u/Stiod

Summary :

I have 6 yoe as data professionnal (did two years as a data analyst/scientist, two years as a consultant and two years as a data engineer) and I am wondering if switching to a product/project manager role would be beneficial or a handicap to move in Japan in the coming years.

Long version :

I work in data for 6 years now, but I have always worked on-premise. Now, I am searching a job in Japan and in my home country (because I still don’t have N2, I don’t expect to be hired in Japan in the near future), and I am stuck in both job markets. I had a lot of interviews in France, two recruiters in Japan, and I am mainly screwed because of my lack of cloud-related production experience (before anyone asks, I have a GCP cloud architect certification, but recruiters don’t care). I feel like I am too senior (expensive) to be hired without prior experience on cloud, and I carry my wife and baby so I can’t undersell myself just for the experience.

It happens that I did a lot of project management during those 6 years, and I wouldn’t really mind switching my career to be a data product/project manager.

I was just wondering if having a career in Japan as a product/project manager as a gaijin was harder, easier or more or less the same as having a career with a technical profile.

In terms of employability, Japanese level expectation, salary and so on.

How often companies put an end to haken contracts ?

I just had an interview with a haken company that offers relocation. I don’t have any offer yet, it was just an introduction. Still, they told me they were mainly doing reconductible 6 months-long contracts.

The recruiter told me that the company putting an end to a contract was pretty rare, but I would mike some other input just to be sure. I have a family to support, I can’t really afford to move to a new country to be unemployed 6 months later.

Again, no offer yet, bur I would like to think about it in advance.

It’s not what you think !

I have an almost 3 month old kid. Most of my free time allowing me to play video games is when he's sleeping on my legs while her mom is resting. I have to keep one hand to hold him, but the other one is free.

I could play video games in Japanese, alternating with the Japanese dictionary on my phone, but i need a game running on pc (emulator included) with furigana (looking at kanji without them is too long, I already don’t have much time) that I can play with one hand, that is NOT an anime VN with fan service

I don’t want to explain to my wife randomly entering the room that this panty shot of a cat girl is no representative of the very mature plot of this VN that I'm playing with my baby.

If the story/gameplay was good enough to keep me engaged, that would be peak.

Also, if any of you know where to find Bokura no kazoku's script, that would solve my problem. I really like this game, but it’s only kanjis.

I may have an opportunity for a job as a detached employee. The recruiter told me explicitely that if the contract ends in any way, they will help me find something else but I would be on my own in the meantime.

The package is not great (7M, no relocation package, I guess not much in general) but I can make it work. The lack of job security is the thing I fear the most, as I would have a wife and a kid to take care of. Still, that’s the only time I've been called back after 3 month of application.

I will know the lenght of the contract tomorrow but I would like some input before that. If it’s a 3 month contract (that would surprise me considering the amount of work), of course, I won’t take it. But if it’s 1 year for example, in the circumstances where I have to find work again and can look up before losing my job, how active is the market for people that are currently there ?

I've been applying like crazy for a month. I objectively have a "meh" profile and around N3 Japanese, so that’s not a surprise. I sent my CV to recruiters like Hays and others because why the hell not.

Someone from Robert Half just sent me an email for an interview. It’s just a half-an-hour interview to see my "background and requirements".

I did these kind of interviews dozens of time in my home country but never for a Japanese company. I was wondering if there would be any tips to prepare for it, things I should (not) do or say.

I'm probably just overthinking it because it’s my only opportunity yet, even though it will probably lead to nothing considering the type of company this is, but I would like to maximise my chances.

Is it enough ?

I almost have a N3 level, I am aiming for N2 to hopefully get a job in Japan in the coming years (except if I can land an English-speaking one in the meantime by some miracle of course).

I am reading and listening to Japanese material daily (currently reading Claymore for fun and general vocab/grammar, technical articles about my field to get specific vocab and a bit of reddit and listening to grammar lessons in Japanese with example + some random videos from time to time on top of my Spotify playlist of Japanese music brainwash).

I have no doubt this helps with "real" Japanese, but I'm wondering if it’s enough to get any JLPT certification. For example, I feel like it gives you some uncounscious ability to read kanjis, but doesn’t really help you when it comes to multiple-choice questions where you have to actually think and remember something.

I didn’t start seriously immersing a long time ago though, I may have yet to realize all the power of this method, but if JLPT really ask for brainless anki farming, I don’t want to realize it in a year.