Learning Japanese in order to get IT job?

So I'm a recent college grad from the US but I'm thinking about moving overseas, probably to Japan or Korea at first. I want to know the language well enough so that I can make a long-term living there or maybe spend the rest of my life there. I have a BS degree in a science/technology field, so I can apply for those jobs once I know the language well enough.

Becoming an English teacher is one option I've considered to provide me with financial support while living overseas. But I've also thought of enrolling in a language intensive program. Does anyone recommend them? I heard the YMCA, Naganuma, and Yamasa programs are good. Or could I learn faster (and save alot of money) from self study from the Michel Thomas series or Pimsleur series? I want to be able to pass the JLPT tests so that an employer would want to hire me for, say, a software engineering job

Right now I have just started listening to the Michel Thomas CDs and learning the kanji

- English teaching jobs are said to be entry jobs for native speakers of English because no experience is required (at least by Immigration) as long as you have a bachelor's degree.

- However, when it comes to IT jobs, what the employers tend to want is practical work experience. If they are going to hire recent graduates who just finished college, they are likely to hire locals rather than non-locals (for the language skills and no need to sponsor for a visa). If the employer in Japan has an English-only environment (like a rep office of a non-Japanese company), that might be a bit different, but again they might want more experience.

- Language schools require full-time attention. So-called "intensive" courses are often short-term, and might be good to go through a level within a limited time, but does not get you too far "by itself."
We are talking about full-time study for at least 1, more like 2 years to get your language skills to a level where you can follow college lectures in Japanese.

- Michel Thomas series (I've tried another language) gets you to being able to order things at a restaurant or ask/answer a few questions in that language, but as it does not give you in-depth knowledge about grammar structures and things, I consider it insufficient for a language vastly different from English (or from your mother tongue).

Overall, you'll probably have to sort out exactly what you want to do. Good luck with everything.

http://www.japan-guide.com/forum/quereadisplay.html?0+88316

http://www.japan-guide.com/forum/quereadisplay.html?0+38916

http://www.japan-guide.com/forum/quereadisplay.html?0+50991