Education or the difference in the youths

    There is this feeling of unfamiliarity when it comes to college regardless of whatever country. While such differences like high school and middle school are well discussed in popular media and in general, for something like college i feel like it is more obscure. This blog would be semi a report of what i have seen with college students and teachers in Japan of my time here. The various details and anecdotes are from a western point of view so do take it with a grain of salt.

    First of all, we need to discuss the western point of view. The first thing that stand out the most is the monetization of the industry. The schools compete on who offers the most abundant resources and promotes the college through said notoriety and resources. students than compete to enter said schools. however, for most that does not mean the end all and be all for them. they still have to compete within the said college for opportunity to use the resources that the college offered. this is on top of the large amount of money many more private colleges would charge. Many students often take out students loans to attend colleges. In a way, college is like a gamble for students. there is no guaranteed for students rather success is based on how hard you work and if you lucky enough to get right opportunities. of the course the gamble is well worth it. In a way college is for those with ambitions and those look for ambitions. 
    Comparing this Japan, the career and education opportunities are far less volatile. there is this very interesting report written by maki momma from Toyo university. To sum up the points of the article. while it is worthwhile for students to attend college for a overall increase in pay, it is not a huge margin. Much of the determining factor are age and the type of companies you enter. Getting into large companies offer larger salaries regardless of education level and the differences does not become significant until someone hits their 50s. In a way the Japanese education is like a conveyor belt that produces productive members of society as a priority. students are capped at how far they can go. there is no incentive to try any harder. This the kind of attitude that I sense from the Japanese students here as well as from some of the teacher's sentiments. Of course, as someone who is interested in some of Japanese industries i do wonder of such attitudes are brought to work with them.

Comments

  1. AboodiMay 26, 2025 at 11:16 PM

    I agree with your observations! From the impression I got in western culture its a dog eat dog world while in Japan you're expected to function like a family and work for the same company for the rest of your life, which does seem to influence how the education system works here. The education you get across the board is very systematic, there is no room to stand out as after graduation you will go through the same process as everyone else to join a company where you are expected to stay there for eternity, and I've also heard that often what you actually learn in your education doesn't mean much because the most important thing is to have graduated from uni, the company will train you personally from the ground up to do the job you are expected to do for them.

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  2. AliMay 26, 2025 at 11:18 PM

    I just know that america have the same culture as japan in terms of getting in a high position, if im not misunderstood, american also see the age as the main factor to get higher position rather than skill.

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