Hello! My name is Nadira Annisa and I am currently a Junior Strategic Planner at Hakuhodo Indonesia. When I was looking for a university, I was not planning to go overseas. I also felt that Japan required language skills and many courses were offered in the STEM field, which I was not inclined to. I was really interested in Communication and the Arts, and Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University happened to offer a course in Culture, Society, and Media. I applied and also received a scholarship.

In APU, all the students are really active in circles and organizations. During my first year, I joined an organization called the Honors Program because I wanted to meet people outside the Indonesian community. I wanted to put myself out there and hang out with people from other nationalities. I was able to make good friends from different nationalities like Japanese, Thailand, Australia and many more. I still joined the Indonesian Community circle (APUINA) and participated in Indonesian week which I focused on during my first two years. I enjoyed joining the theatrical and creative events during that week. In my third year, I also started doing teaching assistant jobs for English classes and multicultural workshops which taught me a lot about leadership. I also was part of an editorial magazine that was sent to Indonesia for prospective students. In my final year of university, I focused on my internships at JPort and at a Dentsu, a Japanese company that I interned for at the Indonesian branch.

Why are you interested in the arts and performing?

I’ve always been interested in the arts and performing since I was young, its always been fun and exciting to me. However, I didnt get much opportunity to do it during high school. When I saw that APU would provide me to study what I wanted while being able to do arts in Japan, I gained a lot of interest to study there. 

What I put the most effort into • my most memorable experience in university

Indonesian week, part of the Multicultural weeks in APU where each country gets to showcase their culture through various events and activities ! Even though it's hosted by Indonesian students, there are a lot of international students who join and help out with our events. We learn so much about teamwork, organization skills and learning how to work with people you might not like, being professional, and how to manage your time. I also had to balance doing all of this with classes. People are really serious about it and put in a lot of effort, and during that 6 month preparation period, I was able to build strong bonds with other people outside my social circle. I really learned a lot despite all the stress, and I guess now I know how to manage my stress haha. 

Things that he/she regrets not doing during their university/college life

Now that I am living in Indonesia, I feel like I didn’t appreciate and enjoy Japan to the fullest.  I was constantly stressed out about college and work. Now that I look back, college life was so much better. In a small provincial town like Beppu, I could have spent more time exploring my city. Another regret would be maybe trying harder to expand my bubble beyond the Indonesian community and doing things outside my comfort zone. It’s really rare to be able to have the chance to meet people from so many parts of the world. 

As for job hunting, I don’t want to blame it on COVID but everything went online. I regret not trying as hard to find a job in Japan -and a big part of that was not learning Japanese as much as I could. 

Be prepared & sure

In my case, I didn’t know whether I wanted to work in Japan or not, which made me less prepared and eager. However, I did try the traditional Japanese job-hunting route. I prepared the necessary things like the Jiko PR and in the process, you really learn more about yourself.  It can show what you actually want. It’s a good opportunity to get to know yourself better. For Indonesia at least, we don’t get to exhibit our strengths and weaknesses such as the JIKO PR or other mandatory forms in Japan.  By doing the Japanese job-hunting route, you can use materials like the Jiko PR to showcase yourself better - an important aspect when it comes to interviews too. 

Also, You really need to have good Japanese skills so make sure you have the certifications! 

Don’t rush

It’s okay to not go the expected route, or land your dream job. Especially as a fresh graduate, you’re still really young and have a long way to go in your career. Take the time to figure out what you want to do.  If you have the opportunity or privilege to still look for another job or do what you’re passionate about, go for it! You don’t have to be stuck on one thing forever, and you can try to figure out how by thinking of two things and merging them together  - what am I good at? and what am I passionate about? Of course, most people don’t figure this out in their first job. 

Internships

A lot of companies, not just in Japan, value having internship experience or at least any experience in a professional level and environment.

Japanese skills

In Indonesia, with you speaking Japanese, you can network with more people, especially in a Japanese company. I have also heard that if you speak Japanese in some companies, you can get a higher salary since you can contribute to more tasks, help out in different areas and reach out to more business partners. 

In Japan particularly for an international student, it would be easier to adapt, understand the company culture and communicate with them when necessary. 

Hard Skills/Extra Skills 

A lot of my friends have said this too, but it's really useful to have these certifications which they don’t really teach in a university. You can easily obtain these qualifications from online platforms like Coursera. I think it really adds value and widens your opportunities, and often can lead you to your career path.