# Moving to Japan
When I was around 17, I was in Boy Scouts and nearing the deadline to reach the rank of Eagle Scout. It was something that I really wanted to achieve. Each rank has certain time requirements associated with it so I worked backwards and calculated how much time it would take to meet these requirements before I turned 18.
It turned out, I was very close to a month away from being too late to achieve my Eagle Scout rank. With the full perspective of my path towards my goal, I was motivated to take action and complete my objective.
I had an epiphany recently: I'm a very goal oriented person. I thrive when I have an objective and a clear path towards success. It should be apparent by that fact that I've been making New Year's resolutions for about a decade now.
2024 was me getting back on my feet, but I feel like I'm thriving now.
# Learning Japanese
I've been sticking to my New Year's resolution to use Duolingo daily. However, I started thinking about my motivation behind learning the language; It's because eventually,
I want to move to Japan.
With this in mind, I began planning my path to achieving my dream.
It turns out, there is a shortage of digital workers in Japan. Japan is projected to fall short of 2.3 million digital workers in 2026. (opens new window) This creates opportunities for foreign workers like myself to be able to gain entry into the country via a work visa. I already found some job postings (opens new window) that I could potentially apply to.
Based on this video I watched, it sounded like I would have an advantage over the competition if I had two things: Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) level N2 or a master's degree.
As it so happens, I'm already on my way to getting a master's degree. That leaves passing the JLPT. It turns out, Duolingo is not so great at helping you pass the JLPT. While I'll continue to use it to supllement my learning, I decided I needed a proper course set on helping me pass the first level, JLPT N5.
Luckily enough, there was a course on Udemy (opens new window) I found on sale that I picked up. I also found a handy Flashcard maker (opens new window) app that I bought to create flashcards on my phone for the vocab.
With this guided structure for learning, I decided it's time to revisit my goal for this year. In addition to using Duolingo daily, I want to also practice my vocab and learn from my JLPT course each day in order to pass the JLPT N5 test by the end of the year.
# Timeline
I would like to move to Japan while I'm still in my 30s. Working backwards, I'm almost 32 now, so that would give me 8 years at maximum to make this happen.
If I were to take one class a semester, I estimate that I'd complete my master's degree in six years. While this puts me within range of my goal, I would like to see if I can finish my master's degree in half the time by taking two classes a semester. I should like to try this for my first semester to see if this is sustainable.
The reality of the situation is that if I were to take a job in Japan, I'd most likely be making a fraction of what I am currently making in the US. Therefore, it might be more prudent to take my time in preparing to move so that I can maximize the money I save before moving.
At this point in my career, I've worked in big tech and I've realized money isn't as important as a good work life balance but it's still an important balance that should be made.
Thankfully, I have set another goal this year to budget weekly, which should help me save money towards moving to Japan in the future.
# Reflection
In the end, I realize that I haven't been making the most of my time because I haven't had a real goal that I've been working towards. After I lost my job in Seattle, I basically just was living from day to day.
I think I have the capacity to focus my time and energy into achieving my goals, so long as I have worthwhile goals. So this year, I want to be more focused, going about my day intentionally. I set up my whiteboard in my house, finally, so I can start writing my daily and weekly goals on it and see it every day.
Now that I've written down my intentions, it will surely come to pass.