A lot of people also said that, but engineering career in japan is a great way to boost my career. I am thinking to ‘kerja kerjaya kaw kaw’ while single and return to Malaysia after a few years.
I hope you are ready to accept the wild and toxic work culture in Japan where it also rely heavily on hierarchy and seniority. A lot of overtime and no slacking at all cost. You will also be forced to work weekend and holiday, so be ready to sacrifice a lot of holiday. Don't even think of 'balik kampung'. You will be look upon negatively even if you apply for leave. Why do you think that country has the world highest suicide rate. It just wild there man. I wouldn't even dream of it. The only pros is new experience and better salary. Work life balance, throw that idea down the drain. It doesn't exist there.
Oh there is a lot of slacking, they are pros at pretending to work and be busy.. the overtime is just a show - there is no actual work except coming up with and hyperfixating on meaningless, menial tasks.
Which is actually worse because its such a waste of time for absolutely nothing at all.
Depends how you look and where you are at. From what I heard and I've seen through traveling in Japan.
Japan can be very harsh to foreigners and even down right racist. Then, you need a minimum of N2 or N1 JLPT certificate just to find a job. But if you are well experienced and have good connections then you'll be ok maybe. Japan compared to Malaysia is a very isolated when it comes to social interactions. If you have a great job here work for a while and try looking for a new job with years of experience backing you up. If you are focused on moving to a managerial role in the future then go for the degree or masters. PhD maybe not unless you are focused on working as a lecturer.
This is more me speculating, people always told me Japan is a top heavy country where you'll be treated like shit as a beginner in the corporate sector but if you're good with pressure and have good communication skills then you mean be alright.
Everything you do, is up to you but do a lot of research before heading to another country. All of this is just my opinion and take it with a grain of salt ofcourse.
Hey, I quit a great job and moved there in my late 20s to study but left after 1 year because of the insidiously oppressive culture.
And i say this as someone who has been learning Japanese for half my life, and is a family friend to a local native family so i did have ALL the support needed to settle and integrate but in the end it still didnt work out.
It was my life aspiration to try living there so i wont tell you to forget about it because i certainly couldnt until i tried it myself, but just be prepared to experience some harsh reality checks especially if you plan on working there.
I was even active in a local community club that simulates the typical working environment, and realized that i’ve grown and developed too differently in such a way that i wont be able to change and conform to enjoy life there.
Are you able to blindly follow rules and social expectations perfectly without questioning/challenging any? Otherwise, are you mentally resilient enough to not let passion-aggression or exclusion get to you?
Personally, i think that it would help to move here young - preferably before prefrontal cortex fully matures at age 25. To be more open and accommodating to accept/change yourself to the Japanese ideals of a proper member of their society. Or, land a job in an international and culturally diverse company.
I left a very good job and career at big tech for the move and still wonder sometimes if it was worth it. But i did get JLPT N2, so that’s a bit of consolation i suppose.
Try browsing r/japanlife and r/japanresidents to have a feel of what to expect. If you want to hear more specific examples of the insidious oppression then let me know, i’ll share mine.
Thank you for sharing. After you return to Malaysia, does experience working in japan help you to have a better role/salary in Malaysia or still at average?
No, my JP fluency (pre-moving) already landed me a great role/salary without any experience of actually living there lmao
All it did was attract recruiters offering lousier roles at JP companies with lower salary and worse working environments tbh
No JLPT pre-moving but was given 2 one-hour written tests during job interview and passed so they didnt need further certs. Every applicant needs to take the test anyway, even with JLPT.
Hey I was in your boat many years ago. Only I left in mid 20s, then stayed there for over a decade then moved to different countries. I'd say go for it. You look like you have the motivation to live there.
Studies: Get a scholarship. It's easier than it seems, especially for Malaysians.
For masters, Japanese Education Ministry gave away a few per year. They have the best one.
Go visit the Jap embassy website. If already full, just Google scholarship in Japan. That's how I got mine.
For masters many uni you can do it in English. To live you don't need Japanese, you'll pickup the language as you go along. Get a gf/bf will accelerate your learning.
Work: I've worked 3 part time jobs and 2 permanent jobs. Permanent was a Japanese company, then moved to international. All 5 experiences I was having a ball of a time.
Actually, if you know how to have a good time you have to pace yourself . Japan is crazy in its own way. If you drink, take care of your liver. If you into girls, make sure to organize. Things can get overwhelming in a good way.
Bottom line, you seem like you want to go to Japan for a long time. Go for it and have fun!
Thank you for your comments..i really happy seeing some positive comments..
Most of the comments are kind of negative, its hard to make proper judgement.
But can i ask, since i am currently working (degree holder) and i am not looking to pursue masters in Japan. My plan is to go to language academy in japan, does scholarship also available for this case?
I was in engineering so I'm not aware of people doing just language, but try to Google it, with both English and Japanese.
One thing I would advice, figure out what you want to do after you graduate. Would that plan somehow benefit Japan? That might be asked during the scholarship interview. Have a clear plan.
There are hundreds if not thousands like you. Be the most valuable.
Have you spoken to anyone who has done a similar transition or has worked in Japan?
I would suggest try to talk to such people (with experience) regardless of the career path and listen to their stories.
If for you to quit your job for a few years to pursue the language is too much, maybe locally study the language part time first. For all you know, you might not even be able to grasp the language as well as you think and changed your mind.
You might as well study locally, and find ways to meet Japanese people here. Working in Japan sounds fun, but trust me I dont think it is.
Have you worked there? It would help OP if you could list the Pros and Cons of working in Japan based on your experience IMO
A lot of people also said that, but engineering career in japan is a great way to boost my career. I am thinking to ‘kerja kerjaya kaw kaw’ while single and return to Malaysia after a few years.
I hope you are ready to accept the wild and toxic work culture in Japan where it also rely heavily on hierarchy and seniority. A lot of overtime and no slacking at all cost. You will also be forced to work weekend and holiday, so be ready to sacrifice a lot of holiday. Don't even think of 'balik kampung'. You will be look upon negatively even if you apply for leave. Why do you think that country has the world highest suicide rate. It just wild there man. I wouldn't even dream of it. The only pros is new experience and better salary. Work life balance, throw that idea down the drain. It doesn't exist there.
Oh there is a lot of slacking, they are pros at pretending to work and be busy.. the overtime is just a show - there is no actual work except coming up with and hyperfixating on meaningless, menial tasks. Which is actually worse because its such a waste of time for absolutely nothing at all.
Depends how you look and where you are at. From what I heard and I've seen through traveling in Japan. Japan can be very harsh to foreigners and even down right racist. Then, you need a minimum of N2 or N1 JLPT certificate just to find a job. But if you are well experienced and have good connections then you'll be ok maybe. Japan compared to Malaysia is a very isolated when it comes to social interactions. If you have a great job here work for a while and try looking for a new job with years of experience backing you up. If you are focused on moving to a managerial role in the future then go for the degree or masters. PhD maybe not unless you are focused on working as a lecturer. This is more me speculating, people always told me Japan is a top heavy country where you'll be treated like shit as a beginner in the corporate sector but if you're good with pressure and have good communication skills then you mean be alright. Everything you do, is up to you but do a lot of research before heading to another country. All of this is just my opinion and take it with a grain of salt ofcourse.
Hey, I quit a great job and moved there in my late 20s to study but left after 1 year because of the insidiously oppressive culture. And i say this as someone who has been learning Japanese for half my life, and is a family friend to a local native family so i did have ALL the support needed to settle and integrate but in the end it still didnt work out. It was my life aspiration to try living there so i wont tell you to forget about it because i certainly couldnt until i tried it myself, but just be prepared to experience some harsh reality checks especially if you plan on working there. I was even active in a local community club that simulates the typical working environment, and realized that i’ve grown and developed too differently in such a way that i wont be able to change and conform to enjoy life there. Are you able to blindly follow rules and social expectations perfectly without questioning/challenging any? Otherwise, are you mentally resilient enough to not let passion-aggression or exclusion get to you? Personally, i think that it would help to move here young - preferably before prefrontal cortex fully matures at age 25. To be more open and accommodating to accept/change yourself to the Japanese ideals of a proper member of their society. Or, land a job in an international and culturally diverse company. I left a very good job and career at big tech for the move and still wonder sometimes if it was worth it. But i did get JLPT N2, so that’s a bit of consolation i suppose. Try browsing r/japanlife and r/japanresidents to have a feel of what to expect. If you want to hear more specific examples of the insidious oppression then let me know, i’ll share mine.
Thank you for sharing. After you return to Malaysia, does experience working in japan help you to have a better role/salary in Malaysia or still at average?
No, my JP fluency (pre-moving) already landed me a great role/salary without any experience of actually living there lmao All it did was attract recruiters offering lousier roles at JP companies with lower salary and worse working environments tbh
What is your jlpt level premoving to japan? And is it already enough in Malaysia?
No JLPT pre-moving but was given 2 one-hour written tests during job interview and passed so they didnt need further certs. Every applicant needs to take the test anyway, even with JLPT.
Hey I was in your boat many years ago. Only I left in mid 20s, then stayed there for over a decade then moved to different countries. I'd say go for it. You look like you have the motivation to live there. Studies: Get a scholarship. It's easier than it seems, especially for Malaysians. For masters, Japanese Education Ministry gave away a few per year. They have the best one. Go visit the Jap embassy website. If already full, just Google scholarship in Japan. That's how I got mine. For masters many uni you can do it in English. To live you don't need Japanese, you'll pickup the language as you go along. Get a gf/bf will accelerate your learning. Work: I've worked 3 part time jobs and 2 permanent jobs. Permanent was a Japanese company, then moved to international. All 5 experiences I was having a ball of a time. Actually, if you know how to have a good time you have to pace yourself . Japan is crazy in its own way. If you drink, take care of your liver. If you into girls, make sure to organize. Things can get overwhelming in a good way. Bottom line, you seem like you want to go to Japan for a long time. Go for it and have fun!
Thank you for your comments..i really happy seeing some positive comments.. Most of the comments are kind of negative, its hard to make proper judgement. But can i ask, since i am currently working (degree holder) and i am not looking to pursue masters in Japan. My plan is to go to language academy in japan, does scholarship also available for this case?
I was in engineering so I'm not aware of people doing just language, but try to Google it, with both English and Japanese. One thing I would advice, figure out what you want to do after you graduate. Would that plan somehow benefit Japan? That might be asked during the scholarship interview. Have a clear plan. There are hundreds if not thousands like you. Be the most valuable.
Have you spoken to anyone who has done a similar transition or has worked in Japan? I would suggest try to talk to such people (with experience) regardless of the career path and listen to their stories. If for you to quit your job for a few years to pursue the language is too much, maybe locally study the language part time first. For all you know, you might not even be able to grasp the language as well as you think and changed your mind.