I’ve really been looking forward to moving to Japan (When things get back to normal) but I just want to know if I actually have hope.
Currently, I do not have a degree but I have around a year’s experience working for a rather popular company (I’m mentioning this since a blog post on this site mentioned working for popular [?] companies as a pro). I also have a good understanding of Japanese, I can read and write the Kanji, Hiragana, and Katakana and also speak the language quite fluently. I don’t know if these abilities would be able to make up for my lack of a degree or if this is just a fruitless pursuit.
Any opinions or advice would be more than welcome.
The main reason why employers care about you having a degree is it makes the process of obtaining a visa much simpler. If you don’t have one, you should figure out which route will make you eligible for a visa, as detailed in this article.
Thanks for your reply and happy new year! It seems my best bet is to take the PhilNITS certification, however, I’m curious as to what you mean by “Letting the employer know I qualify for this visa”. Would a mention in my resume be enough as I’ve noticed that some employers may not reach out for clarification about certain things? What do you think is the best way to broach this topic with an employer?
Many (or maybe even most) employers aren’t aware that the PhilNITS certification qualifies you for a working visa. So if you were only to do something like have a certifications section that lists that you’ve passed the exam with no extra information, they might disregard your application.
If it were me applying, I’d include something like the following in my application letter:
I’m so enthusiastic about the prospect of moving to Japan that I’ve passed the PhilNITS exam, which makes me eligible for an Engineering Visa despite not having a university degree.