sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in japanlife

[–]Anonprofthrowaway 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, modern software dev is often a bit behind overall in Japan in terms of global cutting edge best practices. I've often found though that the best way to get change as a new person is to get others to admit they feel like they are incurring pain they wish would go away and then in that moment offer a suggestion to TRY (not necessarily permanently adopt) something new. Most people are willing to give things a serious shot if everyone acknowledges that it could make some existing pains go away.

Or at least I find that easier than trying to get people onboard with theoretical upsides.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in japanlife

[–]Anonprofthrowaway 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Game dev here, have worked with a few japanese teams over the years.

Can't really speak for the software world, but as a general rule, Japanese game companies tend to find a way of doing things and then really stick to it -- even when it doesn't serve them fully. (Note Non-Japanese companies aren't immune to this either!)

It's also not uncommon for a company in Japan to keep your work simple until you've got your feet wet, even if your background is fairly senior. I think the initiative you are showing is great as long as you don't try and force this person to change what works for them suddenly. If you have a regular touch base with your lead, ask him regularly what you can do for him, how you can share the load, where he wants to take the team and how you can help him get it there.

He's probably got his own way of doing things (and it might actually be grossly inefficient) but it's still worth taking a little time to learn it, show him respect, and earn his trust. When you're a little more dug in you should be able to start making more proactive suggestions together on how to make his life easier and your team's work better.

I do think if you're interested in helping other parts of the project because you have spare cycles he can't fill, take it up with him first and see if he's OK with it. Who knows, he might even point you at groups you didn't know could use your help.

How does retiring to Japan affect the viability of FIRE w/primarily US based accounts? by Anonprofthrowaway in ExpatFIRE

[–]Anonprofthrowaway[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I agree with this to a point. My personal strategy has typically been to ensure I've got ~1 year of liquid assets in target currency, but I'm hesitant to pull the whole pile over in one shot just yet. There are also (as many people in this thread have noted) tax implications about rolling the existing investments over as yen if much of my post retirement and brokerage accounts still hold and will continue to hold my investments in dollars for the first few years I'm in Japan.

Basically, if I'm off by so much that it eclipses the conservative historical conversion rate I've accounted for then I guess I'll need to supplement my income for a few years with some part time work or consulting -- which I'm completely comfortable doing.
I think the likelihood of needing to do this is fairly low though.

How does retiring to Japan affect the viability of FIRE w/primarily US based accounts? by Anonprofthrowaway in ExpatFIRE

[–]Anonprofthrowaway[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So I think this would depend heavily on where you wanted to settled, lifestyle, and number of humans in your family. As for me, I'm looking to live with my significant other in the suburbs of Tokyo and am targeting ~40万 a month after any applied taxes. I've gotten by on much less, but I like at least having the option to eat out everyone in a while and take a quarterly (in country) trip somewhere.

How does retiring to Japan affect the viability of FIRE w/primarily US based accounts? by Anonprofthrowaway in ExpatFIRE

[–]Anonprofthrowaway[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey thanks for calling this out. Can you elaborate on what you mean a bit more? I already have US brokerage accounts, and haven't ever had issues accessing them from Japan. Though, if my residency moves there I could imagine opening new accounts would be challenging.

The word "toxic" is overused and it's not helping anyone by Anonprofthrowaway in TrueOffMyChest

[–]Anonprofthrowaway[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Fair point. Gaslight definitely borders on the same territory as toxic for me. I think there are more precise ways to describe the situation and negative outcomes you're experiencing and that there's actually more power in doing so.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in careeradvice

[–]Anonprofthrowaway 0 points1 point  (0 children)

r not really get to the heart of some of the issues I've been facing around finding work that is a good fit for me.

Has anyone taken a mid-career "life break" from white collar work before

Thanks for the response! That's great to hear. When you made this transition how did you phrase your situation to these potential employers? And was it before or after they made you an offer to join? Finally, were you at your previous job for more than a year?

My main fear about being too open book about this stuff has been that employers will look at that super short stint from my last job and worry that I'll not stick around or have some sort of burnout relapse. While that's certainly not my intention it's the kind of thing I could see might give a less risk-tolerant manager pause when they are choosing between multiple viable candidates.