AI Engineer in Japan: How I Landed My Dream Job as an Indian Graduate

Exploring Job Opportunities in Japan: Why IT Engineering is in Demand

In my first year as an engineering student at SRM University, two Mechanical Engineering seniors were placed in a Japanese automobile company. Hearing about this got me curious, and I began to dig into what it’s like to be an AI Engineer in Japan.

I researched job opportunities in Japan and was happy to find out that my degree in IT Engineering degree would be in demand. I also looked into Japan’s work culture compared to America, Germany, and India. Another concern of mine was convincing my parents to let me fly out of India for work. Thankfully, Japan is one of the safest countries, especially for women. I also looked into how economically beneficial it would be to work in Japan as an Indian and found it to be in my favor.

Participating in that event, I got to meet Japanese delegates who convinced me even more about how perfect Japan was for me. Japan’s advanced tech industry and exemplary work culture would give me invaluable experience and help me develop new skills. It dawned on me what an incredible opportunity it would be to work in Japan as an Indian woman.

The Challenges of Job Hunting as a Fresh Graduate AI Engineer in India

Another experience that helped me resolve to work in Japan was my experience as a fresh graduate looking for an AI Engineer job in India. Like many other Indians, becoming an AI Engineer is my dream. It would allow me to be part of great developments in the future. For my final year project, I worked on a program that helped detect cardiac health in real time. Imagine what more I can do in the future with this kind of job? How much more can I help people with AI?

In Japan, they’re keen to hire new graduates like me and would train me for my gaps.

My Journey Becoming an AI Engineer in Japan with FAST OFFER International

I Learned Japanese in Less Than A Year

In my final year in college, I was shortlisted for ASIA to JAPAN’s Japanese classes in partnership with Pune University. I took those classes alongside Japanese classes from my university. I totaled six hours of Japanese classes every day. Luckily, I had the bandwidth for that much language learning because apart from those classes, I only had my final year project to finish. From November to June, I was going all in with my classes.

Just six months into my Japanese classes, when FAST OFFER International conducted mock interviews to test readiness for the job hunt, I passed. Soon enough, Japanese companies shortlisted me for interviews. For two months, I prepared for those interviews with the help of FAST OFFER International.

Interviewing with Japanese Companies

In July 2024, less than a year after I began intensively studying Japanese, I flew to Japan to be interviewed by two companies. I particularly focused on one IT company. They tested my technical skills in the first round, and in the second, combined technical questions with personal ones.

Unlike my experience in India, this Japanese company was gauging how capable I was of churning out high-quality work. In truth, of the three AI skills they asked for, I had two. I expressed though, that I was more than willing to learn the third skill should they hire me.

One of the main differences between job hunting in India versus Japan was what they considered “experience.” I was completely unqualified in India but in Japan, they asked me about my Final Year Project. Japanese companies consider your final year project as experience that concretely affects how you qualify for the job position. It’s a unique advantage to final-year students and fresh graduates.

Sadly, I wasn’t able to land the AI Engineer job in Japan then. The company didn’t take anyone in at that time. My peers and I who applied for that company were really depressed over it. To take my mind off things, I explored Akihabara and Ueno Park. I even got to try Udon which I fell in love with. That cheered me up! I got to see how the Japanese took care of their environment and followed rules that kept everything neat and orderly.

An Unexpected Triumph: Landing My Dream AI Engineer Position at My Goal Japanese Company

To my surprise, 2 months later, the same company asked to interview me again. I was in my university dormitory at that time, so I took the interview online. I was jittery after the call. My FAST OFFER International mentor told me the results would be posted in 3 hours. At the fourth hour, without word yet, I followed up, feeling worried.

“Congratulations! You got the job offer!” my mentor replied. Joy and relief washed over me. I immediately called my mother to tell her the good news. I also bought train tickets to go to my hometown so I could celebrate with my family.

Finding My Ikigai in Japan: How Japan’s Work Culture Supports Fresh Graduates in AI Engineering

Japanese Companies Look for Talents With a Purpose

I really love the word Ikigai. It means to find one’s purpose and act accordingly. Perhaps it’s something that my interviewers were looking for in the interviews: someone with a purpose—the kind of person driven to produce high-quality work.

The AI Engineer job in Japan will allow me to embrace my ikigai. There, I can make the best use of my studies, rise in my career as an AI Engineer, and make my parents proud. Some people might go for a country that can pay bigger, but what I found in Japan wasn’t just financial gain. The Japanese work culture holds perfection and excellence in such high esteem—something I want in myself, too. It’s an environment that would motivate me to constantly improve in my career.

Japanese Companies Foster an Environment Where You Can Grow

On top of that, Japan offers an environment of safety—physical and mental. A few weeks ago, two of my batch mates from the same course already got to start their jobs in Japan. They told me how safe they both felt as independent women in Japan and their experience working at a Japanese company. They were given tasks and deadlines and weren’t pressured to work overtime. On the weekends, their work emails never rang!

Japan’s Safety and Security Will Empower My Independence and Mobility

They also told stories about Kyoto and Osaka—how great it would be to travel there; how delicious the food would be. I could also visit the places I missed out on during my trip there: climbing the Tokyo Tower and Tokyo Sky Tree. Traveling as a woman isn’t a problem in Japan.

As a fellow woman who was joining the same industry as them, hearing their stories got my imagination going. Like them, I would also be primarily cooking for myself, and taking care of myself. Thinking about what life would be like, I know that working in Japan won’t just be a career opportunity, it would be a chance to grow as a person. When I go to Japan, I plan to live alone—something unimaginable in India. The idea of experiencing and enjoying independence in Japan excites me. I’m sure it will help me get to know myself better, and perhaps lead me to realize more of my purpose.

I hope others will also the unique and amazing opportunity there is in working in Japan. With FAST OFFER International, they can also be writing their own success stories on how they began their journey actualizing into the best persons they can be—whether that’s as an AI Engineer in Japan, a woman, or simply as a person.