Currently in an MBA program in Japan, will be graduating in the fall, and am trying to plan for next steps. In an ideal world I'd be looking into full-time opportunities but my language skills leave a lot to be desired (hovering in the N4-N3 space) so I'm debating language school vs job hunting post-grad. TL;DR – background in digital marketing, getting my MBA here but worried about aging parents and debating: language school, jobs in the tourism industry (concerned about the instability), or going home (really want to avoid this if possible).
I originally studied abroad here before the pandemic and loved how safe, convenient, and easy life felt here compared to back in the U.S.. So I graduated, worked in marketing for a few years, then decided to enter an MBA program in Japan hoping to make some business connections and plan a life here. I initially thought I'd be able to study Japanese at the same time but grad school is keeping me much, much more busy than I anticipated and I haven't been able to make time to study. It seems like it'd take another year or two to get to N1 with language school, which while opening the door a lot job-wise I'm not super excited to go back to school after 2 years in this MBA program.
My parents are getting older, and I'd like to be in a position where I could be helping them financially and thinking about their future rather than their thinking about mine. While I've quite a bit in savings (~5 million JPY) I would prefer not to burn through that, and would rather be saving than spending to move towards helping my parents out and being there for them. They're based out of the U.S. and while they're healthy enough to take care of themselves independently (for now) I worry about how much longer that will continue as they're in their 70s. I'd like to be better able to help them get live-in services if they ever come to need it, especially given how suddenly health can deteriorate.
At the same time, I recognize that N3-N4 Japanese is nothing and long-term it will not only impact my job prospects but everything from social life to even daily tasks like handling ward office/life things. I'm just not sure if it makes sense career-wise to take another 2 year break just to pursue language school, when in theory I could find a (probably not so great) job, study Japanese after work, and continue building towards a better job that way. I'm also not sure what the future of marketing is with AI and if there's even room for me in Japan in that field since my specialties are copywriting and social media which are both incredibly language-heavy. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly: I enjoy Japan because I find my mental health is better here than back home but I haven't had to deal with the work culture here. I work part-time as a research assistant at school to pay bills but I don't really have work experience here. It's possible I do all that and end up actually hating Japan once I'm working here.
If anyone has had a similar journey in Japan or could share their thoughts/opinions I'd really appreciate it! Also I don't really use Reddit much so please let me know if I should be posting elsewhere.
by Business-Pass4672