The North Star Project, 2013-2014 Report Number Thirty-Nine, Higher Education’s Effect on Job Hunting in Japan, by Erin M. Koch

The North Star Project, 2013-2014 Report Number Thirty-Nine, Higher Education’s Effect on Job Hunting in Japan, by Erin M. Koch

During my time as an undergraduate student, I studied abroad for a year in Japan at Akita International University to further my studies in my specialized area of Asian studies. Akita International University is one of Japan’s cutting edge schools in which all classes are taught in English; it is also recognized as being one of the first universities in Japan to base its school system on the American university system.    Despite using a whole different system than most Japanese universities, the job process for these college students remains the same.   I was lucky to observe this process because I was there during both the winter and spring semesters.  It intrigued me as the job process there is a totally different than what you would find in the United States. …