Hi, I am Thanh Hai Nguyen from Vietnam. I graduated from Tokyo International University in 2019, with a bachelor’s degree in Business Economics. At first, I was quite interested in Economics but as I started to invest more time in maths, I gradually became intrigued by programing and data analyzing. This led me to where I am today, working as a data analyst at my current company. 

Back when I was 12 or 13 years old, I got the chance to read about the Japanese’s bravery when facing natural disasters. I was strongly impressed with the people since then that I decided to invest my time in getting to know more about Japan. That’s how I ended up being in Japan.

The most memorable or proudest activity during college

There were properly two things that I consider most memorable during college. The first one dated back to my sophomore year when I participated in a start-up competition called Sekai Creator. This start-up incubator lasted for 8 weeks with participants developing their own business ideas, receiving help from professional advisors. After the 8-week duration, the selected participants will compete, pitching their ideas, to find out the winner. In the end, I did not win. However, the working experience is definitely a lot of fun and memorable. 

My second memorable moment was the time I interned at Tokyo Techies as a data scientist. The company constantly organized data science workshops which required me to write a new codebase every time. Along with that, I also have to create my own presentation, explaining my code to participants. This internship has really been of great help. I got my path and career vision more planned out after the experience.

What you wish you had done during college and why?

Spend more time with my friends. I realize now that I was too caught up with other things that I forgot to build valuable relationships. If I had the chance to go back, I would invest more time in interacting and communicating with people. Healthy relationships are always of great help, especially in quarantine time like this. 

I also wish that I had found a mentor back in college. I feel like international students in Japan have to go through a lot by themselves. Therefore, having someone to ask for help and experience would be really helpful. 

Get Yourself Going and Don’t Stop 

Be proactive with your job-hunting journey. This means actively ask around, actively build up your network, and present yourself out there vigorously. There is much more information available now compared to years ago. Therefore, there is no need to be afraid or go through this journey all by yourself. We all have had years studying and researching, so we should be confident in our ability to do job-hunting. It is not uncommon for students to feel discouraged due to rejections when going through this process but the blessing behind it is it shapes your perseverance. Giving your best and not giving up is the key to success not only for landing your first job but, also for the succession of your career as a professional. 

The Ability to Have a Clear Vision of What You Want! 

I think that working in Japan requires having a pretty specific vision of your career. You should be aware of such things as your salary range, your industry, and your team members. Identifying these elements would have you set up a checklist and create a flow for your job-hunting journey here in Japan. Above all, you should self reflect upon your interest to decide what you would like to do for your career because it will be crucial when you are writing your resume.  Preparing a good resume is definitely the way to go. In Japanese resumes, there is a particularly tricky section where you talk about your proudest moment in college. Completing this section requires you to be selective and critical, listing only the work you’ve done and how did you learn from them. The most important part is connecting it with yourself and how it may reflect you as a professional. I feel that after you have completed this section as well as the whole resume, you would be able to acquire the skill of storytelling - explaining topics simply with details-  and be more very aware of yourself. The only thing now left is to get an interview.