| COUNTRY |
| India |
| EDUCATION |
| Bachelor’s in Civil Engineering, Anna University |
| COMPANY |
| A long-established Japanese company that develops and provides power generation, HVAC, combined heat and power (CHP), and other energy solutions focused on energy efficiency, reliability, and sustainability for industrial and commercial customers. |
| SUMMARY |
| An Indian civil engineering graduate shares his journey to landing a civil engineering job in Japan as a foreign graduate. Inspired by his family’s construction background and shaped by years as a karate teacher, he pursued engineering and landslide-prevention research. After graduation, he learned Japanese through intensive shadowing and prepared for Japanese company interviews. Despite visa delays, he successfully navigated the recruitment process with support from FAST OFFER International, ultimately securing an engineering opportunity in Tokyo and beginning a new professional chapter in Japan. |
The Start of My Dream To Become A Foreign Engineer in Japan
My interest in Japan began when I was in Grade 3, when I started watching anime. It became more than entertainment for me. Anime motivated me during difficult times and sparked my interest in the Japanese language and culture. Japan also engaged my interest in history. How Japan rebuilt its economy after World War II despite facing enormous challenges was astounding to me. That resilience made me want to understand Japan even more. My love for drawing and architecture also led me to discover more about how clever Japanese architecture was. Since all my interests seemed to point to Japan, and I’d always dreamed of working abroad since I was a child, of course, I put two and two together.
1900 kilometers away to dream
I chose Japanese for the mandatory foreign language classes at university because of my goal of working in Japan. However, I felt that the classes were focused on test results rather than practical use of the language. Even after passing the exams, I couldn’t communicate in Japanese. So, with a couple of friends who felt the same way, we looked into our options. That’s when we found AtoJ Hirameki’s Japanese classes through LinkedIn. The problem was that the intensive in-person classes were in Pune, meaning we would have to travel from our hometown of Tamil in Southern India to the Northern part.
Luckily, we were in our final year of university, so we had time to spare. We no longer had regular classes to attend, and we could complete our final year projects remotely. So, we packed our bags and left. Getting to Pune was a challenging adventure. We took a train across nearly 1,900 kilometers, which took almost an entire day. When we arrived, we experienced quite a bit of culture shock. The people and food were very different from what we were used to, and we also had to adjust to living together.
Vital Step to be a Foreign Engineer in Japan: Make the Japanese Language Part of Your Life
Aside from the classes, this is what helped me learn Japanese. You have to connect your life to the language. Instead of learning useless sentences, find ones that can be helpful. Here are some practical things I did to do just that:
- Study Japanese through what interests you. My interest in history helped me learn Kanji as I studied etymology alongside it.
- Learn from anime. It worked as useful conversational and listening practice.
- I changed the language of my phone, desktop, and social media. This ensured I was interacting with useful Japanese phrases in my natural daily life.
- I made friends with other Japanese speakers. My friends and I would only speak Japanese when we went out.
- Learn to talk about yourself. After all, interviews are partly a way to promote yourself. So being comfortable about talking about yourself can be really beneficial. This includes being able to ground conversations with anecdotes from your life.
Preparing for My Sponsored Trip to Japan for Job Interviews with FAST OFFER International
Because of the partnership between AtoJ Hirameki and FAST OFFER International, after learning Japanese, we were seamlessly transitioned into the job hunt.
After learning Japanese, FAST OFFER International began helping us with the job hunt. I felt like my Japanese wasn’t up to par yet, and I still had to rely on a mix of Japanese and English. I also had no experience at all, so I felt anxious about it. I also had only a short amount of time to prepare for three Japanese companies that wanted to interview me. And yet, they trusted me to manage the interviews well.
My career advisor cleared his schedule to help me. Through mock sessions, they coached me on how to steer the interview in the direction I wanted through my answers. It was also quite helpful that they were native Japanese, so just listening to him talk was an exercise in itself, and their perspective also helped me further understand the Japanese worldview. They also had me listen to even more recordings of Japanese people simply talking just to practice my ear for listening. I was very nervous at the start, but my career advisor’s thorough mentorship soothed my apprehensions.
Flying to Japan: My First Impressions
Traveling to Japan for the interviews was an amazing experience. For the first time, I could use Japanese to communicate with Japanese people in their everyday environment. I could also see the kind of workplace I had always imagined myself being part of. The experience inspired me even more. When I was riding the train, I even encountered a local who had recently traveled to India. He even happened to visit my hometown. Meeting people who also expressed interest in my culture warmed my heart a bit. More so, just seeing how everyone was indiscriminately kind, respectful, and rule-following citizens was so nice.
I also enjoyed the convenience of the Japanese lifestyle. There were vending machines everywhere and 24/7 convenience stores where you can even copy and print documents. And I also liked the food in Japan! I wouldn’t have a problem adjusting to it.
My favorite part about Japan, though, might be the air quality. I have a very sensitive nose. Sometimes, just steaming milk would make me sneeze. My nostrils were so clear in Japan. It was like breathing in fresh mint leaves; it was refreshing.
Oddly enough, I felt more culture shock moving from South to North of India than flying to Japan.
My First-Choice Company Offered Me A Chance To Make History
Of the three companies I thoroughly researched, one had quite a legacy under its belt. With a 110-year history working in Japan’s energy systems, they’ve repeatedly been a key figure in Japan’s innovations. They were the first company to invent a compact diesel engine, helping farmers in the early 20th century. Since then, every decade, they’ve made innovations that have had a historical impact. Now, as they look to the power of hydrogen, they’re on the path to make a historical mark once again. The possibility of being part of that journey was what made them my first-choice company. You wouldn’t find these kinds of opportunities for engineers in India.
When I interviewed with them, I knew I had a disadvantage of not knowing about electrical systems. But I told them about how I also learned a program from scratch for my final year project—giving 100%. In the same way, this time motivated by my career, I would gladly put in 1000% for whatever it was I needed to learn for the company.
They must have been impressed by my answer! After interviewing with all three companies, my first-choice company gave me an offer! The position was not something I was familiar with, but I saw that as a good opportunity to challenge myself and learn something new.
I visited the company during that trip as well, where I met my seniors and even the director. The director himself started as an engineer and then climbed his way up the management track. It was really inspiring!
Looking Toward the Future Making History as a Foreign Engineer in Japan
When I get to Japan, there’s so much to see. I want to see their drifting culture for myself. Then, there’s also the biggest stationery shop in Japan I’d like to shop at for new drawing supplies. In Japan, even their paper and pens are innovative, after all!
Most of all though, there are possibilities at my company. Getting a job in Japan is not the end of my dream. It is another step toward it. My goal is to create technology that can affect the world and help people on a large scale. The company I am joining can help me move toward that goal. The company has repeatedly developed technologies that have made a meaningful impact on society—I’m excited to be part of their next innovations in renewable energy. With my future now firmly set with the company, I am excited to become part of that story and contribute to the next chapter of its history.
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