Life After Graduation (end of 2011-2012)

Life after graduation is a funny thing.

Many of my previous blog posts have revolved around my ongoing fight of finding a job of my liking.  Perhaps I've put too much thought into it, but hell, an experience is an experience, right?

In my previous blog, I explained my situation at and after Boston Career Forum in 2011.  Long story short, I wasn't able to get the position at Konami or DeNA, however, after sending a letter to Konami expressing my regret, sorrow, and dedication towards their company, I was given a second chance.  The only catch was I had to go to Tokyo for the interview.

What was originally planned as a post-graduation present to myself - a vacation in Japan - quickly became a stressball of asshairs.  I was given a second chance at Konami, and had to prove to them I was the one to hire.  After tons of preparation, I went to Konami HQ, passed the written exam, and advanced to the final interview.  The final interview, entirely in Japanese, was tougher than expected.  I ended up failing the interview. Physically and mentally drained, I exited Konami HQ, wondering where the hell I would be in the next year.

I came back to America with very low spirits.  I honestly thought that my life was about to begin working as a zombie salary man in Tokyo.  My mind was already there.  So it felt very strange being back.

That's when it hit me.  The sudden realization that all the money I had borrowed to obtain that little piece of shit paper with fancy typeface on it had to be paid back.  Damn, a decent job certainly sounded good at this point.

But I wasn't in the position to be picky.  Okay, time to chug me some coffee, turn on psycho-study-focus mode, and get cranking on some job applications.

Job #1: A breath of fresh air.

I ended up applying to a local company where my duty was a "Medical Data Entry and Lab Assistant".  I've done my share of data entry.  As long as you can turn your brain off, you really won't have a bad time.  It pays the bills, and you have your comrades next to you suffering just like you are.

On the job description, it said that 20% of my daily duties would be assisting in the lab.  That actually sounded fun and exciting.  I thought of it as a way to squash the stress of typing all day, and take a breath
 of fresh air.

The first week wasn't terribly bad.  They give you stacks of papers.  You look at those papers, and transfer the data into a data entry system on a computer.  Tons of data entry, with no room for mistakes.  What's that little stain on this sheet?  Oh, probably nothing.

The second week came around.  This was the week where they explained the medical lab duties.  It didn't take long for me to realize what this job was really about.

From that day, 2-3 hours of my shift would be dedicated to cutting open plastic bags, and emptying 4-6 smaller plastic bags with urine samples and patient information sheets inside each of them.  I would then open up each individual plastic bag, pull out the urine sample, and pull out the patient information sheet.

This wasn't a breath of fresh air.  To all the medical assistants and nurses out there - If your duty is to take the patient's urine sample and send it out to a company who tests them for drugs, please, for the love of Jebus, secure the damn sample.

When these urine samples aren't secured, they leak.  Not only does it smell, but somebody (I wonder who?) is responsible for cleaning them.  This isn't exactly the piss from an angel, either.  These are people being tested for drugs.  The vibrant colors of these urine samples would even make a rainbow jealous.  On the more extreme side of things, if an unsecured urine sample is sent Friday from another state and arrives Monday in California, you'll be cutting open a plastic bag full of piss-frost.  Three day old piss-frost, mind you.

It doesn't take long for me quit something I absolutely hate.  I walked out the next day, and took another position as a TRC tester at Sony Computer Entertainment of America.  (I had applied to Sony a few weeks earlier - I passed the interview, but decided to take on the challenge of "piss-handler" because it was an easier commute and paid a little better).  I was able to get the job with the help of some very good friends of mine, Steven, Will, and Omar aka Coach.

Job #2: The doesn't-pay-so-hot Dream Job

Working as a TRC member at SCEA was awesome.  I learned a lot about what goes on during the process of game submission, and learned how much testing actually goes into each and every game, in order to help maintain the integrity of the Sony brand.  And I was able to get my name in a few games' credits, which helped stroke my ego.  With a ton of awesome friends working there, things were actually very good.  It would have been great if they offered benefits and coughed up a little more dough, but it was was it was.

In the back of my mind, I had another unfulfilled dream.  I wanted to teach in Japan.  Although the idea of moving to Japan as an unqualified teacher to teach a language that I'm terrible at didn't really sit well in my stomach, I felt like it was a step in the right direction.  Stepping stones - one at a time.  I'd teach there for a year or two, meet tons of people, and transfer to a company of my liking.  I was pretty confident.

While working as a TRC tester, my plan was to save money, and enjoy life while I could.  At the end of my contract, I thought of quitting and applying as an English Teacher in Japan.  I have a few friends who have done this, and have a ton of experience on the topic.

Didn't Happen Job #3:  I can't even spell diarrhea but I will become a teacher in Japan

So, with all things said and spoken for, I made the mental decision to teach in Japan.  By mental decision, I mean I was still physically working as a TRC tester, however I made my first physical efforts to begin the application process as a teacher in Japan.

However, I didn't make it too far along the process.  I applied to a recommended agency, passed their written test, and passed their phone interview.  The only thing that was next, was an in-person interview in Los Angeles, which I was pretty much prepared for.  Something very unexpected happened at this point.

Job #4: Goodbye San Diego

I received a message from a good friend, Toshi, about a potential job opportunity in Orange County.  The company was a gaming company, and the position revolved around Marketing (My major is International Business with an Emphasis in Marketing and Japanese).

Now, when you add everything up, the job sounds like heaven.  You know, it tickles my fancy is many different ways.  You see, my dream job, or dream life, involves few things.  Things that make me happy.  I live a lifestyle that is very laid back and doesn't require much stress.  And I think that's the lifestyle that I want to maintain.  Little sparks of stress here and there are okay, but stress, every day, is not a life that I want to live.

When I first looked at the responsibilities, I freaked out a little.  I mean, I have no experience.  I don't know what the hell all of this means, although I am confident I can learn it, just like any other decent human being.  Then again, I looked at what the position would be offering, which included things that make me happy:

- Japanese language
- Video Game Industry
- Traveling
- Marketing (my major)

So I decided to apply for the position.  I did some coffee-drinking, a ton of research, and after two in-person interviews, I was accepted, and this was a big changing point in my life.

With the help and support of my good friends, I was able to get a position at a job that seemed to fit me entirely.  I had to move away from my hometown, but it was worth it, because this job would mark the first real job, with real experience, for me.

It has been a long ride...

- Fake tattoo applier
- Bagger at Vons
- Cashier at Rite-Aid
- Customer service at a food machinery company
- Pizza delivery boy x2
- Customer service a flower company
- Data entry at a medical center
- English tutor in Japan
- Medical data entry and piss handler
- TRC tester at SCEA
- Current job


In the end, I've learned a lot of things.  What is important in life, how your mind becomes brain-washed when you are trying to find a decent job, and how your mind changes once you achieve the job you want.

It's important to remember the stress the pain that you went through to achieve your goal.  Because as you grow older, you will witness other's in the same position, and you will be able to give them a helping hand.

I think anybody is capable of doing any job.  Half of it is just luck, and timing.  I know this for a fact now.  We are all adaptive beings with endless potentials.

Anyways, enough deep stuff.  I will update another blog with my experiences at this current company soon.  Thank you for reading my friends!

Boston Career Forum 2011

Alright, it's about time I right a blog explaining this stressful-as-shit psychotic adventure called 新卒就職活動 - AMERICAN STYLE.

Well, I'm basically writing this to get it all out of my brain. But, I'm also writing this as a guide to help people who are kind of confused as to how to prepare for this event. Before attending, I savaged through the internet for useful information, and asked random strangers on forums for advice, but it still wasn't enough. So yeah, listen up, because I'm pretty sure you won't find such a beautifully well-written masterpiece of advice as this one.

Well, let's first talk about the event itself. The Boston Career Forum is a 3 day bilingual career fair that is held every year in Boston. Why Boston? Who cares! About 90% of the attendees are Japanese. A lot of them are Japanese who were born in the US, or Japanese who are studying in the US. Either way, they are pretty much bilingual. That word is scary as hell, right? BILINGUAL. Or FLUENT. Don't let that shit scare you. Seriously. Remember - Those words are only as powerful as you make them out to be. I don't think I'm even fluent in English. I learn new words every day. At the same time, you can't be a scrub who only watches anime. You need to have taken a few years, hopefully 3-4, of Japanese language, and have an amazing command of the mannerisms. It all comes to play here. You can totally boost your "Business" Japanese with a few months of preparation. Preparation... This is key.

You'll be required to do some extreme preparation for this event. First thing first, you have to register to CFN (Boston Career Forum's little website). Once you're there, you can browse all the different companies that have posted job listings. They will post more and more as the event comes closer. On the CFN website, you need to create an English and Japanese resume. Some companies will require you to create a エントリーシート (Entry Sheet) as well. It is basically a resume that isn't as "braggish" as English-style resumes. Google some templates if you're interested in seeing some. Entry Sheets are annoying because you have to write one for each company you apply to.

Each company you apply to will have "bonus" questions. Yay, bonus questions! These questions usually aren't far from things like, "Why do you want to work for us?" (志望動機は何ですか) or "Why do you want to work in Japan?" Some get a little more detailed, though, and it all depends on the position you are applying to. Try to be creative with your response, and don't be 自慢, or boastful. AKA, don't go in there spread eagle. Show them your raging passion via passiveness.

You will most likely want to apply for 3~10 companies, depending on many factors. I only applied to two, believe it or not. My friends applied for about 8. I personally chose 2 because I only wanted to work for that kind of industry, which is the gaming industry. My other friends just wanted a job - period. But remember, you need to ask yourself WHY you want to work for company A or B, or why you chose A over B. You need to really research the companies you are applying for.

After you apply to all the companies you want to (via the CFN website), the wait begins. You might get an email from them, or you might get a surprise phone interview (which happened to be, by the way, at 8pm on a Sunday night). I was totally unprepared for it, but managed to pass.

If things go well, you'll get a confirmation email through the CFN website to schedule your own interview dates during on Friday or Saturday of the Boston Career Forum. Once you make it to this point, you can finally take a break. FOR NOW...

Because now, you completed step one, which is getting the interview. The second step is the interview itself.

Don't forget - This is not your typical interview. The majority of these interviews are for new graduates. The person who is conducting the interview understands that you have no actual experience in whatever field you are applying for. Yeah sure, you may have an internship, which is great, but you probably don't have 2-3 years of full-time experience under your belt. And you know what? That's for the better. They don't want you have experience. They want to brainwash and mold your brain into the shape of their company logo.

Again, the interview is for new graduates. So you must ask yourself, "Who am I?" You need to do some crucial self-analyzing. Here are some questions that you should know for the interview:

1) Why do you want to work for company A? Why do you want to work for this industry?

2) If hired, what do you see yourself doing?

3) Which of our products/games do you play? (this is specific for the gaming industry)

4) Why do you want to work in Japan?

5) The work environment is much different in Japan than in America. Can you handle it?

Here are some self-analyzing questions. You really need to take time and figure these out:

1) What are your strengths/weaknesses?

2) What is your 自己ＰＲ, or selling point?

3) What did you put the most effort into during your school years? (The answer isn't studying or classes. Anything besides that. School clubs, studying abroad, internships, community service, etc.)

If you aren't Japanese, they will really drill your brain with questions regarding your passion for Japan. They want to hear why you want to work in Japan. Involve your feelings when you speak about it. Be passionate when you speak about it. These guys are professionals at conducting interviews, therefore they can see right through bullshit.

Will update more later on personal experiences.

#2

ALRIGHTTTT!!

So, the written test that I had to take for the job was something called an SPI test.  What the hell is an SPI test?  It stands for Synthetic Personality Inventory test.  INTENSE.  It is a very common test in Japan.

Basically, the SPI test is your typical aptitude test, with a little Japanese twist.  It is an extremely time-limited test that challenges your ability to answer problems, which may include things like math, logic, pattern solving, puzzles, geometry, Japanese, and English.  Knowing that I've never taken this kind of test before in Japanese, I knew I definitely needed some kind of supplemental resource.  I definitely needed an excuse to go to Convoy.

Before going to Tokyo, I went to Book Off near Convoy with my boytoy CJ and bought a study guide for the test.  As always, the entire guide was in Japanese, but it had hundreds of problems, solutions, formulas - So I snatched it, and the journey begun.

With the help of Kosuke, Miho's websites, and this lovely guy named Bobo, I was able to successfully PASS the test.  I don't even know what passing means.  I'm pretty sure I got around 40%.  Anyways, HR told me to come in for another interview.  So that was a MAJOR relief.

Here is a website that has some good practice questions for the SPI Test (Make sure correct encoding is enabled)
http://hpcgi2.nifty.com/q-a/quiz200/tqindex.cgi

*edit*

I deleted a lot of what I previously wrote.  

Check the website below if want to see some sample questions for your typical SPI Test.

Pretty interesting test, huh?  Well, that's the kind of test you take when you apply as a new-graduate here in Japan.  They know you don't have true, actual, pure, sensual working experience.  Only street-smarts and book-smarts.  I could dive into the topic of educational and post-educational/career differences between these two countries, but that's for another day.

Well, after passing, I was asked to come in for another interview.  So let's talk about that real real quick.  I think I did pretty well.  This interview was called an APPAKU MENSETSU, or PRESSURED INTERVIEW.  It was me and 3 others.  I already felt the pressure.  Fortunately, the person from HR was extremely nice, and surprisingly used to live in Irvine.

The questions that were asked were much harder than the first interview - A majority of the them reflected the position rather than my personality.  In case you didn't know, the position I am applying for is "International Localization."  I had to express my dedication to them, and the country.  I've been using Vega since vanilla man, you think I don't understand dedication!?!  Did you know I wore a visor for 4 years in a row?

Anyways, the interview finished, and I left with a huge sigh of relief.  I can't say my answers were amazing, but I did manage to throw in some good points, in which they seemed impressed.  I had to give it my all.  The pressure and nervousness really helps with my Japanese.  I don't know why, but I feel way more focused when the pressure is on.  My focus meter exploded the moment I walked into the HQ.

So that's the situation.  I am currently awaiting the results.  I hope the next Blog will have some really good news.

NO MORE JOB TALK!!!!!!

Well TOO BAD!!  That's all I've been doing really.  That, and having reunions, and messing around in arcades.  I've actually been playing a lot of JuBeat lately.  I find it pretty stimulating, since it's basically a combination of "sudden" slight pattern recognition (Gah I'm sick of this word).

Here are some random pictures that I took.  Check em out!

White dude glaring and palm trees?  Felt like I was in SD for a second...

Nice little chill spot.  Wired Cafe is one of the few places that actually provides free WiFi in Japan. 

No idea but intriguing...

MANPOWER 

Gyoza for dinner <3 Homemade deliciousness

My palace 

Toto, the cat.  Super chill and sweet. 

But sometimes psychotic

Those eyes!

Small store next to the HQ

Stalking the backdoor entrance to the HQ

Right after the interview.  I definitely needed some CHUUTORO

TOO GOOD

THE CLOCK!

Got to chill with the MAY of MAYSY and Kim himself.

This was our first time eating FAKE-O-YAKI

 Rainy Shibuya

It'll never die! NEVER!

Nostalgia, even from the people who made it!  X3 vs 2nd Mix

This is very inspiring.  I'm curious how long this place will last.  I have ideas.

YOU LIKE MY VAGUE TALK? 

Say what!?! 

Next stop - LAS VEGAS! 

Chillin with Anna and her eyeball 

I had no idea this thing was chilling at my train station!

Takahadafudo Temple 

YES...I FEEL IT 

Roughly 65 bucks for these WHITE STRAWBERRIES.

Super curious about the flavor. 

How cute!  A little snow 

Leaving my MARK 

I miss you SD peeps

Snow got a little rougher...this once peaceful route started looking like something from the Ring. 

I think I'll pass... 

A little Christmas Tree I made on the stonesssss

I bet some guy walking home was freaking out with all these laying around

Finally home, sick view 

Rinchan and Toto taking a peek outside 

After the snow stopped.  Beautiful picture.

Sorry for the amount of snow pictures.  I just never get to see this stuff mang!

Bootyful! 

Rabbit stew comin' right up! 

The most difficult walk home ever.  But fun as hell going down!

Well, that's about it.  I have a little cold right now, but it doesn't seem so bad.  I'm taking some hardcore Chinese medicine right now, and it seems to be doing the trick.  Just taking it easy for the next few days...

SSF4AE2012

There are surprisingly a lot of Juri and Cody players around.  The way people play Juri here is insane.  She has all the necessary tools. with only a weak wake-up game.  I got to play against Nekojita, and got bodied pretty hard after perfecting him one match.  He has a very ambiguous cross up game that...well, no need to really explain.  I got Abel'ed.  Itabashi Zangief was also there, but I didn't have a chance to play him.  There's a crowd of about 20 people surrounding the machines when these players are in the arcade (Sega @ Shinjuku West Exit), so it's hard to get a chance to play.

Shungoku Neurosis was there, but I always see him in Shibuya.  I actually met him in 2009 when I first studied here, so we're homies.  We tight.  We don't chill outside of SF though.  I'm always trying to break that barrier, but in Japan, it's a little tough.  Or maybe he just thinks I'm a dumbass.  I'll try to take some videos next time I'm out in Shinjuku.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

I realized that I don't have as much MONEY as I thought.  The exchange rate really destroyed my wallet this time.  $2,500 turned into 170000 yen, which I guess you could consider $1,700.  I contacted my previous students who I helped tutor in 2009 and 2010, and have also been on the hunt for new ones.  So far, I have 2 students, making about $15 per hour for each one.  It's only once a week, so I'm still looking.  I'm also looking for TANPATSU work, which basically means you work ONE time, for ONE day, and get paid about 7000 yen.  It's mostly tiresome, labor-intensive or brain-dead work.

I don't think I'd be able to live in Japan if I didn't have some kind of California or San Diego vibe surrounding me.  Having those people here really helps.  I can kind of see myself working here, and it would be extremely cold and sad without them.  Why?  Well, It takes a long time to open up people in Tokyo.  It's hard to just "hit it off" with a random person, kind of how you would in the States.

I'm trying to work out and eat a crap ton of good, high-protein food while I'm out here.  It's tough, with the whole money situation and all, but since I have a kitchen I can use, it's definitely doable.  Walking 5-6 miles a day definitely means you have to cram a lot more food in your body, or risk losing weight.

My serious meter is about to explode.  You have no idea how badly I want to ENJOY this vacation.  I'm restricted to be completely free.  I just want to get this over with so I can HAVE FUN AND PARTY.

DJ AND AKEEM!  Get your asses to Japan RIGHT NOW....

THATS IT FOR NOW!  I will update in 2 weeks or so with (hopefully) GOOD news.

P-P-PEACE~~~!

#1

DAMN!!!

So, I am finally back in Tokyo after about 1.5 years.  Last time I was here was when I was studying at Aoyama Gakuin Daigaku, from 2009-2010.  Amazingly enough, this is my 10th year anniversary of being in Japan.  The first time I was here was in 2002 with Kazu.  This is also my 10th time in Japan.  10 times, damn. Thanks to DJ and his mom for the years and years of first-class flights to Japan for $400!

This trip is basically a combination of fun and job hunting.  Since I just graduated from SDSU and finally got that useless piece of ass BA, I felt like deserved a little vacation.  This trip was honestly supposed to be pure vacation, but with some luck, I was able to get the chance to meet with the new graduate recruitment director of the company I'm applying to for the second time.

Let me bring everyone up to date with how I got this far.  I'll try to make it as short as possible.

In November, I went to Boston Career Forum, which is a 3 day bilingual career fair held in Boston every year.  Companies fly from Japan to try to find, select, and successfully recruit new graduates.  The entire interview process is in Japanese, as well as all the documents and papers you need to fill out for the position.  I applied to two gaming companies, while many other students applied to many more companies (applying to 7-10 companies is not uncommon at all).  Since the entire thing was in Japanese, I didn't want to have to juggle information between several companies and risk the chance of screwing up.  So I stuck with the two.

The first interview for both companies went great.  Company A said I passed the first interview, and told me to take a written exam on Sunday at 10:30am.

Company B went even better.  They told me I passed, and that the final interview was on Sunday at 9:00am.  They also invited me to eat out with the company at this bomb ass Italian restaurant.  I felt like I already got the job.

So when Sunday came along, I was feeling really good and mentally prepared.  Well, the final interview for Company B was a group interview with 5 other applicants, and the topic of discussion was the "tourism industry in Japan, and solutions on how to fix it."  We were given statistics, demographics, and a bunch of random information to help us create a solution.  Then, we would have to present our solution to the HR folks.  During our discussion. we were being starred down at by 3 of the HR people, who were analyzing which role we were taking.  I think I was taking the role of, "nervous but hanging in there" dude.

It was tough.  Some of the other applicants were half Japanese, which made the entire thing much more stressful.  I wasn't able to keep up with some of the crap they were saying.  Every time I heard a word I didn't know, I'd remember it (lets call it XYZ), wait until they were done ranting about it, and then say something like, "Yeah, I completely agree.  XYZ is the bomb.  However... ABC is better!"  That was the only way to avoid getting pulled into a topic in which the vocab was out of my league.

Anyways, this is the crappy part of the story.  The interview ended up lasting until 12:45pm, which means I couldn't take Company A's written test.  I couldn't call Company A since I was in Company B's interview.  When I realized Company B's interview was going to pass 10:30am, I didn't feel too bad, since I already felt like I got the job at Company B.

Well, after the 3.75 hour group interview and presentation on the Japanese tourism industry, my confidence was slightly crushed.  I didn't feel like I got the job after my performance.  I felt extra poopie since I missed out on Company A's written test, as well.  I sent them an apology letter, and expressed my regret.

After receiving the well-expected rejection email from Company B, I was back at square one.

OK SO HERE'S THE HAPPY PART!

My friend Kosuke ended up getting a position at Company A after having the final interview with them in Tokyo.  He told me the hiring director remembered me, or mentioned my name to him.  When Kosuke told me this, I felt like I had to do something - anything.  With the help of many friends, I was able to compose the sexiest apology letter I have ever written, both in English and Japanese.  I expressed my regret, asked for forgiveness, and asked if I could have another shot to take the test while I was in Japan for vacation after I graduate.  I wasn't expecting anything.  I just really wanted to send the email out, to make myself feel like I did everything I could in the given situation.

BAM!!! He replied, and said okay.  So that's kind of where I am now, and why this VACATION all of a sudden got a little serious.  I already took the written test, and am currently awaiting the results.  It was extremely difficult.  Like Max 300 8x speed.  Oh wait...

But regardless if it was something Kosuke said to the director, if he didn't tell me that my name was brought up, then I wouldn't have had the courage to email him to ask for a second chance.  So I thank you, Kosukebe.

OK NO MORE JOB TALK, DUDE JUST TELL ME ABOUT TOKYO YOU FOOL!

OKAY!!  It's only been 5 days, so I'm still just bumming around and trying to get my stuff straight.  I've been chilling with KIM, playing some SSF4AE, and just seeing old friends.  This week is full of reunions.

Here are some random pictures for your eyeballs.

BIG AMERICA Grand Canyon Burger from McDizzles.

This was pretty damn good.  Tastes like rocks from the canyon itself

Walking from Usami's house to the station...

She lives at Takahadafudo.  Nice area, full of history and broken arms

Totally forgot this was out......!  Kind of not interested in it right now, though.

More interested in the resell value haha

Super BIG BOY with a picture of a Bronco or some shit?

I think I'm gonna ask them if I can open it to REALLY see what a SUPER BIG BOY is all about

 Trying to find Company A for the written test..

FOUND IT!  Now I stare and stalk it for 30 minutes

Hella stalking from afar.  Pretty nervous at this point.

Trying too look cool in the elevator.  I ended up looking pretty damn gay.

YEEEEE!!!  This was right after the interview

This is the view from where I'm staying.  Little kids center right below there.

Thanks again Usami for letting me stay with you!

Shibuya hasn't changed much.  Just a few shops and arcades.

The AURA is still thriving and fresh like frank 

This place has the best ranked products and what not all in one store.

Pretty sick idea, however most of the stuff is more for a QUEEN then a KING

Shibuya Center Gai is now renamed BASKETBALL STREET.

SO RANDOM but then again that's what this place is all about

IT WASN'T REAL :( 

Sick guitar in Shibuya

Whacky ass art.  So sexy tho!

Nabe with Rino and Michiko

TONKOTSU NABE - I had no idea this existed.  SO GOOD 

 KARAOKE with BOA

I was full of nostalgia when Amazing Kiss came on.  I WANT HER

By chance, CHARLES and ALENA were in Japan doing some Job huntin as well!

Great seeing you psycho-ass lovers :P 

THAT'S IT FOR NOW!

P-P-PEACE!