Hi Paul,
Firstly, thank you very much for sharing your experience in Japan. I really enjoy reading your blog and find it very informative and helpful.
I am 29 year old and based in Sydney, and have a few years of Linux admin experience. Like yourself, I have always wanted to work in Japan and brush up my Japanese language skill. I have been taking Japanese course for a couple years now and planning to take JLPT N3 in July.
The dilemma is I am trying to change my career from a sysadmin to a Ruby developer (which I only have less than one year experience through doing DevOps) and I am not sure if looking for an entry position in Japan right now is the best move for this transition.
Would you recommend me to stay in Sydney for a little longer to gain more experience and get at least N2 done first, or should I just start looking for a job in Japan and see where it takes me?
In addition, I am bilingual in English and Mandarin. Not sure if it would help working in Japan.
Your inputs will be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much in advance!
Cheers,
Daniel