a business. But I am guessing that you will need to have some kind of proposal or something that shows a strong prospect before they will grant you a visa. Let me look more into this.. i will post any info i find (On a different thread)

Am gonna try and study college in japan,I still have 4 years of school to go but oh well,Am learning Japanese from now so I don't have to spend time later learning it and am already building my business online,All you need is hard work and some logic,That's what I believe in really.Though interesting thread! :D

Anyone know how dentistry is faring in Japan? DO they need dentists?

Base on info from my cousin's wife (she used to work in a hospital), Japan is always looking for all sorts of medical staff, including dentist, but the issue is that its not easy for someone with a foreign license to work in the medical field in Japan, you probably will have to re-take all sorts of exams to get licensed in Japan

Hi all...

This is my first post here. I read this entire thread (it took me almost 3 hours :D ) and basically it hammered home the fact that I need a degree. It removed my denial, for which I guess I should thank you guys and gals. I'm 29 at the moment, 30 in 2 weeks time. Like most people my first exposure to anything Japanese was animé and games, followed by movies about samurai and history, gradually expanding wider to include both ancient and modern culture until I now find myself completely in love with the country. To test this in real life instead of just imagining and fantasising about how much I "love" something I've never experienced, I went there on holiday in October 2008 for 3 weeks. It was amazing! I went to Tokyo, Yokohama, Kyoto, Nikko, Osaka and Himeji, and had the best time of my life. I'm still dubious as to whether my experience was so enjoyable simply because it was a holiday, but, after the initial shock (I'd never been overseas), I do believe I felt a lot more at home there than I expected I would, and this really motivated me to research what my options were for living there, at least for a while. A year later, I can still say that my interest hasn't waned a bit, which is a good sign (in my mind) that I owe it to myself to try and make it happen.

To say the least, I was heavily disappointed to find out that a degree is pretty much non-negotiable. I wasted the last year grappling with giving up the dream and being more realistic, only to find myself not able to let it go. Living in South Africa, it is enough to have finished high school and have done a college course to get a job, especially if you can demonstrate your skills by means of a portfolio. In my case, I chose to specialise after school in a 2 year Multimedia and Design course instead of going to university, a decision which I now regret. Of course, I could never know that if I ever wanted to go overseas, a degree would've been a better option. All I knew is that I wanted to do something creative, and I chose the course that best suited that goal. Since then I've worked for just over 9 years in the web design field, and when I go for job interviews, employers are only interested in one thing: my portfolio. Is any of that experience and study time worth anything to the Japanese? As an aside to those people choosing not to do a degree who want to go overseas... take it from someone who knows. It's easier to "bow down" to society and just do the damn degree, rather than fighting for what you want and being bitter for years to come. Anyway, I digress.

I'd have to do a degree part time, so I'm estimating a time-frame of 5 years to do a 3 year full time degree... is this realistic? I'll be doing something through UNISA (UNISA - online) which states on its "About us" page: "We offer internationally accredited qualifications..." - so I'm assuming this will be good enough for the Japanese. There seems to be a good relationship between SA and Japan in terms of trade and cultural exchange, and they advertise JET on the local embassy's website (http://www.za.emb-japan.go.jp/en/Jap...an_basic.html). So I'm pretty sure they'd know about UNISA, which, even though it's a distance learning facility, is a major university in SA. Plus, one still has to go into physical premises to write the exams. I've also enrolled to study Japanese (Japanese/English translation, classes, lessons, tutor - Home) which will begin in a couple of weeks. In preparation I've already learned Hiragana and am starting on Katakana this week.

I still need to decide what degree to study... if anyone has any advice here it would be appreciated. I'm wondering if it should be something that would increase my chances of getting a teaching job, or if it should rather be something that fits in with my current skill set. Or, perhaps it should just be something I'm interested in, like Chinese (as far as I can tell, they don't offer any Japanese related degrees unfortunately :( ). On top of this, I will probably do some kind of TEFL course.

The general plan is to save my money, pay off my flat in the next 2-3 years (so that even if I fail in Japan, I still have a house to return to), learn Japanese in the same time, as well as attempt a degree... while working full time. Does this sound doable? I have no idea about the amount of work and
time a degree requires. At age, say, 36 will I still be an attractive candidate for JET and English teaching? I do want to end up living there, but of course, working there and having a holiday there are 2 totally different things. I would also love to marry there. But maybe that dream will die once I experience it. But at least then I will know for sure, and the last thing I want is to wonder for the rest of my life whether I should've tried to do it or not.

I'd be interested to know what you all have to say.
Thanks!

I thought the JET cut-off was 35.

From the JET application doc:

Then that is a change since I was there 10+years ago

If you were entering a field in Japan related to your work then I'm sure the portfolio would be of benefit but for any other employer they wouldn't know how to interperet it (if that's not their usual way of assesing candidates).

There are many mature JETs so I find it doubtful your age would be a large hindrance - they would be more concerned that you were able to leave behind your life at such an established stage in your career. From the perspective of the actual job you would likely have a lot more life experience to bring to it and to share with your students than someone straight out of college (21-22 years old).

As for what degree to do, I think it would be more important to do a degree which you can use - what happens if you have invested all that time and money and don't get into JET?

I know your feeling about thinking you would regret not having gone for it, I was undecisive for a long time about whether I should go on and do a PhD in my current subject after I finish my degree or whether to just go for what I really want to do (JET) even though it may effect my chances of getting into a PhD. I decided its such a unique opportunity I can't turn it down, so I am going to apply for 2011 entry (fingers crossed!).

Hi, thanks for your reply! I wouldn't be entering my field (at least not at first) in Japan since the language would probably be a barrier. Maybe later once I master Japanese at an acceptable level, I could use my portfolio. I definitely would like to freelance in my spare time (with companies back home) and keep my skills alive. As for leaving my life behind, I'm single and have no dependents or big commitments here, so it wouldn't be too much of a problem. I plan to pay off my property here and rent it out for some income when I'm away, although it won't be much compared to the living costs in Japan.

Speaking of spare time, can anyone comment on how the quality of life is when teaching English through JET? Can you live a "normal" type of life, or are you working 24/7 like a typical Japanese? I have a couple of Japanese friends there and that's all they ever do.

Good point about not getting into JET... is there a limit to how many times you can apply? Does it count against you in the next round if you've failed to get in before? I will probably go for a degree in my field, or at least do something that is interesting, even if it doesn't help my career, rather than doing a teaching related degree.

As for your dilemma, can you not do a PhD at any time? If you fail getting into JET, you could fall back on the PhD plan. Hope you get in, it's such a cool opportunity. In general, I think people always take the safe option and settle for a mundane life rather than at least trying and failing to do what you really want.

Thanks for the advice.

Right out of college I was certainly overpaid for what I did on JET.

Hours on the JET program are strictly watched. So yes, you can live a "normal" type of life. Working 24/7 is not "typical" in Japan, no matter what your friends tell you.

Cool... I was exaggerating btw, but I do know that my friend works 6 days a week between 10am and 8pm, which to me is a bit much. I guess we are used to our 9-5, 5 day weeks.

Your contract as a JET stipulates that you get weekends off and your working day is usually contractually less than the Japanese teachers (though I believe it depends on your Board of Education?). Most Japanese stay well after the end of the school day and many will be spending weekends organising club and other activities which of course you will not be expected to do. While there is no expectation at all for you to do anything more than your contracted hours I think it would help you gain respect from your colleagues if you were to stay after school longer on occasion. But still, we're not talking about working anywhere near as much as the Japanese themselves do.

Although for most people JET is a one off thing once you get into it, you can apply to get in as many times as you want. As long as you can show at your interview that you have done something in the last year that has improved your chances since the previous year (like learn Japanese / gain teaching experience / do a TEFL course). I have heard of people applying 3 times before they were accepted. I would suggest the tenacity would be seen as favourable rather than negative.

In theory I can, what I am worried about is that if I took that much time out of science if it would hurt my chances of getting onto postgrad study. I have pretty much made up my mind now I want to go and teach in Japan regardless so we will have to wait and see! I agree about taking a mundane route - I have been told it's immature for me not to want to start getting a firm career when I finish university but I just think that would leave me totally uninspired, unchallenged and eventually bored.

I've looked around and I already figured that out. I plan to earn my four year degree in due time.
I would like to teach english but most places want nothing less than a four year degree.
My second plan is to try starting a small restaurant business in Japan.

Having a degree requirement can make sense (depending on the work field), but I also think (in recent times) employers are using the "you must have a 4 year degree" excuse to narrow down applications to only people with degrees. Even if someone might posses the proper skills without a degree.

Having the 4 year degree just proves that you can put in the work and dedication to see something through to the end. That's why for JET it doesn't even matter what the degree is in.

I agree with this thread. I wanted to be a veterinary surgeon, but I am not sure medical is the right path for me. I have always loved travelling and experiencing new places, especially places with the ocean nearby, and have since considered careers in writing, teaching internationally, and things like marine biology. I have visited Japan, and plan on going back for more trips, but I am also interested in taking a job in Japan and living there and exploring the culture and the people more. I am still an undergraduate college student, and since I am still deciding what major to choose, I was wondering if anyone could direct me, or advise me, on what majors might be beneficial to what I want to do. Thank you :ywave:

Also, I withdrew from a 4-year university half way through term for a medical reason, and since went to a community college because it was less expensive to my parents and then back to a 4-year degree school. Do you think a potential foreign employer would care about that?

If you have a 4-year degree, how you got there really doesn't matter.

That's what the veterinary directors told me when I was a freshman. Different people can have different opinions, though. Me personally, if someone has a four year degree and skills useful to me then I'd take them no matter how they got there, but who knows? People can be peculiar.

You asked the question, I gave you an answer. Do with it what you need to.

i think lots of people over look how much of japan is all around them where they live every country almost does cosplay events and anime is everywhere now. Alot of the time people are moving to get things they already have.

i do think that your spot on! great thread i think lots of people could learn alot, and with some luck will step back and look at the gd qualitys there own country has before running off.

I don't think its a matter of what you have and the quality in your own country, but the actual reason for moving. If anyone is to stay or move to a different country because of cosplay events and anime, that is just completely stupid and doesn't make any sense.

Sometimes, people move not because they are not happy with their life, but there could be things outside of what they want in a different place.

Like myself, I wanted to move to Japan because I want to do more work in humanoid robotics. It has nothing to do with my quality of living in Canada, as a matter, if I do move to Japan, the quality will go down, but I want to because from a career perspective, there are better opportunies for me to achieve that self satisfaction.

This thread isn't about why people should or shouldn't move to Japan, all that we are suggesting is that (Regardless of the reason), the easiest, most direct and legal way to move to Japan is to get a degree so that people can get the sponsorship required for their stay.

WOW... dejavu:eek:
I used to be just like you... When I came to Japan from the United States last January, without completing at least my AA from the community college in my hometown of CA, I thought, "I can just finish my degree in Japan instead of here. I will go to language school and then just transfer to college for the next two years." So 6 months earlier I enrolled at a language school, and hopped on a plane without truly thinking about the plan as a whole: how was I going to get around without knowing a word of japanese? how was I going to find my way to and from school if I wasn't able to even read signs properly? and worst of all, financial planning was a complete mess, so I went without food for about a week... lost 7 pounds that was about the only positive thing that happened that month ;) I also didn't truly know how large Tokyo was, about 50 times the size of my home city (not to mention more than 500,000 times the population) so that being the case finding my way around tokyo was a mortal combat with the train maps for the first month or so. I was lucky enough that the guest house I chose to reside in had other gaijin who spoke english and had the similar experience, and honestly if they hadn't helped me I probably would've ended up somewhere on the next island trying to find my way home. The first week of school, came home with torn bloody feet from walking too much around rail stations, I was like pac man mazing all through the JR line trying to catch the proper route home... coming back tired, frustrated and slightly homesick. Up to now I am still struggling to keep up my study and transfer into a technical school, with a very low chance I will make it... but honestly if I had known that it would be this much of a hassle I would've waited until I completed my AA at least.
***Yes, Japan has nice people and culture, but if moving here is something your serious about, then take your time... a college degree first is the best way to start. Finding a job without one is not [i]impossible[i] but please note that it is extremely difficult (unless you like handing out tissue flyers on the corner for a living) as well as having the proper visa to do so.
***Also, I can see why you would think that we have no real freedom back in the US, and I do agree to a certain extent... however, you also don't realize we have more freedom than alot of other countries right now. Some people in other places don't get the oppurtunity of even a high school education, as where others have as high as a masters degree and get paid only a little more than the equivalent of minimum wage we have in the states. Many who grow up fortunate enough to have everything they need don't realize how important the basics are... until they have none:eek:
I don't mean to discourage you or anyone who desires to go to school and work or live in Japan, if that is your dream and goal in your career or life then by all means follow your dreams:rolleyes: but just realize that it is alot easier said than done. It is not impossible, but nor is it easy.

It just amazes me people would go to a completely foreign country, where the culture is totally alien to their own and the level of development of the country is such that their education does not put them ahead of the native residents, and not have thoroughly planned it through.

I'm all for spontaneity and living life passionately but you gotta have some grounding in reality, no?

Not much of surprise ... I think it is very obvious. People want something new, don't they ? Most of them would say: " Sitting in your home country for a whole life must be so boring ... " Of course one need to be either rich or special to live in Japan at easy and straight away. Otherwise you will need to actually be able do something to develop such dream.
However there are better and worse countries, like people trully are. ( No naive thoughts of equality ) And they have their own reasons to change their way of life, if it has at least some meaning.

But it is sad that most people don't realise that you need to distinguish between a childish dream or an actual ambition ( Like i have ).

Ye, I agree with DarkAngel - it is far a lot easier to say than to achive your dream. ( But i hate the country where i have came from and the country where i am now. However it is the system itself that pisses me off so much in most cases - a system that was created by selfish humans. )

I'm thinking of going to Japan just for the sake of my Japanese and knowledge of this culture, after spending some time in an English-speaking country (for the sake of my English). It is, however, interesting to read about such an obstacle facing some people wanting to live and work in Japan.

People love adventures, dude^^

Thanks for sharing this. It was stories like this that inspired me to make the thread in the first place.

Very good post. Life in Asia is not as simple as some of the kids on this forum could even imagine.

Employers will not hire a foreigner to hand out flyers or tissue, cost too much, and there is no need for an English speaking employee.. The best thing is to look at gaijinpot.com and look at the job posting there. So far I have't seen a job that have requirement less than a 3 years University/College degree......

The whole thing you mention about master degree and wages... STRONGLY agree, well to a certain extent. Take China for example, you can hire a software engineer for approximately 4000 RMB a month, thats roughly around 500 USD, with housing and insurance, the bill comes out to be around 900 USD.... And THATS considered "high" already...

Not even. I work with a few French Canadians who have BAs from universities in Quebec or France that are three year degrees (but still the equivalent of a 4 year degree elsewhere) and the immigration office always looks at them funny and asks for more paperwork. Japan has this idea that BA = 4 years, and anything 3 years is automatically suspect.