ultragaijin
05-10-2002, 06:06 PM
(more diarrhea of the keyboard, I'm afraid)
Depending on how long you're over there, you'll go through up and down phases.
In the beginning it's great to work in Japan, but at some point, you begin to think longer term. You may get the feeling you're just working in a job that really doesn't use your skills and won't boost your career as much as a job back home could, simply for the novelty of being able to live in Japan. Everyone tries to find the right balance for themselves.
Living in Japan is great and you can't get better language training anywhere else, but there are tradeoffs. A lot of things you will be doing in your job may seem to be backwards or counter-intuitive and you'll have to unlearn them if and when you come back to the US to work, but that's just the way a lot of companies work in Japan (even foreign companies).
Another thing you'll run into, if for example you're a network engineer, is the choice to be the bi-lingual network engineer, who specializes in working in both languages and facilitating communication between the client and the real networking specialists OR to be the real networking specialist, who just happens to speak Japanese. There is a trap that you can fall into where language abilities begin to overshadow your real career goals, and may limit opportunities to broaden your other skills. Working in the US, most people don't even have to deal with this issue - you just try to be the best network engineer. This is another area where you need to find a personal balance.
Sometimes people leave Japan at this point. Sometimes a new company or a new type of work in Japan can re-invigorate and give you better job satisfaction. Other times, you'll decide a less stimulating job is offset by all the fun you're having in Japan.
This is probably the biggest issue you will face working in Japan (eventually). Look at it this way, once you get over all the languange and cultural hurdles to adjust to working and living in Japan, and your Japanese becomes perfect, you realize you have just become Joe Schmoe salaryman. Congratualtions, you are now a F*cked Gaijin. Then you realize you could have become Joe Schmoe white-collar in the US without going through all the hurdles. This is a major over-simplification, but I hope it helps get across what I'm trying to say.
I guess my positive advice to deal with this is: always make sure you are doing what you really want to job/career-wise, don't just settle for anything so you can work in Japan. And also, when you go in for interviews - YOU should be interviewing the company too, to make sure it's the kind of place you want to work and a place where you have room to grow and broaden your skills. Be able to say no to offers from companies that don't impress you.
A side note: not to belittle anyone, but everything I've said above is why I wouldn't want to teach English. Honestly, you'd never think of doing that kind of thing in the US. It's not a career and you're not going gain valuable job experience just by speaking English. You'll have a much richer experience if you work in your chosen field in Japan, rather than teach English.
(Yet another JapanNewbie (http://www.japannewbie.com/pcgi-bin/ib3/ikonboard.cgi) post.)
Depending on how long you're over there, you'll go through up and down phases.
In the beginning it's great to work in Japan, but at some point, you begin to think longer term. You may get the feeling you're just working in a job that really doesn't use your skills and won't boost your career as much as a job back home could, simply for the novelty of being able to live in Japan. Everyone tries to find the right balance for themselves.
Living in Japan is great and you can't get better language training anywhere else, but there are tradeoffs. A lot of things you will be doing in your job may seem to be backwards or counter-intuitive and you'll have to unlearn them if and when you come back to the US to work, but that's just the way a lot of companies work in Japan (even foreign companies).
Another thing you'll run into, if for example you're a network engineer, is the choice to be the bi-lingual network engineer, who specializes in working in both languages and facilitating communication between the client and the real networking specialists OR to be the real networking specialist, who just happens to speak Japanese. There is a trap that you can fall into where language abilities begin to overshadow your real career goals, and may limit opportunities to broaden your other skills. Working in the US, most people don't even have to deal with this issue - you just try to be the best network engineer. This is another area where you need to find a personal balance.
Sometimes people leave Japan at this point. Sometimes a new company or a new type of work in Japan can re-invigorate and give you better job satisfaction. Other times, you'll decide a less stimulating job is offset by all the fun you're having in Japan.
This is probably the biggest issue you will face working in Japan (eventually). Look at it this way, once you get over all the languange and cultural hurdles to adjust to working and living in Japan, and your Japanese becomes perfect, you realize you have just become Joe Schmoe salaryman. Congratualtions, you are now a F*cked Gaijin. Then you realize you could have become Joe Schmoe white-collar in the US without going through all the hurdles. This is a major over-simplification, but I hope it helps get across what I'm trying to say.
I guess my positive advice to deal with this is: always make sure you are doing what you really want to job/career-wise, don't just settle for anything so you can work in Japan. And also, when you go in for interviews - YOU should be interviewing the company too, to make sure it's the kind of place you want to work and a place where you have room to grow and broaden your skills. Be able to say no to offers from companies that don't impress you.
A side note: not to belittle anyone, but everything I've said above is why I wouldn't want to teach English. Honestly, you'd never think of doing that kind of thing in the US. It's not a career and you're not going gain valuable job experience just by speaking English. You'll have a much richer experience if you work in your chosen field in Japan, rather than teach English.
(Yet another JapanNewbie (http://www.japannewbie.com/pcgi-bin/ib3/ikonboard.cgi) post.)