u/TraditionalWindowsXP

30y/o Computer Science graduate from the UK, worked remotely for a US company for three years (Audio/Video/Graphics Editor then Creative Lead) then moved to Japan. It's currently my fourth year as an ALT English teacher in the countryside. Passed JLPT N1 last year and have good conversational Japanese. I have been doing web developement since last year using AI agents (VS code, Antigravity, Claude Code, Codex, Git, OpenCode, OpenRouter, Ollama, Copilot, Cursor, Windsurf, etc.) to make web apps for myself and other teachers. I ended up making a full SaaS product that currently has 78 users (only two paid users because I dislike marketing/sales/customer service). I can do HTML/CSS and basic JS but to be honest I don't really enjoy coding. However, I really like working with computers, utilising ICT software and hardware, and I enjoy making UI/UX/architechtural decisions. I've been considering entering the IT industry when my current teaching contract ends in March 2027.
What sort of skills would I need to develop? Is working in the Japanese IT industry stressful? Is it worth moving to the city for? I feel very satisfied and fulfilled in my current placement/position but I'm considering options because there's no growth/career progression. Looking for ideas on what sort of positions in the IT industry could suit me. Much appreciated!

I recently built a tool to speed up the creation of word order (scrambled sentence) activities.

You can paste in any sentence, optionally add hints or images, and the activity is generated automatically with multiple difficulty levels so students can gradually work their way up. There's also an import feature with sentences from common JHS textbooks.

Examples:

• Here We Go: https://www.edubento.com/open/c8131e35-e9b3-4be5-a180-7ba3bc656dfd?community=1
• New Crown: https://www.edubento.com/play/scrambled-sentence/a8683546-2245-475a-8ea2-67c6566d6d17?community=1
• New Horizon: https://www.edubento.com/play/scrambled-sentence/1602900d-4f31-45a4-bd25-cd17df0dc5d2?community=1
• Sunshine: https://www.edubento.com/play/scrambled-sentence/64e0fa28-6b66-4970-b207-1e1312144d82?community=1

I recently built a tool to speed up the creation of word order (scrambled sentence) activities.

You can paste in any sentence, optionally add hints or images, and the activity is generated automatically with multiple difficulty levels so students can gradually work their way up. There's also an import feature with sentences from common JHS textbooks.

Examples:

• Here We Go: https://www.edubento.com/open/c8131e35-e9b3-4be5-a180-7ba3bc656dfd?community=1
• New Crown: https://www.edubento.com/play/scrambled-sentence/a8683546-2245-475a-8ea2-67c6566d6d17?community=1
• New Horizon: https://www.edubento.com/play/scrambled-sentence/1602900d-4f31-45a4-bd25-cd17df0dc5d2?community=1
• Sunshine: https://www.edubento.com/play/scrambled-sentence/64e0fa28-6b66-4970-b207-1e1312144d82?community=1

https://www.edubento.com/play/card-match/d10ec7c2-60ce-49c1-95d2-bbf3e091a407?community=1

Play styles:

• One pair shares one device
• One group shares one device
• Teacher displays on TV / projector
• Each student plays solo on one device

>

The first one is a completely free to use writing surface, useful for taking notes, jotting down ideas and other open-ended writing tasks. The touchpad on the right can be used for quick actions (swipe left from center for backspace, swipe bottom right from center for period, etc.) Students can copy text and paste to other pages/apps like Google Docs and Canva or save a text file on their device.
https://www.edubento.com/writing-pad

The second one is targeted writing practice that checks the students answers character by character and gives them live visual feedback. This is a paid feature and requires signing up. You can create a shareable activity by adding questions and answers to a template editor. This one also uses a similar touchpad system for quick actions but additionally supports scribble/scratch to remove text. Here are some JHS samples:

Grade 1 level: https://www.edubento.com/open/d25e1c63-09d5-411b-b48d-cec80b975855
Grade 2 level: https://www.edubento.com/open/841e1885-b82c-430e-af79-fca6f62f3400
Grade 3 level: https://www.edubento.com/open/bfebcf35-edd2-4a8e-86fc-f80a0b4bba10

Give them a try in your next lesson!

Designed for young learners, but may be used by anyone who is learning English as a second language.

The first one is a completely free to use writing surface, useful for taking notes, jotting down ideas and other open-ended writing tasks. The touchpad on the right can be used for quick actions (swipe left from center for backspace, swipe bottom right from center for period, etc.) Students can copy text and paste to other pages/apps like Google Docs and Canva or save a text file on their device.
https://www.edubento.com/writing-pad

The second one is targeted writing practice that checks the students answers character by character and gives them live visual feedback. This is a paid feature and requires signing up. You can create a shareable activity by adding questions and answers to a template editor. Here is a sample for a language activity (Japanese to English):
https://www.edubento.com/open/d25e1c63-09d5-411b-b48d-cec80b975855
This one also uses a similar touchpad system for quick actions but additionally supports scribble/scratch to remove text.

Give them a try in your next lesson!

Roulette is a highly engaging pair speaking game, but it can also support up to four players. It is designed to make target language learning more fun and rewarding for students.

Grade 1 "Do you / Are you": https://www.edubento.com/open/8d7dea7f-db0e-4f62-bda4-cfdaf7240852
Grade 2 "going to / will": https://www.edubento.com/open/2591f96f-9620-44b7-857c-c919cc3adcf9
Grade 3 "Have you ever / I have": https://www.edubento.com/open/45e9184c-450c-4705-b716-d33263b80bf2

Setup:
One device per pair, with each pair playing their own game.
We recommend setting a 4-6 minute timer, then changing partners and repeating.
Supports 2 to 4 players on one shared device. 2 players recommended.

Game flow:
Spin the wheel. The wheel shows point values. Wherever it lands is this round’s stake.
Ask and answer. One player asks the question, and the next player answers.
Build the pot. If students continue the conversation, they can tap +1 Question & Answer to add more coins to the pot.
Play Rock Paper Scissors. When the round ends, players do Rock Paper Scissors. Winner takes all the coins in the pot.
Keep spinning. Roles rotate automatically each round. The wheel rebuilds with remaining questions. Play until every question is done or until time runs out. Highest score wins.

Fun ideas:
Teachers vs Students: On a single device, enter “Teachers” as Player 1 and “Students” as Player 2. Pick a student at random using the Random Picker. Spin, ask, answer, and battle for the pot.
Classroom Showdown: Display the game on a TV or projector and run a group vs group game.
Partner Shuffle: Play for 4-6 minutes, switch partners, and start again with a fresh conversation partner.

Special features:
Golden Questions: Some wheel sectors glow gold. These are worth 50 coins as a base. Build the pot even higher for a massive payday.
Skip RPS: Tap Skip to move on quickly without awarding the pot.
Undo Bonus: If +1 Question & Answer was tapped by mistake, tap Undo to walk it back.
Disable +1 Question & Answer: In the Roulette editor, the bonus button can be disabled to make the activity simpler for younger students.