Nihon-jin wrote:Ahochaude wrote:
Yep. I was thinking that if I were to go to Japan and come back to the states, my resume would not improve, if at all, slightly. If I teach English there, or even work at Costco, what good will that do me?! I have a lot to think about.... hmmmmmmmmmmm
Ahochaude, if you don't mind, let me give you another perspective.
I've worked for some large international companies with offices in the U.S., Asia and Europe. The one thing I can tell you from my personal experience is that yes, a college degree is important, but companies now seem to consistently seek out individuals who stand out from the rest. Despite the fact that a college degree is still very important (I won't deny that), I've seen people get hired without college degrees because they'd done something uniquely different or had an altogether different background than everybody else.
I think you're in that situation. By living in Japan, by being multi-lingual, you have the opportunity to present to future employers your ability to quickly adapt to a totally different environment, to be able to make well thought out decisions, to be independent, to assimilate cultural differences (not necessarily limited to countries but companies as well), and to prove that you're willing to take calculated risks. Living abroad is something not many people (even today) get to do and many employers view it as a "plus". You may have noticed that a lot of fast trackers in a company are often sent on overseas assignments. It's precisely because of what they gain by living overseas that they're sent there.
And working for Costco there? Yeah, probably not the best thing in the world but guess what - it could very well be an opportunity to find out how the Japanese style of management differs from the American style - and be able to incorporate that in your resume.
Granted, truthfully speaking, not every company will overlook your lack of a college degree but I rather doubt many companies would view your living abroad as a negative. The key to selling yourself in the resume is to present all the positives that came from living in Japan and use them to overcome anyone's objections to your lack of a college degree.
So don't sell yourself short. If you really want to go then come back to the States, I don't think it'll hurt your resume at all. In fact, I'd be surprised if it didn't help.
I suppose this is one point-of-view.
To me, though . . . it'd be more realistic if you had a job lined up before you even packed a single bag. A job that you like and pays decently.
The following goes on a tangent relative to the discussion at hand, but, here it goes: I've heard, at least throughout the university systems 'round the U.S., the only way a foreign student (and, admittedly, might even be more difficult in this post-09/11/01 era) can apply for a research postiion, etc. (any university graduate-level job) is if the university absotively cannot find any U.S. student with the same expertise.
Or maybe it's NOT so tangential. I mean, let's face it -- Japan's one of the more homogeneous societies on the planet; do they have any mandated hiring practices when it comes to Nihonjin vs. Gaijin? [and I'm utilizing "vs." as it seems to be a popular article to cite in Japan.]
My advice right now, Mr. Ahochaude? With every incident I see on the news, with more than a few Hawai'i expatriates suddenly coming back home after many years of living somewhere's else . . . Hawai'i no ka oi, bruddah. And I WISH I were being biased in saying that. We may not be millionaires (yet :hehe: ), but we sure have some clean livin' here.
K-den.
P.S. The Man is VERY pro-college degree. The completion of a bachelors degree is STILL not a walk in the park. I certainly don't think working overseas is a substitution for a degree. No way; why the heck you think our universities are filled with foreign students?