| COUNTRY |
| India |
| EDUCATION |
| Bachelors in Computer Science, Visvesvaraya Technological University Minor Degree in Artificial Intelligence, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Ropar |
| COMPANY |
| A Japanese multinational corporation that manufactures and sells construction, mining, forestry, and industrial machinery worldwide |
| SUMMARY |
| From a childhood karate dojo in India to landing a dream job in Japan, this student’s journey is fueled by discipline, passion, and persistence. Inspired by Japanese culture through karate lessons and anime, he pursued AI-driven projects that could improve lives. With FAST OFFER International’s mentorship and Japanese classes, he overcame challenges in language and interviews, eventually securing an offer from a company that shared his sustainability values and desire to improve lives. Now, he looks forward to trains, culture, and a meaningful career in Japan. |
From a Karate Dojo in India to a Dream Career in Japan: Career Goals Shaped by Karate
My mom wanted to vicariously live out her karate dreams through me. So, she brought me over to a Karate Dojo at three years old. Sadly, the minimum age was five! At the same time, we had to move abroad, so karate had to wait. Still, we kept the dream alive. Eventually, we moved back, and I was able to take classes three times a week at a nearby dojo when I was ten years old. There, I met tons of friends who motivated me to stay in class. It was a lively, fun, and competitive atmosphere. We’d race over our belt promotions. Before the pandemic, I was a brown belter on the way to black. Sadly, when the classes shifted online, it didn’t quite stick for me. What stuck with me was my interest in Japanese culture.
How Karate Discipline Shaped My Core Values and Career Goals
More importantly, Karate helped shape my core values (and down the line my career goals). From it, I learned discipline and to honor everyone with respect. From bowing at the beginning of classes and before sparring, to the respect that permeated every aspect of the classes.
This respect made me look at the world with compassion. I’d often see this old vegetable vendor pushing their heavy cart. I wondered how I could help them. Perhaps if there were a way to ease their burden, a way to automate parts of their life? I wondered if I could one day help uplift their lives so they can enjoy the respect that they deserve.
How These Core Values Drove My Technical Projects
This idea led me to study computer science engineering, AI automation and robotics. I thought it would help me find an effective way to make people’s lives easier. This perspective also inspired my final year project, a non-invasive, cheaper, safer, and overall, more accessible way to identify people’s blood types through their fingerprints. By training our AI on a database of thousands of fingerprint samples from every blood type, we achieved 93% prediction accuracy. This technology can help save lives, especially in accidents with time constraints or in remote areas.
The Start of My Language Learning Journey
It was also at university that I first tried watching anime. I was enamored with the sound of the Japanese language. The few mispronounced phrases we’d use in karate class made me curious but hearing them in shows drew me in. At first, I dabbled with Duolingo and some podcasts to learn a little bit of Japanese, but I wasn’t too serious about it. When I joined university and learnt about their World Language Club I started learning Japanese seriously. I had this desire to one day speak with the same flow as I heard in anime and podcasts.
Learning About FAST OFFER International through a Senior
Meanwhile, a senior at my university actually influenced me to sign up for FAST OFFER International. He talked about all the job opportunities in Japan for mechanical engineers and roboticists. That was particularly interesting to me as I had just joined the Aero Design club at that time. He also told me about how futuristic Japan’s technology was: from its consumer electronics to the robots used everywhere. He encouraged me to join FAST OFFER International who would go beyond just getting me employment. They’d also make sure I’d work with a well-vetted company whose values and interests aligned with mine.
Learning Japanese with FAST OFFER International
I started learning Japanese with FAST OFFER International in my third year at university. It was a little rocky at the start, to be honest. I was extremely busy in my third year as classes got harder, and class timings were more intense. Sadly, I felt compelled to take a break after that N3 class. Despite this hiatus, I committed to getting back on the path when it was more feasible.
After a year, just as I had promised myself, I revived my journey. Alongside a few seminars and finishing internships, I took part in my university’s student-led, peer-to-peer language-learning platform, World Language Club. There, I taught junior Japanese, which inadvertently refreshed my N3 Japanese. I got back in touch with FAST OFFER International then, to start the job hunt.
Discussing My Career Goals with FAST OFFER International: A Path to Empowering People
The official job hunt began with a conversation with a FAST OFFER mentor. Aside from them gauging my language skills, we got into an important conversation about my career goals. I told them I hoped to land a job at either a train company or one that would enable me to improve people’s everyday lives. Also, that I wanted to expand my skills with the company. I thought it was such a lofty and ambitious expectation. It seemed too much to ask from FAST OFFER International.
A Perfect Match: Finding a Company That Resonates With My Values and Interests
After this call, all I did was upload a few necessary materials to my profile. Soon, my mentor matched me with one company. Researching the company and reading through the job description provided, I was shocked at how much this company fits my dream. During the interview with the company, I was able to discuss my projects that I felt best resonated with them.
Emphasizing on the company’s sustainability values, I told them about my paper-reuse project. In the project, we figured out how to remove printed ink from paper using a laser. Paper strength typically degrades in traditional recycling processes, but here, we can preserve paper strength, while making it reusable. My other project was helping farmers survey their land through an autonomous drone. The company was working on a similar project around the same time! I couldn’t have imagined a better, closer match! It felt like an impossible similarity!
Perseverance and Prayer
In the days leading up to the interviews, I was working hard on improving my Japanese, but I was rusty and definitely not at interview level. The nuances and formal expressions expected in interviews were on a completely different level, and it was something I just wasn’t prepared for. I practiced day in and day out, and my mother helped tirelessly. She patiently listened to my answers, corrected me, and encouraged me when I got frustrated. Her support meant everything during that time.
For the past few days before and after the job interviews, I’d been going to the nearby temple with my mother to pray to get the job offer. It was my first time to be so devout over a specific request. Most of the time, there would be long queues to see the main deity. While waiting, I would do some interview practice in my mind, so that I could make use of the waiting time as well. After much praying, I’d come to accept whatever the result would be. I decided that even if I don’t get it, I’ll try and get the next one. Nonetheless, this company really sounded like my dream company, and I felt so close to the finish line.
When Hard Work Meets Opportunity: The Moment Everything Paid Off
The two interview rounds went so smoothly that they didn’t even feel like job interviews. They felt like curious conversations. They asked about my hobbies and interests, before going into technical questions. The last 20-minute interview round with higher-ups, gave me a good feeling that I’d get it. They liked my answers so much that my mentor told me I was the sole passer in the first round. But I also knew that every now and then, life can surprise you. I also knew that my Japanese was still lacking. There was still space for them to change their mind.
After the final interview, I returned to the temple to pray again. On my way back, I got a text from my mentor: “The results are in! Check your profile!” I paused walking to check my phone. I passed! All the efforts that went into the past two years were worth it. Relief washed over me. I then ran back home to tell my mom the great news in person. She too, was ecstatic, and couldn’t believe that it all happened so soon after graduating! This is when I experienced firsthand that FAST OFFER International truly lives up to its name.
The 3 Cs to See Your Dreams Come True
Here’s how I achieved my career goals shaped by Karate!
Commitment: Don’t Give Up Your Dream!
Dreams come true, and you must believe it. But you also must know it’s in your power to make it come true. No one else will grant it for you. Some may help you, but the deciding factors will be in your hands. I guess I learned this from Karate as I focused on getting belt promotions even when I wasn’t the most flexible or the fastest.
Consistency: Stay Consistent!
What’s the deciding factor? Your consistency and commitment to your goal. Even when I failed my first JLPT N4 test, and when I had to pause job hunting, I didn’t let the dream die. I revived my dream and consistently put in the effort. I trusted the process, stayed determined, and kept putting in the hard work. That discipline was key to eventually getting my dream job offer.
Community: Have a Community Behind You!
I know I just said that you have to make it happen yourself, but you also can’t do it completely on your own. In my career aspirations, I’m grateful to my parents for supporting me throughout my language learning journey and my hopes to get a job in Japan. They funded my studies, JLPT tests, including the ones I failed. Even through ups and downs, they believed in me. As I wait for my join date, they continue to support me. My mom is now teaching me how to cook vegetarian dishes to take to Japan. My seniors who are working in Japan by virtue of FAST OFFER International are guiding me as I excitedly wait to start my career in Japan.
Also, one must believe in a higher power. It could be religion, the universe, your mother, or anything you choose to believe in other than yourself. I know a supportive community is a great privilege to have. From my family, my friends, the World Language Club, my seniors, FAST OFFER International, to the universe, everyone played a role in helping me secure that job offer.
What I’m Most Excited About in Japan: Being a Professional, Friends, Places, Seasons, More Karate Lessons, and the Trains!
Getting that job offer means so much to me. Working with this company in my future means I could continue in the work that I feel is most valuable. Now, though, my company will amplify the reach of my projects.
Aside from my career aspirations, there’s still a lot on my Japan wish list! I’m excited about seeing my friends from university who also got a job in Japan through FAST OFFER International. There are also many beautiful places to go to, and all the different seasons to immerse yourself in. I’ll also be looking for a dojo in Japan to get back to Karate!
What I am most excited about, though, is the trains. In India, my house is near a metro station. I have always found it calming to watch the trains run from my window. I find it so enriching to watch trains help move hundreds of passengers, easing their lives a little bit every day. In Japan, they have world-renowned bullet trains and the super smart subway systems that improve people’s lives day in and day out.
