Daniel is an iCLA graduate of Fall 2024! Staying in Yamanashi after graduating, he is currently working with Endress + Hauser, a global company for industrial process measurement and automation products and services.
Despite the restrictions of the COVID-19 Pandemic which delayed his arrival to the iCLA campus at the beginning of his degree, Daniel made remarkable use of his time at iCLA. He demonstrated initiative and leadership by co-founding iCLA’s Gaming Club, Radianite, creating a vibrant community for iCLA students with shared interests. His dedication to campus life extended further through his roles as a Student Ambassador, where he provided invaluable insights into student life for prospective students, and as a Floor Assistant in the iCLA dormitory, contributing to a positive and supportive living environment.
Read on to learn more about Daniel’s career path after graduation, his insights on job hunting in Japan, and the responsibilities of his current role!
1. Can you tell me about where you’re employed and what your job position is?
I am employed at Endress+Hauser Yamanashi, and my job position is a Project Engineer.
2. What does a typical day look like for you in your job?
My typical day at work right now is to study the business around tank gauging and the products we sell so that I can better understand and in the future, that would involve giving solutions to problems and giving instructions to projects in the tank gauging field around the world.
3. How did you get involved in your current field of work?
After searching for a job in Japan and numerous career forums, I found my job through a career forum in Kofu.
4. Why did you decide to study and subsequently stay to work in Japan?
I have loved the culture of Japan for a long time now, and I wanted to challenge myself to make a living alone in a country far away from my home country.
5. What was your major at iCLA and why did you choose it?
I chose the Global Business & Economics major due to my interest in finance, business and numbers.
6. In what ways has your academic experiences in your courses or skills you gained at iCLA been advantageous/applicable in your work?
I believe the fact that I chose many subjects around all majors has been useful in my work – for example taking finance courses, design courses and especially the programming language courses that iCLA offers. Developing your logical thinking skills while being creative is very important for the engineering field. With the combination of programming, finance courses and design courses at iCLA, I could develop these skills thoroughly, which has helped me a lot.
7. Was there anything you were glad you accomplished during your time at iCLA (academic or extracurricular)?
I am glad that I went out of my way to participate in many different courses, as well as creating the Gaming Club with my friends. Managing it gave me quite a big insight about managing time, efforts, leadership, therefore I would really recommend for people to create something during their life at iCLA. I participated in many different aspects as well, so I would just suggest for people to take action and be proactive into creating something that they are proud of.
8. What was the most difficult thing you experienced when searching for a job and how did you overcome it?
Searching for a job as a foreigner in Japan could be quite challenging, however, persistence and strong will is the key. Be proactive and never give up. I would advise people to study Japanese and dive deep into the culture because I think if you do that, you will show a more positive side to employers and Japanese business. Combined with persistence and never giving up, that would give you good chances into succeeding in whatever you have set as a goal for yourself.
9. What assistance/job hunting/career support if any did you receive from YGU/iCLA?
I actually found about the Kofu career forum through iCLA, so be alert of anything that the university is displaying, because iCLA wants to help you.
10. If you did an internship through iCLA/YGU, how did it help you develop & find work upon graduation?
I did not do an internship due to the COVID-19 Pandemic situation and not being able to enter into Japan for half of my tertiary education. However, I highly suggest searching for internship opportunities to gain experience and to see how the work environment suits you.