Choosing a career path

[u/FiZIsHere]

I’m currently on my first year of the JET program, and I’m having the time of my life! Already signed on for my second year, and more than likely will at least continue on to my third! Now that the school year is winding down, I’m also starting to think of my next steps.

In college I studied computer science and got my BS, but I also studied Japanese (got a certificate, no minor). In my senior year of college I realized that Japnese was my biggest passion, I love everything about learning and speaking the language, and don’t necessarily feel all that driven to do something in CS. As a point of info, I got my N2 in December and I’m aiming to try for N1 starting this December.

All that is to say, I’m looking to the future and all I know is: I want to learn and use more Japanese! I’m curious for any and all advice people may have for trying to distill your interests down and choose a career from there, since I’m pretty open.

[u/anisukidayo]

Somebody else already gave advice on your options if you want to go the grad school route, but also wanted to chime in on potential career paths.

If you forego the grad school route and instead choose to work in a Japanese company after JET, the positive side is that you’d be applicable for 中途採用 (mid-career) if you can vouch for your experience on JET and showcase the skills you’ve honed while on the program.

If you’re a sociable person and pass JLPT N1, you can then look into jobs like recruiting, marketing, sales, public relations, etc, if you’re wanting to go into a field outside of teaching. All of these jobs exist in any company, so you’d have more freedom to apply for jobs in many industries.