| COUNTRY |
| Indonesia |
| EDUCATION |
| Bachelor’s in Engineering and Design, Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) Master’s in Environmental Science and Engineering, National Taiwan University |
| COMPANY |
| Japan‑based engineering company headquartered in Osaka that provides non‑destructive testing and inspection services to ensure the safety and reliability of industrial equipment and infrastructure. |
| SUMMARY |
| They studiously worked on their dream of becoming an engineer in Japan who can help with the world’s water crisis. So, during their master’s, they developed an energy-efficient desalination system, all the while juggling self-studying Japanese. However, they quickly discovered upon graduation the difficulties of job hunting on one’s own. Luckily, FAST OFFER International came along and made their dream a reality. |
Back in high school, I always dreamt of being a professional engineer so I could indulge in building things. I wondered what it would take to turn that dream into reality. There seemed to be infinite possibilities, but the one that stuck with me the most was pursuing my environmental engineering career in Japan.
I was always drawn to Japan because I grew up with anime. It allowed me to see a lot of beautiful Japanese scenery featuring their culture and nature. It made me think how nice it would be to see those places in real life, like climbing the staircase so heavily featured in Kimi No Nawa (2016) or the many summer festivals and countryside explorations in the many Japanese movies I’ve watched. Working in Japan would mean I get to be in that environment. But perhaps more importantly, I know that Japan is one of the most advanced technological countries in Asia. It would be combining two of my great passions!
Pursuing My Passion in Environmentalism and Engineering
As an engineer, I was greatly influenced by Tenki No Ko (2019)! Aside from being a compelling, fantastical story, it showed the ramifications of the weather in people’s everyday lives. Perhaps, more importantly, it served as a metaphor that we humans have a role in the current climate crisis. It’s a movie that affected my concerns as an engineer.
Serious about building environmental solutions in the future, I joined the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB). Although I initially sought out civil engineering, being redirected to my current field of Engineering and Design, specializing in Environmental Science and Engineering, felt more apt with the numerous environmental problems I can solve.
Water: My Focus as an Environmental Engineer
As an environmental engineer, there are a lot of environmental problems to solve, but the one that was particularly at the forefront for me is the world’s growing environmental and water crises. The United Nations (UN) defines the water crisis as a world problem and even set “clean water and sanitation” as #6 goal for SDGs.
During the research for my Master’s at National Taiwan University, I realized that focusing on standard water systems wasn’t enough. With 96% of the Earth’s water coming from the oceans, I chose to focus my Master’s degree research on seawater desalination. Traditional desalination methods require massive amounts of energy and come with high financial costs. Through an innovative method called redox-mediated electrodialysis utilizing redox flow battery tech, I created a system that dramatically lowered energy consumption while remaining highly efficient and sustainable. I was satisfied with my research, but here comes the problem. How could I make this a reality? I knew that lofty goals and dreams weren’t something I could implement on a global scale on my own. I needed to find people who had the same goals and mindset as me to dedicate resources and time to bring about changes in the real world.
For me, Japan is that place where caring about the environment as a people feels like second nature. From their waste management systems to the way they prepare for climate issues, time and time again, Japan proves that it’s using technology to better the environment.
Learning Japanese for my Dream
Now, to be an engineer in Japan, of course, I also needed to know Japanese. I began considering learning when I was in high school. I had read many guides on the internet, and I found that other than the JLPT, there’s another Japanese Proficiency test called the J-test. What makes it different is that it contains a writing comprehension part that I thought would be useful for the future I had in mind.
Learning a language completely on your own for over five years takes strategic persistence. Perhaps what was most challenging as someone studying on my own was ironically the most important part: learning Japanese conversation.
Here were my strategies for self-studying Japanese conversation:
- Regularly watched Japanese talk-centric YouTube channels to pick up natural conversational flows.
- Challenged myself by acting like a member of their podcast room—repeating their phrases, shouting out reactions, and
- Engaged in long monologues while in the shower to sharpen my mental output speed.
Putting my Japanese practice to use
Luckily, during a two-year stay in Taiwan for my master’s degree, I befriended Taiwanese Japanese speakers. With them, I got to actively practice Japanese conversation and adopt a natural rhythm. It was nice to finally put into practice with other people the Japanese I’ve been learning on my own. At Kyoto University, I also met native Japanese who taught me some regional Kansai dialects.
Job Hunting As An Environmental Engineer in Japan
I have been thinking about job hunting since my college years. And when I graduated from my master’s degree program, I immediately started job hunting. Doing it on my own didn’t go very well. When an independent recruiter approached me and asked me to apply to a specific firm, I failed. I was almost feeling hopeless when a close friend working in Japan recommended FAST OFFER International. That’s when my luck changed!
The speed and efficiency of the FAST OFFER International team surprised me. Because environmental engineering is an incredibly specific and rare specialty for global hiring in Japan, my designated Career Advisor spent an extensive 1.5-hour strategy session diving into my profile to map out overlapping industries. The staff thoroughly checked my background. Sadly, it seems like there aren’t a lot of environmental engineering companies. So, we had some discussions together.
Through our conversations, my career advisor pointed me in the direction of this Japanese company that specialized in the non-destructive inspections of the integrity of concrete structures. Though it felt different on the surface, my background in design principles for water plant piping and pump systems perfectly overlapped with their technical needs. Our conversations allowed me to think wider: my specialty at this company can help existing structures acclimate in today’s ever-changing environment, contribute to better stewardship of water resources, and lower the carbon footprint.
Overcoming the Interview Barrier with My FAST OFFER International Career Advisor
My conversation with my FAST OFFER Career Advisor on how I match with the company was just the beginning. Once I secured an interview slot with the company, I then had detailed coaching sessions with them that transformed my answers into concise, impactful professional pitches. They taught me how to directly correlate my niche research to the corporate job description and how to properly present personal weaknesses by highlighting strategic countermeasures.
I poured 100% of my energy into preparation, writing down, and memorizing a comprehensive three-page master guide of potential responses. When the actual interviews came, nearly 70% of the questions perfectly matched what we practiced with my mentor, giving me the rock-solid confidence to navigate the rest with my own language skills. It’s all thanks to their assistance that I was able to find a company that would enable me to achieve my dreams as an environmental engineer in Japan.
Advice for Aspiring Global Professionals
For anyone looking to take their technical skills to Japan, understand that a basic language foundation is not enough; you should push yourself to build genuine intermediate or advanced communication capabilities. Do not just memorize vocabulary banks—consistently practice outputting your thoughts verbally so you can react with quick flexibility during a live technical discussion.
FAST OFFER International: A Proven Pathway to your dream of working in Japan as an Engineer
I am very grateful to FAST OFFER International for acting as the strategic bridge to my career. Navigating international corporate web spaces and discovering highly specific technical roles on your own can feel incredibly narrow and overwhelming. FAST OFFER streamlined the entire search, guided my preparation flawlessly, and allowed me to finally turn dreams drawn from Japanese movies into real life.
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