Hopeful math-heavy major wanting to live in Japan someday, need advice...

College Majors Science Majors
1

<p>Hello there. I've just spent a year in college and I'm currently doing Trigonometry during summer school. It probably sounds crazy that someone that had to start back from basic Math (a combination of multiple things caused that) would want to go into a math-heavy major, but I really do want to do that. Sure I could do Social Studies or English, but I find subjects with little math to be boring and I am also disinterested in English. Even though math was never a strong point in my high school year, I want to take what was formerly a weakness and make it my strong point. There's two things I definitely know I want to do:</p>

<p>~ I want to do something math and physics-heavy related. I'm the type of person that likes to challenge myself to do something difficult if its beneficial to me. Even though social studies was my strong point in school, I can't say I would want to do something in it because it would all turn out to be too easy to me and unrewarding. Math and physics really do have that sense of challenge for me that requires time to work on. Recently, the Trigonometry class I'm in was learning proofs (and we had to do it within three days before our tests). At first, I found it extremely difficult and did not understand it at all, but as I worked on it for hours upon hours, I eventually understood proofs and how it worked. I haven't gotten the grade on my proofs test, but after working through it and struggling with it, I can say that I feel relieved that I understood proofs and it feels so rewarding to know it. I did not understand physics during high school (I took pre-AP Physics), though this was due to a combination of laziness, being in Algebra 2 (I was in 11th grade at the time) and not being prepared for the challenge of physics. However, I want to give Physics another shot (once I get through the four Calculus classes offered at my community college) and this time, when I do take physics (its the calculus-based University Physics), I will be prepared, have all of my math classes taken and I'm much more dedicated than I was during high school.</p>

<p>~ I really want to live in Japan someday: I've always had a fondness for Japan. There's something about living in a foreign country to experience what the country has to offer that really grabs my attention. The desire to travel the world also is burned within me as I'm that type of person that wants to see what the world has in store. Japan in particular interest me because of its culture, the musics, how people live and (admittedly) to a lesser extent, my bias for Japan in general. I also find the language to be beautiful (I enjoy learning 日本語 (Japanese) and am currently on the y-vowel ひらがな (hiragana)).</p>

<p>Unfortunately, Japan is far from perfect. Like every country, Japan has its flaws (tendency for earthquakes/tsunami for one as well as the country having been in stagnant economically for over two decades) and I don't want to cloud my judgment with bias if I do decide to move to Japan. One thing that bothers me is that I'm not sure what jobs are available that can pay well. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not all about money and money is not my main priority for living in Japan, but I can't just ignore it as an issue and I don't want to live paycheck to paycheck. There is engineering, which I'm strongly considering, but the pay over there is much less than it is over in America. The pay is generally $30-60K and Japan's GPD IIRC is around $35,000.</p>

<p>Basically, what I'm saying is that I'm trying to find some good choices for careers that are math/physics-heavy (due to a sense of challenge involved) and pays well enough to where I don't have to live paycheck to paycheck while being in Japan. Engineering might be one, but I want to keep my options as open as possible.</p>

2

<p>My situation is quite similar. I just finished my first year of community college, and I had to start in elementary algebra. After being bored out of my mind in that class, I retook the placement test, and skipped intermediate algebra and geometry, then took college algebra in the spring. I just finished taking trig over the summer a couple weeks ago, and I’m now ready to start calculus in the fall. I’m also a physics major, and considering double majoring in physics and math after I transfer. </p>

<p>Why do you want to take a shot at physics “after” completing the full calculus sequence? If you want to take a university physics sequence, you should be taking it concurrently with calculus. The first course in the university physics sequence usually only requires calculus 1 as a prerequisite, and it may or may not require some algebra/trig based physics as a prerequisite. I’m taking an introductory algebra/trig based physics course this fall, at the same time as Calc 1. Then in the spring, I’ll go on to Calc 2 and start the calc based physics sequence. If you want to major in something related to physics, you need to start getting the physics courses completed as soon as possible.</p>

3

<p>I am going to be taking an Elementary Japanese course this semester, and likely the second in the series in the Spring before transferring to a 4-year next Fall. I am majoring in Physics and Math and hope to be able to fit a Japanese minor in as well (if possible). I am going to be looking into studying abroad when I get into the 4-year, but I don’t know how it would fit in with my Physics/Math dual major plans. That is definitely something you should look into if it fits into your schedule.</p>

4

<p>I love Japan too and know Japanese. I was born and raised in japan and wanted to be a doc there, but US, had more opportunities in my opinion. If I were you, I would do a good search on the requirements for working over there. They are pretty strict at times and the applications are a nightmare. I would talk to a rep on how to fill it out. Scholarships are offered too if you have to go to school here. I know, unlike the US, some careers over there you would have to learn Japanese (Pass exams and language proficiency test) and have a bachelors. Go here:</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/[/url]”>http://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/&lt;/a&gt;
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (厚生労働省) will guide you on employment in Japan. Any other questions please ask</p>

<p>Sorry, link did not work.</p>

5

<p>@comfortablycurt: I definitely plan on taking university physics on my third year of community college (and basic engineering courses afterwards for my fourth year), but knowing how physics went for me in high school, I don’t want to take university physics until I feel my math skills are strong enough to deal with the difficulties of the courses. Plus I need to try to get an A in university physics, not a B or a C.</p>

<p>Another reason is that I don’t want to overdo it in math-related courses. This upcoming fall semester, I’m already planning on taking Calculus and General Inorganic Chemistry 1 (along with World Literature and English), pushing me up to 15 hours. Last thing I want to do is to be so overwhelmed that I barely pass those classes; that’s simply not acceptable to me. Unless I definitely decide to go to an university with a major that doesn’t require more than General Inorganic Chemistry 1, there’s no way I can fit in University Physics 1 without overwhelming myself. Plus if I do decide to take University Physics during my third year, I will have already done Calculus 1 and 2 during the fall and spring semester of my 2nd year and Calculus 3 and Differential Equation during the 2nd summer semester.</p>

<p>@JboyLover27: I’m very aware that you have to learn Japanese in order to get some jobs, hence why I’m learning the language. I’ll also make sure to read the stuff on there when I get the time.</p>

6

<p>You might want to also check if there are particular universities over there that do study abroad. I remember seeing advertisements for the University of Tokyo where they’d pay for you to spend a semester or two there if you were studying metallurgy or materials science. They even claimed there was no language proficiency, but I imagine that’s stretching the truth a little bit.</p>

<p>I know a few people online that have done things like the JET program and have had good experiences.</p>

7

<p>@astarisborn94: Yes, but you will be surprised that people go over there expecting tons of jobs offered to English speakers. Don’t know why they think that, but they do. Mainly the teaching jobs. Even though there are careers where you don’t have to learn Japanese, but the better jobs in my opinion, you have to be FLUENT, pass the proficiency exam (N1, which is the highest level exam) and take their exams (Even though you may take test in the US, you may have to take their specific exams or start over). Good luck. You can do it. If I were to stay in Japan to go to medical school there and decide to attend medical school in the US, I would of had to start over in medical school. So, look up on the requirements on whatever job you are doing so you won’t have to start over. Getting someone in Japan to sponser you is important too, to help you with the paperwork that is in Japanese. The Japanese are not like the US where they help out foreigners a lot. The Japanese in most cases pick their own, unless you have unique skills you can help benefit Japan. It is not impossible though. I believe you can do it you appear to be highly dedicated.</p>

<p>Also, have you tried an American company that has offices in Japan? Then choose a job that would require you to be in Japan, like bilingual accounts specialist or bilingual network architecture specialist are to name a few. There are companies out there in the US that can help you in that, especially if you are worried about income in Japan. You will be working for an American company but can use your Japanese in certain cases.</p>

8

<p>In fact, I’ve seen the last suggestion often If you are not in a rush and your Japanese is not advanced. It takes awhile to be fluent in a language. I am a native Japanese and we didn’t learn all kanji until I was in High school. It is significantly less stressful than going there and scampering to get work and jumping over hurdles. Keep in mind that even if you save up money, Japan is a very expensive country, so your money will drain pretty quickly. I am not trying to discourage you at all, but just telling you what’s going on. If you still want to work over there, contact a sponsor, do the requirements, get training, and be fluent in Japanese. That’s all my advice, good luck.</p>

9

<p>You should also keep in mind that, unlike the US, in Japan there is no shortage of people who are extremely proficient in Mathematics. People with good Math skills in the US are sought after because they are relatively rare. To be considered good at Mathematics in Japan you would need exceptional ability by US standards.</p>

10

<p>Its not easy getting a math job in japan. Your options will be limited over there because of the cultural and language barrier. More than likely you will have to end up getting a job at an English Japanese university as a math professor.</p>