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I need career advice for US/JP options 2019/2/19 14:46
Hello! I'll be going to Hosei University GIS (liberal arts)
I am a US/JP, Bilingual, Biracial, and Dual citizen.
I've lived my whole life in Japan but not sure if that will be the rest of my life.

*So, my ultimate goal is that I wanted to keep my options open if I want to permanently stay in the US or Japan, I wanted the ability to live fairly comfortable, just an average paying job.

This is my dilemma, Hosei is well regarded in Japan, but unknown to the US.
From what I understand Japan cares more about school prestige than major.
But, obviously, liberal arts isn't the best degree to get a job either, especially in the US.

*Will my Japanese education be absolutely useless in the US?
*If I move to the US will I have to begin some form of new education? (I'd be in my late 20's realistically)

So, I'd like to hear some ideas/options from the more knowledgeable folks here.
General life advice is greatly appreciated as well!
by Danny (guest)  

Re: I need career advice for US/JP options 2019/2/19 16:57
Hi Danny,
I graduated 5 years ago from Keio University and like you I was debating whether to stay in Japan or not. Now I am working in Japan and I don't regret it. Try it and you will know.
You are young, you have time to try, fail and start something else. So I would simply advice you to try whatever you want to try first.
As you grew up in Japan, I assume that you are familiar (even more than I am) with the culture and especially the work culture. So think about whether you are ok with the work culture and even if you are not, maybe you can find companies in Japan that don't necessarily follow that culture (that is what I did).
Checkout this link for some sources on work in Japan: https://easylifejapan.com/category/work/

On the other side, moving to the US might mean that you are alone there. The work culture is way more liberal, which means not as safe and your degree might not have as much value.

Maybe you want to discover another country? Have you thought about something else than US/ Japan?

I hope that this helps.

Thierry, from Easy Life Japan
by Thierry (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: I need career advice for US/JP options 2019/2/19 17:40
please explain me, do you have dual citizenship which means two passports?
So far I know Japan only allow only one citizenship after you pass 20 years.

by justmyday rate this post as useful

Re: I need career advice for US/JP options 2019/2/19 19:41
@Thierry
Thanks, I guess Japan may be a good country to stay permanently, I was just interested in learning of the other half of my self. (western roots)
I'm assuming you work at a westernized company like Rakuten, or ŠOŽ‘ŒnŠé‹ÆH
I've heard they are very difficult to get into...

@justmyday
A better term would have been I have "two citizenships," not necessarily a dual citizen. I don't want to get into the specific details of the law but, I shouldn't have an issue with maintaining both in my adult years. From a legal standpoint, I have the ability to freely choose between the countries.
by Danny (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: I need career advice for US/JP options 2019/2/19 21:32
I agree with the point that U.S. companies might focus more on major and skills rather than university name (unless you really come from a top university). But i think it's a different case when they have a candidate applying from abroad. I believe japanese universities are not regarded to be in the same level as universities in U.S.

Anyway, I think it's not impossible to find a job in the U.S. and relocate immediately after graduating, but I think it's difficult. But that doesn't mean that it can't happen in the future. You have the advantage to be very familiar with both cultures and to master both languages and to even have double citizenship, so you'll be a very attractive option for international companies here in Japan that could in the future give you a temporary assignment or permanent transfer to an office in the U.S. Even if you decide to work for a japanese company here, they have a lot of offices and headquarters in the U.S., and the people that is culturally prepared, are the first ones to be considered for an assignment abroad. Not to say that such assignments come with really nice salaries and bonuses.

In short. If I was you, I would start in Japan and try to select a company that you know has big business in the U.S. Then make it a target to get assigned there after some years and work it step by step. That's basically what I did but in reverse: I wanted to move to Japan, and it worked.

@justmyday
From a legal point of view, double citizenship is not allowed by Japan. But there are ways to get away with it. Nothing new.
by cari (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: I need career advice for US/JP options 2019/2/19 21:58
Oh, there we go again...

Saying "dual citizenship is not allowed" is a huge simplification of the real situation, and not a very accurate one. There is no law that says "dual citizenship is not allowed" or anything to that effect. The closest thing there is is a law that says that people who are dual citizens by birth "shall choose either of the nationalities before he or she reaches twenty two years of age". This choice can be made by simply declaring that you choose Japanese citizenship and "endeavor[ing]" to renounce the foreign citizenship. Since the term "endeavor" is left undefined, it means whatever the goverment decides it means, and at the present time the government has, for various reasons, decided that it means nothing at all.
by ... (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: I need career advice for US/JP options 2019/2/20 06:06
Hi Danny... I don't know if other degrees are offered, but suggest that you first consider what you might want to do post-graduation, and then whether liberal arts is appropriate to that. In general, the degree is looked at by HR hiring types as a pass/fail qualification, but only for the first couple of jobs. After that your work experience begins to outweigh the degree. Said differently, would you have other qualifications for the first job(s) - personal connections, other skills gained outside of uni, etc?
by Paul (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: I need career advice for US/JP options 2019/2/20 08:58
@cari "From a legal point of view, double citizenship is not allowed by Japan. But there are ways to get away with it. Nothing new."

I have a daughter (12 years) born in Japan, with two passports but she has to decide which nationality she will adopt after passing 20 years old. There is no other way that allows dual citizenship (legally). The way of decision process is written as documentation.

I quote "If not informing (well) than imprisonment with work for not more than one year or a fine of not more than 200,000 yen can be applied".

So I just want to know, and not with unclear descriptions there are ways to get away with it, because so far there is no legal way of doing so. If the government forgot to issue the right documentation at 20 years than it is still the responsibility the person to inform.
by justmyday rate this post as useful

Re: I need career advice for US/JP options 2019/2/20 12:53
@justmyday
there is no legal way to keep both nationalities. but this law is also not enforced so strictly because some countries really make it a pain in the a** to renounce citizenship or simply don't allow it, so it is not the most practical solution and the ministry of justice knows it. therefore, there is a lot of tolerance for the matter.

unfortunately, as long as the law doesn't change, people with two nationalities need to keep it in the shadow, being careful to use the correct passport for every situation. although all the threats from the law have never been carried out, one can never be sure. that's why i explicitly said: it might not be legal, but it is possible.

many decide to take the risk. it's up to you (or your daughter) to take it or not.
by cari (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: I need career advice for US/JP options 2019/2/20 13:00
@cari

Thank you for the explanation. :)
by justmyday rate this post as useful

Re: I need career advice for US/JP options 2019/2/20 16:16
@cari It is completely false to say that there is no legal way to keep both nationalities. The people who choose to do so have not broken any law that exists in reality (as opppsed to the "dual-citizenship is not allowed" law that exists only in people's imaginations).
by ... (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: I need career advice for US/JP options 2019/2/20 16:49
@...

Ok, then please show us your source. The Nationality of Law is clearly stated in the page of the Ministry of Justice. Just because is not enforced enough doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

But like I said, if you think this is just in people's mind, please show your source. I would actually be very happy if what you say is true and will gladly admit that i'm mistaken.
by cari (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: I need career advice for US/JP options 2019/2/20 19:29
Hi guys, thanks for some answers.

So, I guess my choice is to
Try to get into a Japan-based company to go overseas.
Or
Reeducate at a later date.
Or
Have transferable skills.

One more question, If I work for an average Japanese company for like 5 years, and move to the states in my late 20's would an average Japanese career give me any kind of employability?
by Danny (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: I need career advice for US/JP options 2019/2/21 02:24
Danny San,

Dual citizenship aside, may I suggest that you consider the following path:

1. Complete your undergraduate degree in liberal arts at your current university.
2. Try to take 2 semesters of accounting as elective courses while you are there.
3. After graduation, come to the US and enroll in a Masters In Business Administration (MBA) degree program at a US School. (2 years)

This will qualify you educationally for many career paths. ( Assuming you are bilingual.)
You will have the opportunity to live in the US to see if you like it..
It is possible that a Japanese/US company may hire you and pay you to study for your MBA. (Accountant, Bank, Insurance, art Gallery, Japan/US Foreign Service?)
You might get free tuition and a small salary as a Japanese Language Teaching Assistant as you pursue your MBA.

In any event, you will have a fun time.

Best of luck and happiness to you.







by Chocho 68 (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: I need career advice for US/JP options 2019/2/21 07:05
Danny... (Maybe this was implied by the above response...),

With that plan in mind, I would look for your first employment to be with a Japanese firm that also operates in the US. This opens you to internal-transfers as well as temporary overseas assignments, leveraging your dual passports if that becomes a factor for longer overseas deployments. Alternatively, look for your first employment in Japan to be with a subsidiary of a US headquartered company.

Plus, as you near employment time - look for an intern experience with a firm that meets your interests. Frequently internships lead to job offers, and even if it doesn't - it looks good on a resume that might otherwise only have education.

And - bilingual, spoken and written should be assumed.
by Paul (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: I need career advice for US/JP options 2019/2/21 17:48
@Chocho 68
@Paul
Thanks for the suggestions, I guess I will go down this path for now!

However, I'm not sure I can do the accounting part with my school...
I'll try to find some skills!

by Danny (guest) rate this post as useful

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