Being successful in JP *Job*

I would like to ask those who live in Japan, what would it be the best type of job to have a successful life?

Is it medicine for instance, like in the west? What course should you bee looking forward to? Give me a few examples please.

What does JP industry expect from foreigners?

Thanks in advance.

 

Not unless you're catering to westerners and have a large client base.

There are generally 3 types of jobs other than English teacher if you want to be a long term resident.

1: Banker
2: System/Software Engineer (IT in general)
3: Entrepreneur

The 3rd one is tricky as it generally requires you to either have already lived here, currently be living, or have many connections in Japan. You will probably need some type of working visa *before* starting operations. High Japanese fluency will make your life far easier (but it is still the most hair-pulling of the three as it requires far more leg work than the other two, and you're often playing with your own money).

These days, #2 requires a pretty high level of Japanese under your belt, and #1 will as well if you're entry level. Mid-level and up they will hardly care.

There are other jobs as well (head hunter, manager of a foreign firm, etc.) but these are somewhat specialized... w/ the former depending on the livelihood of the first two by and large.

 

GaijinPunch, I just wanted to let you know that your answer had a serious impact in my personal life.
I'm grateful for meeting such great people over the internet.
Thank you all.

 

Just to add what GP said, in the finance industry at least, entry level are now expected to be fully bilingual (people who aren't comfortable speaking in both languages are shown the door).

Mid-level is quickly becoming more domestic as the global financial situation worsens and many foreign companies move expats out to Hong Kong and Singapore.

 

One very important thing to remember if you do get your foot in to the door is remember you are not working for a western company. Ideas of rational thinking and quick solutions are gone. Instead you have to put up with EVERYTHING being drawn out as long as possible, meetings with no real point but never seem to end and some of the most WTF ideas ever. If you can manage with this you should be ok. Europeans seem to have it easier but all my American friends go nuts right away. Luckily I'm head of meeting where I work so I get to conduct them as I see fit. Short and straight to the point.

Yakumo

 

Should've mentioned that my numbers 1 & 2 were at Japanese branches of foreign firms. While some of the western mentality is lost, your mileage may vary. It is almost always better than working for a Japanese firm, which I don't understand why anybody would bother with: Same job, longer hours, less pay, climb the same seniority-based ladder as everyone else.

 

haha, yeah, expect to hear a lot of air being sucked through teeth.

Every now and then though the stars and planets align at non-Japanese companies and you get the right people right through the teams and then stuff gets done at pace....

:dance:

 

We have multiple-day long meetings in academia that essentially cover little ground.

The same can be said for companies across the globe.

I do wonder if people start moaning no matter where they live, and if the grass really is always greener on the other side...

 

I wonder if people that make such claims have ever actually experienced more than one shade of grass or if they're just gay interweb trolls.

 

Honestly, I was a department head in HMV back in the Uk for a few years and can honestly say meetings always had a point. Japanese just can't do things in a simple way. Even at home my wife has trouble ( or so it seems from my point of view) doing things a quick and simple way.

This is the way of the Japanese culture. It's drumed in to them from birth. I always hear Japanese saying that the north Koreans are like zombies with no freedom of mind but the same can be said about the Japanese on some points. After living here for 11 years you really do notice and constantly ask yourself why.

 

Evident by:
-Writing system
-Subway System
-Roads
-Websites

 

I also wonder if some people are just moody old farts, with little else to do except moan rather than better their lives.

 

hmmm - it's weird unless you've seen it first hand.

Imagine a meeting where saying the word "no" or answering negatively is not allowed , neither is giving an explaination as to why and then throw in the requirement that everyone in the meeting isn't allowed to answer every second question - this will be replaced by a 20 second long sucking of air through teeth whilst looking at other people in the meeting.

:banghead:

 

DCharle, you have described the Japanese meeting PERFECTLY. Martin, I know that myself, GaijinPunch and DCharlie may sound like a bunch of old farts but please take it from us that what we say is true. We've all had many years of experience living in Japan. At first we all though it was great but after a few years you begin yo understand just how backwards somethings really are. Dcharlies description of the meeting is 100%accurate. I know the UK isn't perfect and that it's full of scum low life chavs but at least in a company some sort of progress is made and your opinion can be said.

Yakumo

 

well, it's the way it is with every place really. I've moved around the UK a fair bit (parts of Cumbria, Newcastle, Liverpool, London, parts of Essex) and you end up figuring out the pros and cons of each areas - same applies to countries except there is a much longer period for the bad points (and some good points) to strike home.

For Countries - i was actually looking at India, France, the US, Canada and the Netherlands as places to work. I've spent a fair amount of time in France, India nand the Netherlands , but still only have a rough handle on how they would be. For Japan and the UK though? After a number of years (25 in the UK, 10 here) you are a lot more awakened to what the pros and cons are.

Every places has pros and cons - it's just finding a place where the cons aren't bothering you that much. For me Japans cons have all been okay -until- we bought a house and had a kid and now a few new cons look like they'd have a real negative impact on the family.

Maybe time to go hit up Switzerland or Norway or somewhere like that! I just hope they have better meetings than us!

 

Bummer about that gun pointed to your head forcing you to read it.

 

Just part of working in the UK - guns forcing you to look at websites and so on.

That's the only reason I'm here

In all seriousness, every country has its good and bad points. I don't work for a business, so I don't need to worry about these kind of things in any country. I work in academia, which (at my level) isn't too different across the globe.

If I was working for a company, I might want to be working in Canada as I believe they're relatively relaxed. Who knows. Maybe I'll try working in the 'real world' for a bit to depress myself further.

If you're happy with life, great. If you're not you have two choices; either moan about it or change it.

If you don't change it I can only assume it's not that bad and that you just like moaning.

Mark, I guess if I work for a company in either country I will be able to give my account of things. I guess the freedom of speech in meetings in the UK can't outweigh the positives had by living in Japan... otherwise surely you'd be back in the UK, speaking freely in a company, waiting for your turn to be fired?

 

Not really. I can't stand the football mentality of the general populace plus the scum pisses me off. Why should I be afraid to go out at night? At least in Japan I'm safe and my car won't be broken in to, stolen or keyed by some jealous bastard.

As for the meetings, well like I said I run my own so it's western style. Plus when we do have a Japanese meeting I have a special gift that many people here don't have or may have but fear to use it. That gift is the power to say "fuck it!" :lol: Yep, if they want to waste their time going around in circles then let them. Just don't include me :nod: This has been my way for about 5 years now regarding work. I'm much happier than when I tried to follow the Japanese way.

 

:lol:

 

Corporate Japan is not an awful place. However, Japan is generally criticized as being very mechanical on just about any level. The workplace is, usually, an encapsulation of that. If you work in a foreign firm, that's all fine and dandy, but in your daily grind there will still be the clash where common sense simply has no place.

Not here [see below]... explaining why goes WAY beyond the scope of this thread, but it is a very interesting debate: whether Japan's rate of change is quick enough to keep pace with the world. I'm personally a pessimist, but that might just be bias b/c of all the negative shit I hear on the streets (and in the news).

Or your environment is simply incapable of change.