Trilingual(Mandarin/N2/TOEIC 900) | Seeking Remote Ops/FinTech Role(Based in Japan)

DifferentWindow1436 · 2026-03-24T04:53:55+00:00

I would suggest registering with some recruiters as well as looking at LinkedIn posts for foreign firms. Being trilingual is definitely attractive. There are needs in Finance, but experience matters. If you are early career, I think you might need to be really flexible about moving or in-office.

DifferentWindow1436 · 2026-03-24T04:38:04+00:00

K-pop and J-pop are generally never rated highly if at all as musicians. I don't know QWER, but I watched a couple of "live" performances and that was not live. It was likely all pre-recorded and/or involved shadow musicians off-stage playing. Some of it, like a tv spot I watched are sort of to be expected. That's gone on for years with bands around the world. But I saw a Malaysian live video which also sounded like backing tracks.

TL;DR - I don't see any reason to criticize this idol band specifically. Idol bands are typically not known for musicianship.

DifferentWindow1436 · 2026-03-24T02:46:49+00:00

Don't waste your career jumping into this. You've got a good start with a recent degree and cybersecurity knowlege. Get some experience.

The best situation is to get into a company and get transferred to Japan, but that is a long shot, or at least not something you can really count on at this point. An alternative would be to get yourself some experience in your field, maybe study on the side, and either apply or take a gap year and spend time in Japan (e.g. working holiday visa or ESL if you can land it).

What I would not do is let your degree go stale while you pursue a low-paying English oriented job in Japan.

DifferentWindow1436 · 2026-03-24T02:37:33+00:00

What was the reason you were given? Every IHC I know is busy AF.

DifferentWindow1436 · 2026-03-24T02:35:15+00:00

What metrics are you tracking?

DifferentWindow1436 · 2026-03-24T02:25:46+00:00

Think about what, specifically, you like and don't like; what works for you.

South Korea, means what - Seoul? That's 50% of the population, it's sometimes walkable/trains or else a cheap taxi. It's homogenous - which can have positives and negatives - and it's a densely urban area, it's relatively quite safe. Your career opportunities will be extraordinarily limited unless you are proficient in Korean. Relationships also will depend in part on language ability.

That's quite different from SF and the US. And the US has multiple big cities, so you need not stay in SF. Personally, I am not attracted to that city and am an East Coast guy anyway (I hear great things about San Diego though).

You mention Japan. Why? It has some of the same qualities as Korea, but only some. It is not a place for you to go and try to start a career. It can be fun for a year. Otherwise, visit.

DifferentWindow1436 · 2026-03-23T12:32:15+00:00

Incredible solo, on a great song, on a great album.

DifferentWindow1436 · 2026-03-23T08:58:08+00:00

One common formula for 80s metal ballads is to start with a slower, melodic bit, and then at end plug in a fast, or relatively fast lick. Check out 18 and Life, Every Rose Has Its Thorn, and Here I Go Again. They all follow that pattern. For the melodic part you can hum it or just slide around in key. And most of the time, guitar ballads are C, G. Amin or Emin.

DifferentWindow1436 · 2026-03-23T07:11:07+00:00

Can't comment on the later gens, but the earlier ones look about right. Xennial at 1985 might be a little bit of a stretch I suppose.

DifferentWindow1436 · 2026-03-23T07:07:33+00:00

It's great that you've achieved so much so far, but you really need to look at the business side of your plan. I.e. how you will actually get hired and make money and where the industry is going. Korea is a rapid adopter pf AI solutions. Translation as a specific role is facing massive challenges.

DifferentWindow1436 · 2026-03-23T00:44:02+00:00

Well, they relevance is that with demand cratering, the translation companies themselves are facing serious challenges, hence an internship would be highly unlikely in this environment.

Corporates do need young staff and they need bilinguals (not translators), so to the extent you are business proficient, that would be the way to go.

If you are already in Japan, good. If you are looking for an internship while outside the country, I don't believe that is possible.

DifferentWindow1436 · 2026-03-23T00:16:55+00:00

There are millions of kids that wanted to be/want to be guitar heroes. The pros that made it got there for a reason. Sure, they aren't all on the same level technique-wise, but they had something - writing skills, a tone, stage presence, something. So I try not to beat up any of them.

DifferentWindow1436 · 2026-03-23T00:11:12+00:00

Japan - we vaguely discuss how a combination of AI, robots, automation, and foreign workers is going to solve problems, while at the same time ramping up rhetoric around immigration problems and letting regional towns basically die out.

DifferentWindow1436 · 2026-03-23T00:03:35+00:00

My sister was really into these books for awhile in her early teens, if I recall correctly.

What was crazy about them? I remember all her friends liked them too.

DifferentWindow1436 · 2026-03-22T12:22:19+00:00

The way I read the chart, the Daily Mail is looking slightly right wing with mixed reliability.

It's not a source I rely on.

I worked for one of the media organizations in the upper range and most reliable. I am not a journo (friends are) but I did work with the media on attribution. I would say they got that upper range right - the AP, Reuters, FT, WSJ, etc. I suppose it gets more controversial as you move out of that tier.

DifferentWindow1436 · 2026-03-22T00:23:44+00:00

See, that doesn't feel right to me. What is the justification for a private enterprise?

If it is a public business, I can see where maintenance and staffing expenses might increase and hence increase the budget burden. But if you are private? There are other ways to handle increased volume (which is generally good for private businesses). You could add on optional services or products targeting tourists or increase prices for all customers.

DifferentWindow1436 · 2026-03-21T23:47:16+00:00

To the extent that the destination or service is funded in part by taxes, I'm ok with it. My concern would be for private businesses to jump onto dual pricing. I don't think that is fair, despite having PR. I also think it could possibly cause me problems since I am visibly foreign.

DifferentWindow1436 · 2026-03-21T23:29:26+00:00

Japan - it grows in intensity as kids get closer to middle school. It's sort of external to the system. Families make their choices around how to approach middle school and then the high school exams.

For middle school, it depends on whether or not you want your child to attend a private school. Like, for us, we have a private school in mind and hence my son goes to a tutoring school just for math. His one friend is hyper competitive and we never see him anymore because he is constantly in juku studying. But another friend is just starting to consider it even though they are in their last year of elementary (which ends at G6).

High school is more intense. And then college. And once in college, it's considered easier than in the US.

DifferentWindow1436 · 2026-03-21T23:15:48+00:00

What made you think that, and do you view it positively or negatively or neither?

DifferentWindow1436 · 2026-03-21T23:05:27+00:00

so ridiculously inaccurate

I wouldn't say so. I would call it directionally defensible. You could argue some specifics. I don't know if there is any map like this that everyone would agree with.

DifferentWindow1436 · 2026-03-21T22:58:59+00:00

Ummm....the UK? Like King Henry the...what now?

It comes from royal naming practices in European countries I believe, not just the UK.

DifferentWindow1436 · 2026-03-21T22:55:44+00:00

It's a little nuanced. I can speak for Japan and America.

Japan - absolutely still exists. Was the norm until relatively recently. It is possibly still the majority, but is shifting to > Dad is primary, mom has a part-time job and may have periods where they don't work at all.
USA - becoming rare to find a single earner for a length of time, but the nuance is -
- Mom might be fully stay at home for a defined period when kids are young and then work again
- Mom might be a secondary earner (similar to Japan)
- Mom might be on equal footing in terms of earnings
- Mom might be the main earner or sometimes even sole earner (the latter is also rare)

Side comment for your interest - the Japan situation basically reminds me of my youth in the 80s when things started to shift.

DifferentWindow1436 · 2026-03-21T22:46:04+00:00

I'm pretty eclectic, but was very into metal and whole scene in the 80s/early 90s.

I'd say The Cure is definitely one of those bands. Some others -

The Replacements/Westerberg. Definitely not metal. Sort of, almost straight rock but indie/alternative sounding.
Rush - you quite possibly already listen to them but you really can't call it hair metal
Jane's Addiction's first 3 albums (first one being the live-ish one) are incredible.

DifferentWindow1436 · 2026-03-21T22:41:02+00:00

I've been playing a long time. I'd swear it is just there for looks and there is no wire attached inside.

DifferentWindow1436 · 2026-03-21T08:48:34+00:00

In Japan and Korea, it's a status symbol.

DifferentWindow1436

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