08/08/09

What can I do with a degree in Japanese?

          If you’re like me and you’re interested in Learning Japanese and possibly working in Japan, we're going to explore this possibility together on this site.

First off let me tell you a little about myself. If you relate to the following then this site might interest you. I am currently into 1 year of a 4 year college degree for Japanese and Asian Studies. Don't worry if you’re not into the Asian studies, just Japanese but, I will explain why an Asian study double major is a good idea later.

I intend for this site to follow my journey into the study of Japanese for anyone who wishes to learn how it can be done and even some tips along the way. Once upon a time I was just like you, deciding that maybe a career using the Japanese language and learning about Japanese culture might be a rewarding and challenging experience and I went for it. But questions arose for me, how does one get into college if they are older? (I was 32 when I first decided I could go to college and had the resources to do so.)  What kind of competition is there for people wanting to work in Japan? What kind of study materials were available to someone without a lot of money? How much time does it take a day to study Japanese? How do I quickly learn all those Kanji, I mean Japanese kids spend much of their schooling learning those from elementary and up, are there any tricks? Where can I buy items like keyboard stickers and such and how does that work anyway on my computer or laptop so I can type in Japanese?

There are tons more questions that one has to come to terms with if they truly decide to take their lives in this direction. I have had a few friends graduate already and are working in Japan now and having a good time. Some on the other hand went though all 4 years of college, have plenty of loans and now back in the US.  

A few of you visiting Japlanet.com may remember that I had this site for a few years selling Japanese snacks and games and like. That was a great time, fond memories of traveling to Megaconn every year in Orlando. But I am now in another state for College so unfortunately I don’t think I can sell many of my old products here. What CAN I do? Help out anyone in my own situation by offering anything that I may use. Keyboard stickers, Learn Japanese software. If I can get it as a vendor you better believe I will sell it as cheaply as possible. I will be happy to share with you along the way any books or programs that I have been using and where you can get it, if I cannot stock it myself.

 It’s not my intention to have a Japanese learning material store so much as have a site that will come along for the journey of my next 3 years. I did really well my first year of college and my studies are coming right along. As such rest assured this site will follow along with me and well into my future when I do go to Japan for work.

In about a week or so we should have a forum up so we can discuss our different methods for learning that are working for you and questions you might have for me.