No second chances for Japanese graduates...

[yukio_michael]

Tip 'o thee blogopshere to Marxy (http://www.pliink.com/mt/marxy/archives/2006/11/no-chances-in-t.html). This is maybe a little less than a week old or so, sorry it's not so 'cutting edge'... Regardless...

Reported on 2ch's Itai News blog (http://blog.livedoor.jp/dqnplus/archives/858527.html), Kinki University (http://www.phys.kindai.ac.jp/users/recruit/index.htm) in Osaka is advising students that they must take jobs as soon as they have graduated, lest they become branded as washouts and, regardless of whatever prestigious academic record they hold, be forced to live the remainder of their lives grinding out the same base pay afforded to common slobs.

Forget about relaxing after all that work to plan on where and what you'd like to do. Forget about fragility, and human mistakes, and uncertainty. Forget about the freeter lifestyle kids... That route is like signing your own wellfare cheque.

From Itai blog...

２度とチャンスはありません。

"No second chances."

フリータやニートになっては，人生台無しです。

"The life of the freeter will become a life of nothing..."

Better think twice before staying at home and spending all you expendable income on BAPE and car culture.

Thanks, again, Neomarxisme (http://www.pliink.com/mt/marxy/) blog.

[Lady Blue]

I didn't understand. What's the advice for? God.. I have a long way to go in my english yet---

[Nall-ohki]

That's okay, Lady - there's not much to it. I'll paraphrase:

"For Japanese people who graduate college. GET A JOB IMMEDIATELY or you will be stuck making very little money for the rest of your life."

Not sure I buy this, but meh.

[gaijinalways]

It's a common mindset here that people are too old to go to school at a fairly young age. People have very set ideas about when you should find your first (and perhaps last) career, marry, and have children. It's not that other countries don't sometimes have conceptions of ages where this is more likely, but in Japan it tends to be more rigid.

So, with that in mind, some older graduates can't get jobs at companies that won't hire them, older students can't get into better universities, etc. It is a form of ostracization within the society. Remarkable when you consider that the elderly or looked upon kindly in some ways, but in the land of edcuation and employment, there is very little leeway granted in many traditionally minded Japanese institutions.

[Lady Blue]

Thank you very much, Nall-ohki-san, for that kind translation of yours.

Ah.. um... well, that kinda sounds bad. Imagine that on this side of the ocean, where you make masters, phd and don't know what else more that takes ages!!! But well, their culture, anyways.

NEw words of the day: whashout, slob, wellfare, ostracization, leeway...

[nurizeko]

Considoring Japans labour problems I would think people would make a bigger effort to discard dangerous social/bussiness practice, if your company needs employee's it doesnt matter how old the person is aslong as they are qualified and can do the job.

That goes for enabling women to be more involved in the work place.

Finally, wether Japan likes it or not, unless it can somehow magically turn around the declining birthrate, they will have to accept foreigners to help fill roles.

[bexchurnside]

Tip 'o thee blogopshere to Marxy (http://www.pliink.com/mt/marxy/archives/2006/11/no-chances-in-t.html). This is maybe a little less than a week old or so, sorry it's not so 'cutting edge'... Regardless...

Reported on 2ch's Itai News blog (http://blog.livedoor.jp/dqnplus/archives/858527.html), Kinki University (http://www.phys.kindai.ac.jp/users/recruit/index.htm) in Osaka is advising students that they must take jobs as soon as they have graduated, lest they become branded as washouts and, regardless of whatever prestigious academic record they hold, be forced to live the remainder of their lives grinding out the same base pay afforded to common slobs.

Forget about relaxing after all that work to plan on where and what you'd like to do. Forget about fragility, and human mistakes, and uncertainty. Forget about the freeter lifestyle kids... That route is like signing your own wellfare cheque.

From Itai blog...



"No second chances."



"The life of the freeter will become a life of nothing..."

Better think twice before staying at home and spending all you expendable income on BAPE and car culture.

Thanks, again, Neomarxisme (http://www.pliink.com/mt/marxy/) blog.

Can they really afford to have the luxury to hold this stigma to a their Japanese nationals when their population is waning and their economy is going to start needing us foreigners? With their level of prejudices they have allowing us to enter, I am pretty sure the Japanese nitos would even get a chance to get in before we ever do! (Excepting English teaching jobs, of course)

[yukio_michael]

Can they really afford to have the luxury to hold this stigma to a their Japanese nationals when their population is waning and their economy is going to start needing us foreigners? With their level of prejudices they have allowing us to enter, I am pretty sure the Japanese nitos would even get a chance to get in before we ever do! (Excepting English teaching jobs, of course)I think what they are trying to do is scare kids into avoiding the freeter lifestyle, basically a lifestyle which forgoes actually joining the workforce in favour of keeping whatever money you happen to make for spending on liesure activities...

For a while there was the thought that freeters were actually contributing to the economy because all of the money they made went right back into buying luxury goods etcetera--- But, many argued that, of course certain markets like housing, and housewares in general were disregarded entirely since these things were provided to these kids by the families they lived with.

I think this is a scare tactic (which may or may not work) which tries to ensure as many people exiting school go right into the workforce as possible.

It may backfire; It may produce an even greater ammount of people so immesnsely stressed by the prospects of completing school and joining the workforce that you see ever more instances of sub-societies which simply try even harder to avoid it.

[Iron Chef]

"...It may produce an even greater ammount of people so immesnsely stressed by the prospects of completing school and joining the workforce..."

Heh, as if that isn't the case now? Look how hard your average high-school student grinds the academic mousewheel with little to no actual direction. Ask your typical student (high-school or even university to some extent) what career options they are considering and many will give you an ambiguous "undecided." With virtually no career guidance system in place, students at all levels are told they must adhere to certain academic standards (admissions, frequent testing, scored rankings, etc.) but never told why or how this is to their benefit--only that if you want to be successful you gotta study your ass off and score higher than your peers. Failing that, option#2 is be sure you're enrolled in a "prestigious" academic institution and that should be enough, grades notwithstanding (mention that you're from Waseda Uni and watch how people react...)

With all that pressure, no wonder so many people (I know some even into their 40's!) enjoy the "freeta" lifestyle. Parents enjoy the extended control they have by keeping their grown children under the same roof while the freetas benefit from having their laundry done, home-cooked meals, and in many instances--little to no rent due. At any rate, something needs to change I suppose on a myriad number of levels in order to have more college graduates (and those who aren't as well) become more productive members of the workforce.

[tampopo]

Is Waseda all it's cracked up to be? Is it a good university? My wife went there and I had a look around it with her one day. So what's your independent opinion?

[Pachipro]

Is Waseda all it's cracked up to be? Is it a good university? My wife went there and I had a look around it with her one day. So what's your independent opinion?

In Japanese terms it is a good university. Why? Because it is so damn difficult to get into because the entrance exams are so hard. Much the same as Todai (Tokyo University) among others. One must study their ass off at juku's (prep schools) and spend a small fortune and such in order to attend such a prestigeous university. Plus, the tuition is another small fortune. But, if you graduate from there you are virtually guaranteed employment anywhere you desire, especially in government, and you will rise to the top based solely on the university you graduated from and not your skills or business or political sense. Also, your classmates or alumni will help you in securing lucrative positions.

However, the most difficult part is getting in, but once you do it is just like any other other Japanese university in that you can just skate through without studying much. One person I took in for a short while as a room mate, at the request of a friend, was a student at Todai and he almost never attended classes. However, he was offered, and accepted a position, at a major Japanese corporation and is a leading executive today. And he did nothing except pass the entrance exam! We were both students at the time and, while I was studying and writing term papers, he was reading manga and spending time at coffee shops and looking for women in Shinjuku.

In Japan, then and today, it is not what you know, but what university you graduated from. That is the key to success there and not what sense or knowledge you have.

Much the same as anyone who graduates from a prestigious Ivy League University like Yale or Harvard in the US. Although you must study and pass rigorous tests in order to graduate, unlike Japan, you can virtually be assured of any employment you desire and that you will rise to the top regardless of your sense as your classmates will assist you in getting good jobs.

Don't take this personally tampopo as I do not know what your wife is doing presently, but I always think it a waste to hear of a woman who graduated from one of those prestigious universities only to have it go to waste by getting married and not utilizing that prestigious degree to it's fullest extent. However, a degree from Waseda usually will guarantee marriage to a man from a similar university and thus, a lucrative lifestyle. Even though sexual discrimination is prevelant in Japan even today, a degree from a university like Waseda can go a long way even for a woman if she is ambitious and uses it wisely.

Since you asked, that is my "independent" opinion.:wave:

[tampopo]

Pachipro, many thanks for your reply, and apologies for not getting back sooner. i get a bit lost in the threads and fora here!! Think this was one of my first posts...I got back by checking all my posts and wanted to see if anyone'd replied. yeah, she works in a job that does not use her degree in Psychology, (Finance)but at least she uses Japanese which is a good thing.
She is a team leader in her company and isn't totally enamoured with the job, but she gets 25 days of holidays a year, which she appreciates and consequently stays there for the time being.
Being teamleader affords her a bit of seniority and 'pull' though not much. Makes life a little bearable.
She doesn't have a lucrative lifestyle, ho hum... woe is me!!! but at least I make her laugh...
I definitely married above my station!!! lol