Career Development

Career Development

Leveraging his specialty and strengths to find the perfect match【Series of Interviews with Successful GTalent Candidates】

At G Talent, our bilingual career advisors who are well versed in the IT industry will assist IT engineers from around the globe with their career change. We have many interesting stories to tell from our past candidates who were successful with their job hunting through our support and today we interviewed Mr. G.S to share his experience. Coming to Japan after building a career as an infrastructure engineer ―Could you briefly tell us about your background? After graduating from university, I worked for eight years at the same university as an infrastructure engineer. At the same time, I also worked as a freelancer for a biotech company in the Netherlands and took a part in a couple of start-ups in my local city. I was responsible for building pipelines and automating different parts of infrastructure, as well as operating and maintaining Linux servers as a Linux engineer.To be able to grow faster I wanted to work in a larger team and also wanted to try different areas, so I started working in a hosting company with a team of great SRE engineers. I worked there for a year before coming to Japan in May 2022. It was a meaningful time for me. I can definitely say that I learned a lot during that time. ―What made you decide to work in Japan in the first place? My wife is Japanese. We met in Russia and lived there for quite some time, but we wanted to try living in another country. New Zealand was initially on the top of our list of places to move to, but after some discussion, we decided to try moving to Japan, my wife’s home country.  Reliable, considerate, and supportiveThat’s how my career consultant was like at G Talent ―Could you tell us why you chose G Talent?Actually, I was not actively looking for a job when we first came to Japan in May 2022 because I had a part-time job. But after living in Japan for a while, I decided to open my profile on LinkedIn. Various recruitment agencies immediately contacted me, including G Talent, which I already knew as a professional IT recruitment agency that helps foreign IT engineers find professional jobs in Japan. What was really appealing to me about G Talent was the professionalism of the career consultant who contacted me. As an IT-savvy bilingual career consultant, she paid close attention to my experience and desire to find a job that would allow me to make the most of my skills in Japan. This is the main reason I decided to register with G Talent. She answered my questions carefully, one by one, and was very considerate and supportive. Because of her, I was able to move forward with my job change with peace of mind. Thanks to all her efforts and support, I was able to find the perfect company for myself. Inspiring passionate team members and the company’s future vision ―What factors made you decide to join the current company?Out of four companies that I received offers from, I chose the one that is a leader in its area and has a team of very passionate engineers. I met with them in person and found them to be very friendly. I also thought the relaxed atmosphere in the office suited me.Another major factor was that the company’s technical direction matched the skill areas I wanted to enhance from then on. I signed on with them on September 1, 2022, thinking that the company would enable me to grow further as an engineer while learning new technologies.―Tell us about your current job and work environment.As a Linux Server Engineer, I am primarily responsible for the maintenance of Linux servers. If there are any additional management requests or user issues which need to be resolved, working closely with my team members, I also help in identifying potential issues.The current company introduces a hybrid work style that combines working from home with coming to the office. Currently, I work from home once a week and come to the office four days a week. But starting next year, I will be working from home three days a week and coming to the office only two days a week. The company’s official language is Japanese, including most of the documents. So, it is sometimes a little difficult for me because my Japanese is not very good yet. However, whenever I don’t understand something, people around me explain it in English. Thanks to their support, I have been able to proceed with my work smoothly. Before joining the company, I met with my current team and was told, “Language is not a problem. You can always communicate in English if you have difficulty with Japanese.”. Our team has non-Japanese members, including myself. We communicate with each other using whatever language (English or Japanese) is suitable at the time. We also have a lot of interaction within the team, such as going out to eat sushi together after work.In terms of living, Japan and Russia have many cultural differences, so I had to get used to that. It was fun to learn new things one at a time. It has been about eight months since we moved to Japan, and I have been enjoying a fulfilling life with a good work-life balance. Dedicated to further growth as an engineer ―Where do you see yourself in the future?I think there are two main career paths for IT engineers. One can either switch to management after gaining experience, or specialize in a particular field as an engineer. From now on, I aim to grow as an engineer by acquiring various new skills and knowledge, rather than driving the team as a project manager. Although I don’t have a specific goal, I want to develop my skills in automation, virtualization and cloud, and eventually become an engineer well-versed in those areas. The company provides us with access to an online learning platform where we can learn the skills we want to acquire through videos, and I plan to use it proactively.ーFinally, do you have a message for foreign IT engineers considering a career in Japan?Based on my experience, I can tell you that G Talent is one of the most reliable recruitment agencies for finding jobs in Japan’s IT industry. As I mentioned earlier, their career consultants carefully pay attention to your experience and desires, and evaluate the company culture, desired conditions, and other fine details to find the optimal match for you. You don’t have to be afraid if you’re not good at Japanese. There are more options to leverage your abilities than you can imagine. So, just follow your passion! After the interview What did you think? We hope that this article will be of help to those who are looking for a new career in Japan, and for those who are currently working in Japan, considering a career change.G Talent/GitTap supports global talents with their job search. Please click the banner below to learn more about our services. Please feel free to contact us as well.

Career Development

Finally achieving the long-awaited career move by utilizing knowledge and skills【Series of Interviews with Successful GTalent Candidates】

At G Talent, our bilingual career advisors who are well versed in the IT industry will assist IT engineers from around the globe with their career change. We have many interesting stories to tell from our past candidates who were successful with their job hunting through our support and today we interviewed Mr. K.H to share his experience. “I wanted to acquire advanced skills from the leading source of technological advancement in Asia.” ―Could you briefly tell us about your background? After graduating from a Bangladeshi university, I came to Japan in May 2006 and studied Japanese at a Japanese language school in Hyogo Prefecture for two years. This was followed by further education at an IT vocational school, and in 2014, I graduated from the Graduate School of Applied Information Science at Hyogo Prefectural University.In April of that year, I joined a company in the same prefecture and worked as a web director for two years. In 2016, I wanted to further utilize the skills and knowledge I had cultivated, so I moved to a system development company based in Ibaraki Prefecture, where I was involved in web application development for about six years. In October 2022, I joined a company that provides technical human resource services. ―What made you decide to work in Japan in the first place? I first became interested in Japan when I learned about Japanese culture at school as a child. I often wondered what kind of country it would be like. The main reason I decided to come to Japan was very simple – I wanted to acquire advanced skills from the leading source of technological advancement in Asia.Japan and Bangladesh have completely different cultures, so I had a very difficult time acclimating to the new living environment. In the beginning, the hardest part was the food. As I’m a Muslim, I don’t eat any pork or drink any alcohol. But just before leaving for Japan, I was disappointed to hear from a friend that there are many foods in Japan that contain pork. During the first three days, I could not eat anything. After that, I subsisted only on milk and bread until I adjusted to my situation. After living in Japan for almost 17 years, this experience has become a fond memory. Nothing is more reassuring than receiving support from an IT-savvy professional in both languages ―Could you tell us why you chose G Talent?I found out about G Talent when I was starting to think about changing jobs, and I looked at its website. I was very interested to know about the support I would receive from their bilingual career consultants who are well-versed in the IT industry. I have lived in Japan for a long time, but since Japanese is not my mother tongue, I sometimes have difficulty in understanding when it comes to complicated topics. There are times communicating in English is so much easier. I thought it would be a great help if I could get support in both languages, so, I decided to contact them.The career consultant at G Talent exceeded my expectation. Not only did she explain everything in detail switching between Japanese and English depending on my level of understanding, she was also able to read between the lines and showed a deep understanding of what I was trying to say. I was pleasantly surprised, and at the same time, I decided to register with G Talent, thinking that with her support, I could proceed with my career move with confidence.I was also grateful for the fact that she remembered me even after a period of time had passed. To tell you the truth, I had my first meeting with her in February 2021 and was referred to several companies for interviews, but I had to pass on the opportunity as we couldn’t reach an agreement for several reasons. After that, I took a break from career change for a while. However, when I received a New Year’s greeting e-mail from her, I made a promise to myself, “In 2022, I will definitely work on a career move once again”. When I called her a while later, there was another surprise. Even though it had been more than six months since we last spoke, she remembered me immediately, just by giving my name, and I was so thrilled. It made me even more determined to do my best. Subsequently, I managed to get an official job offer from the company I wanted to join. It happened only two months after the phone call. Thanks to her extraordinary support, everything went so smoothly this time. The decisive factors were: a work environment that allows skill improvement & work location ―What factors made you decide to join the current company?Among the job offers that I received from three companies, I decided to join the current company that focuses on the technical human resource services business for two reasons. First, the company could provide an environment where I could enhance my skills and knowledge in the software field while making use of them.Another deciding factor was the work location, which also affected my decision t change jobs. There was no international school for my five-year-old child in the vicinity of my former workplace and home. I did a lot of research and found a suitable school in Kanagawa Prefecture that I really wanted to send my child to. It would be great to move and work for a company near there if possible, and surprisingly, G Talent’s career consultant found me a perfect position that matched my background and skills in the same area. With a lot of luck coupled with happy coincidences, I was finally able to join my current company.―Tell us about your current job and work environment.I am currently working as a reverse engineer and have two main roles. One of them is to convert an existing desktop application into a web application. The other is to decipher the desktop application program and create a basic design document in Japanese.Basically, every application has a basic design document, and engineers use it as a basis for coding and other tasks. But this desktop application doesn’t have one. I never thought I would be in charge of this project, and it is so challenging to write everything in Japanese, but I am finding it very rewarding. In parallel with these tasks, I also share the knowledge of web applications that I acquired through previous jobs for many years with other IT engineers.I am very satisfied with the work environment. Employees are friendly and helpful, and if I have any questions or concerns, they are always willing to be of assistance. I am especially grateful to my boss, the group leader, for taking great care of me from day one so that I can work with peace of mind. As for working style, each employee can decide at his own discretion. I like the fact that I can flexibly make my own decisions, such as coming to the office if I want to and working from home if I prefer to do so. Aiming to be an IT engineer who can complete the entire software development process alone ―Where do you see yourself in the future?As an IT engineer specializing in software, my primary goal is to be able to complete the entry-exit process of software development on my own. In the future, I would also like to work for a Japanese company that is expanding into the global market.What I find attractive about Japanese companies is that the people working there all have a spirit of harmony. People at the Japanese companies I have worked for so far have all fostered an attitude of mutual respect for differences in position and values while working together to achieve a common goal. I thought it was wonderful that even when cleaning the office, the CEO himself proactively participated in the activity with employees.I would like to take the next step when I am able to fulfill my duties at my current company and make significant progress as an IT engineer. At that time, I would be happy to consult with the career consultant at G Talent again.ーFinally, do you have a message for foreign IT engineers considering a career in Japan?When you catch a cold or feel unwell, you go to the hospital. If you don’t describe your symptoms, the doctor will not be able to determine the cause. The same is true of the relationship between a recruitment agency and a job seeker. If you don’t tell the truth about your skills and background, there will be a mismatch between you and the company, and this could lead to a major problem. I think the first step to a successful job change is to draw a clear line between what you can do and what you cannot do, and to present your true self without trying to make yourself look good. At the same time, I think it is very important to clarify what you want to do in your new job and tell your career consultant about that. After the interview What did you think? We hope that this article will be of help to those who are looking for a new career in Japan, and for those who are currently working in Japan, considering a career change.G Talent/GitTap supports global talents with their job search. Please click the banner below to learn more about our services. Please feel free to contact us as well.

Career Development

Demonstrating versatile talent immediately after the successful career move【Series of Interviews with Successful GTalent Candidates】

At G Talent our bilingual career advisors who are well versed in the IT industry will assist IT engineers from around the globe with their career change. We have many interesting stories to tell from our past candidates who were successful with their job hunting through our support and today we interviewed Mr. M.H to share his experience. Seeking a place to demonstrate and further enhance his skills and abilities ―Could you briefly tell us about your background? After graduating from Mawlana Bhashani Science & Technology University in Bangladesh with a Bachelor of Science (Engg.) degree in Information & Communication Technology, I started working at a domestic company as an iOS engineer in 2013. I worked for several companies in Bangladesh for about five years. After that, I received an offer from a Japanese company and came to Japan for the first time in 2019. My stint with that company lasted for two years. I then made a career move to another Japanese company and lived and worked in Fukuoka city for some time. However, I had to make a hasty decision to leave the company and return to Bangladesh temporarily for some of my personal family-related issues.Fortunately, I received an offer from another Japanese company around the same time. It was a short-term contract that allowed me to work remotely from my home country, so I worked for them for about 8 months. In 2022, I decided to return to Japan and seek new employment, and in November of the same year, I moved to a Japanese fintech company where I am working now. ―What made you decide to work in Japan in the first place?  The reason why I choose Japan in the first place is that there are far more opportunities for IT engineers than in my home country. Recently, there have been some new developments, such as a Japanese firm launching a software company, but the IT industry itself in Bangladesh is not that large at this point. I chose to work in Japan because I was seeking a place where I could demonstrate and further enhance my skills and abilities. Working in tandem with the career consultant to create a new career path ―Could you tell us why you chose G Talent?I have heard that some recruitment agencies do not understand the details of the positions that companies are looking for and end up contacting candidates who are not a good match. The career consultant at G Talent was completely different. She scrutinized my profile on LinkedIn before contacting me and fully grasped my experience and skills, thus finding the optimal position that would allow me to make full use of them. I felt confident that I could rely on G Talent and decided to register with them right away. I felt like it was destiny calling because I received the email from the career consultant about the same time I returned to Japan. She was very supportive and responded to my questions in a timely manner. It was like I was working in tandem with her on planning my career path, which was very reassuring, and I am grateful for that. Moved by appealing work environment & business areas with great potential ―What factors made you decide to join the current company?I received offers from three companies, including one that provides QR code payment services and another that sells a mobile messenger application. I chose the fintech company with cryptocurrency as its core business for two main reasons. First, the friendly and comfortable work environment that I was able to perceive through the personality of the person who interviewed me. This man, who is now my boss, was positive, friendly, cooperative, and very pleasant to talk to. I felt that his character reflected the atmosphere within the company. Second, I thought that by joining the company, I would be able to create something new by utilizing my expertise and skills. In the fintech industry, which has been growing rapidly in recent years, cryptocurrency requires extremely advanced technology to ensure strong security. It is a field with great potential, not only in terms of business growth, but also in terms of dramatic technological advancement.I never imagined that I would be involved in cryptocurrency, but it has always been my hidden desire to work in a field where I can enhance my technical skills by tackling difficult issues. I am very happy that my dream has come true through this new job.―Tell us about your current job and work environment.I am currently working as an iOS engineer, while also taking on the role of managing the team. I am also involved in the hiring of engineers and interviewing candidates on a weekly basis. In addition, I actively participate in meetings where the company makes decisions.The work environment is just fantastic and far exceeds my expectations before joining the company. At work, we are encouraged to come up with and develop new ideas and try them out on a trial basis. The development team members and all the other employees are very supportive and friendly, while the company itself is a great place to work. What I find wonderful about this company is the culture of mutual respect and care for each other as individuals, which transcends the relationship between company and employee, or boss and subordinate. I am especially grateful to my boss, who was very understanding of my decision to continue working from Fukuoka. The company is headquartered in Tokyo, but I had been used to working in Fukuoka since my previous job, and I wanted to continue living there if possible. When I discussed this with my boss, he suggested, “Then how about working remotely from Fukuoka?”.I joined the company in November 2022, and for the first week, I stayed in Tokyo and worked in the office. After that, I started working from home in Fukuoka. Daily communication with my boss and team members is done via Slack. 40% of our engineers can speak English, so we communicate in English at meetings. Some Japanese members are not very good at English, so we sometimes use translation tools to communicate with them. Making steady progress in career at the current company ―Where do you see yourself in the future?I am very satisfied with my current company, including the salary and benefits provided, and would like to work there for a long time. I would also like to improve my skills as an IT engineer, and in the future, advance my career and become a manager. I believe that in the not-too-distant future, cryptocurrency will become a new standard comparable to currencies such as the Japanese yen, US dollar, and Euro. Even in the stock market, I expect that many people will be interested in investing in it as well. The company I work for now is one of the leading firms in this field in Japan, and I am confident that we will eventually become the top company. I am determined to strive for a bright future with them.In my spare time, I run a community for university students in Bangladesh remotely, where I teach programming for free for an hour every Saturday. I teach them how to prepare for job interviews as well since they are aiming to work as IT engineers for companies in Asia like Japan, Singapore and USA, Europe after graduation. I would definitely recommend G Talent to any competent person who is looking for a job in Japan.ーFinally, do you have a message for foreign IT engineers considering a career in Japan?Regardless of your field of expertise, years of experience as an IT engineer is just a number, and it is meaningless unless it is accompanied by skills that you can be proud of. This is something I always try to keep in mind, and I always remember to keep on learning and working to improve my skills. Another important thing is not to chase after rewards. I can tell you from experience that as long as you continue to grow, the rewards will follow. If you are willing to take on new challenges and improve yourself, I am sure you will find a job that is perfectly suited for you. After the interview What did you think? We hope that this article will be of help to those who are looking for a new career in Japan, and for those who are currently working in Japan, considering a career change.G Talent/GitTap supports global talents with their job search. Please click the banner below to learn more about our services. Please feel free to contact us as well.

Career Development

Finding fulfillment professionally and personally【Series of Interviews with Successful GTalent Candidates】

At G Talent, our bilingual career advisors who are well versed in the IT industry will assist IT engineers from around the globe with their career change. We have many interesting stories to tell from our past candidates who were successful with their job hunting through our support and today we interviewed Mr. H.W to share his experience. Studied NLP while working as a support engineer ―Could you briefly tell us about your background? I majored in computer science at a university in China. After graduation, I came to Japan to study NLP (natural language processing) in the master’s program at Waseda University and received my master’s degree in March 2022. As for research on NLP, I worked on the theme of “how to turn difficult sentences such as academic papers into simple sentences at the level used in daily conversation” and developed a text generation model.Wanting to acquire not only skills as an IT engineer but also business skills necessary for practical work, I accepted a job as a support engineer for a foreign telecommunications equipment manufacturer for a year while I was still in school. I was in charge of the entire process from inquiries from major telecommunications carriers about router malfunctions and other problems to analyzing and identifying the causes and reporting them to the client in cooperation with overseas IT engineers.I was responsible for a number of projects that rivaled those of my seniors on the team, and I started my career move when my most challenging project was successfully completed. Consequently, I met with G Talent and was introduced to Japan’s leading AI company, and I have been working as an AI engineer at that firm since August 2022. ―What made you decide to work in Japan in the first place? The first reason was language. When I was a second-year high school student, I became interested in the Japanese language and started studying on my own. I continued my studies and in my first year of college, I took the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) and was able to pass the N1, the most difficult level. I then decided to come to Japan to study NLP at a Japanese university while making use of my language skills.I have been living in Japan for four years now, and I was surprised at times in the beginning because the culture and business practices are different from those in China. For example, Japanese companies are paid after developing and providing products and services, but in my county, payment is generally made in advance. I sometimes imagined that if I were to run a company in Japan, it would be difficult to manage cash flow. A job offer in just two weeks and efficient support ―Could you tell us why you chose G Talent?I learned about G Talent while doing research on job transferring. I was very interested in G Talent because the company could introduce carefully selected vacancies at global and venture companies to people like myself who are seeking an opportunity in Japan. It all started when I contacted them, the job-transferring agency for high-class global engineers.I sent an email and was surprised to receive an immediate reply from a career consultant. As we continued to communicate with each other, she always responded promptly, which was very reassuring. After paying close attention to my experience, skills, and desires, she introduced me to the most suitable company. Thanks to her efficient support, I was able to receive an official job offer within a short period of two weeks. Encountering the optimal company where he can use all his acquired skills ―What factors made you decide to join the current company?I strongly felt that the AI company was the best possible place for me because I could leverage my knowledge in NLP, programming skills, and the business skills I had cultivated in the field. I was deeply moved by the company’s vision of realizing a future society where everyone can share values through universal design that combines natural language processing, speech recognition, and image analysis technologies with data structuring technology. I have been able to apply the various business skills I acquired in my previous job, such as how to work in a team, report writing skills, and customer relation skills, to practical use. I am happy to be working for a company that promotes the research and development of cutting-edge AI technologies.―Tell us about your current job and work environment.As an AI engineer, I am involved in the development of our company’s unique high-precision information search service. Let’s suppose that there is a natural question such as “What kind of services does G Talent offer?”. With this service, you can get an answer that collects and processes highly similar information from accumulated knowledge and information.If the answer derived by the AI does not meet your expectations, you can also navigate the pull-down menu of the response rankings to find the next possible answer. It’s a completely new service, so there are a lot of things to do, such as learning new knowledge and applying it to practical work. However, it’s the only area I want to master further in the future, and besides, I enjoy the hard work as well.In terms of working styles, except for meetings with clients, we basically work remotely. The location and hours of work are left to the discretion of each individual, so I am able to work in a very flexible manner. I am currently having a relationship with a Japanese woman, and she has a job that requires her to take weekdays off. In order to make time to spend together, I often take weekday afternoons off and work on weekends instead. My immediate goal is to improve NLP skills ―Where do you see yourself in the future?My main goal is simply to hone my NLP skills, and when I am able to grow further as an IT engineer, I would like to advance my career to the next stage.On a personal note, I have not been back to China in the four years since I came to Japan, and I hope to return with my girlfriend soon for a trip. Just as I chose to study in Japan because of my interest in the Japanese language, she is studying Chinese and has a strong interest in Chinese culture. Depending on her wishes, we may move to China in the future. Having met someone I want to share my life with, I am even more motivated to work, and I am able to spend my days fulfilled both professionally and personally.  After the interview What did you think? We hope that this article will be of help to those who are looking for a new career in Japan, and for those who are currently working in Japan, considering a career change.G Talent/GitTap supports global talents with their job search. Please click the banner below to learn more about our services. Please feel free to contact us as well.

Career Development

Rankings of the best tech companies to work in Japan

Because of the rapid growth of the IT industry, as well as population decrease, the demand for IT engineers in Japan is increasing day by day. This means that international engineers who wish to work in Japan are likely to have many job opportunities.Nevertheless, because of the language and cultural barriers, it is often not easy for international engineers to find the right company in Japan. This article will introduce you to the rankings of tech companies in Japan, which will help you find the best companies to work for, as well as help you learn the trends. The tech companies with the highest growth rate in Japan in 2021 This is the ranking of the tech companies that have the highest growth rate in 2021 in Japan, according to Deloitte.Many of these companies are actively hiring new employees, and are experienced in international recruitment. If you find a company that interests you, do not hesitate to contact them. RankCompany NameInternational Recruitment History*1BE AIRー2Spartyー3SheepMedical〇4AI inside〇5HOPEー6YAMAPー7Crunch Styleー8zig-zag〇About 30 % of the employees. Official language in the engineering department is English9stmnー10Amaziaー Reference:Deloitte(https://www2.deloitte.com/jp/ja/pages/about-deloitte/articles/news-releases/nr20211214.html) ※Companies that mention international recruitment on their official websites (June, 2022):SheepMedical (https://www.sheepmedical.com/recruit)AI inside (https://inside.ai/career/)zig-zag (https://www.zig-zag.co.jp/recruit/202201-backendengineer/) The companies offering the highest annual salaries For many job seekers, salary is one of the most important things to consider when choosing a company to work for. These rankings show the companies offering the highest annual salaries in the system integration sector, the AI sector, and the SaaS sector. System Integration RankCompany NameAverage Annual Salary (M)International Recruitment History*1Nomura Research Institute1,225ー2Information Services International-Dentsu1,047〇18 international employees(December, 2021)3SRA Holdings1,033ー4Kudan1,022ー5Mitsubishi Research Institute1,009ー6ITOCHU Techno-Solutions933〇7OBIC933ー8HITACHI890〇About 10 % of the employees (April, 2021)。Aiming to exceed 30%, by 2030.9FUJITSU865〇475 international employees(2020)10KOZO KEIKAKU ENGINEERING860〇39 international employees (June, 2021) Reference:業界動向サーチ(https://gyokai-search.com/) ※Companies that mention international recruitment on their official websites (June, 2022):Information Services International-Dentsu(https://www.isid.co.jp/sustainability/data.html)ITOCHU Techno-Solutions(https://www.ctc-g.co.jp/company/sustainability/reports/document/CTC_CSR_10_all.pdf)HITACHI(https://www.hitachi.co.jp/New/cnews/month/2021/04/0420.pdf)FUJITSU(https://www.fujitsu.com/jp/about/csr/esgdata/social/)KOZO KEIKAKU ENGINEERING(https://www.kke.co.jp/corporate/organization/) AI RankCompany NameAverage Annual Salary (M)International Recruitment History*1ExaWizards814〇2AI inside776〇20% of the employees3MetaReal730〇9% of the employees4BrainPad721ー5PKSHA Technology714ー6FRONTEO705〇About 53% of the employees in the group7Neural Pocket684〇8Silver Egg Technology677〇9HEROZ668ー10Morpho666ー 参照:業界動向サーチ(https://gyokai-search.com/) ※Companies that mention international recruitment on their official websites (June, 2022):ExaWizards(https://exawizards.com/team/member)AI inside(https://note.inside.ai/n/n7f06a5d87a17)MetaReal(https://www.metareal.jp/recruit/metareal-style/#figure)FRONTEO(https://www.fronteo.com/corporate/locations/)Neural Pocket(https://www.neuralpocket.com/recruit.html)Silver Egg Technology(https://www.silveregg.co.jp/archives/recruit/2239) SaaS RankCompany NameAverage Annual SalaryInternational Recruitment History*1PLAID887ー2SCALA886〇3Asteria834〇4Uzabase797ー5TeamSpirit757〇6Property Data Bank755ー7freee705ー8HENNGE704〇9SRE Holdings697ー10OBIC BUSINESS CONSULTANTS686ー Reference:業界動向サーチ(https://gyokai-search.com/) ※Companies that mention international recruitment on their official websites (June, 2022)::SCALA(https://scalagrp.jp/ir/esg/)Asteria(https://www.asteria.com/)TeamSpirit(https://www.teamspirit.com/ja-jp/blog/entry/b-20191125.html)HENNGE(https://hennge.com/jp/ir/images/202011161500.pdf) The largest tech companies by revenue Revenue is another important factor when choosing a company to work for. These are the rankings of the companies that have the largest revenue in the field of system integration, AI, and SaaS.  System integration RankCompany NameInternational Recruitment History*1FUJITSU〇475 international employees(2020)2NEC〇251 international employees(2020)3NTT DATA〇About 10% of the employees in the group(2022)4HITACHI〇About 10% of the employees in the group(April, 2021)。Aiming to exceed 30% by 20305OTSUKA CORPORATIONー6Nomura Research Instituteー7ITOCHU Techno-Solutions〇8TIS〇155 international employees(2020)9SCSK〇42 international employees(April, 2020)10BIPROGY〇 Reference:業界動向サーチ(https://gyokai-search.com/) ※Companies that mention international recruitment on their official websites (June, 2022):FUJITSU(https://www.fujitsu.com/jp/about/csr/esgdata/social/)NEC(https://jpn.nec.com/csr/ja/data/index.html)NTT DATA(https://www.nttdata-gsl.co.jp/recruit/company/vision/)HITACHI(https://www.hitachi.co.jp/New/cnews/month/2021/04/0420.pdf)ITOCHU Techno-Solutions(https://www.ctc-g.co.jp/company/sustainability/reports/document/CTC_CSR_09_all.pdf)TIS(https://www.tis.co.jp/documents/jp/ir/finance/annual_report/ar2020_05.pdf)SCSK(https://www.scsk.jp/corp/csr/diversity.html)BIPROGY(https://biprogy.disclosure.site/ja/themes/107) AI RankCompany NameInternational Recruitment History*1FRONTEO〇About 53% of the employees in the group2Appier Group〇3Preferred Networksー4PKSHA Technologyー5BrainPadー6AI inside〇20% of the permanent employees7Double Standardー8Advanced Mediaー9MetaReal〇9% of the employees10ALBERTー 参照:業界動向サーチ(https://gyokai-search.com/) ※Companies that mention international recruitment on their official websites (June, 2022): FRONTEO(https://www.fronteo.com/corporate/locations/) Appier Group(https://www.appier.com/ja-jp/about) AI inside(https://note.inside.ai/n/n7f06a5d87a17) MetaReal(https://www.metareal.jp/) SaaS RankCompany NameInternational Recruitment History*1Sansan〇2Cybozu〇3RAKUSー4Money Forward〇5freeeー6EM SYSTEMSー7Appier Group〇8Info Martー9OBIC BUSINESS CONSULTANTSー10SMSー Reference:業界動向サーチ(https://gyokai-search.com/) ※Companies that mention international recruitment on their official websites (June, 2022):Sansan(https://jp.corp-sansan.com/mimi/2020/05/ocean-02.html)Cybozu(https://cybozushiki.cybozu.co.jp/casestudy/oneteam/)Money Forward(https://recruit.moneyforward.com/member/interview/0007)Appier Group(https://www.appier.com/ja-jp/about) Summary Data of companies’ growth rate, revenue, and the average annual salary helps to find the right company. In addition, you are more likely to land a position by getting in touch with the companies that already have experience in international recruitment.Bizmates, Inc. offers services that connect international engineers and companies that are actively hiring international IT engineers.GitTap is a job platform for international IT engineers who wish to work in Japan. All companies on the platform are actively hiring international IT engineers. Many of the most highly respected companies in Japan are using GitTap, including ExaWizards, which offers the highest salary in the AI sector. Browse jobs on GitTap G Talent is an employment agency for international IT engineers who wish to work in Japan. Bilingual consultants who specialise in the IT sector will introduce you to appropriate jobs that match your skills and experiences. To register the service, please visit the page below.  Register on the platform

Career Development

IT skills in demand in Japan

There is a serious shortage of IT engineers in Japan. Engineers needed the most include cyber security, machine learning and cloud engineers. For international IT engineers who wish to work in Japan, there are more opportunities in these sectors.Moreover, language requirements and cultural etiquette are less important in these sectors. Learn IT skills in demand, and land a job that offers attractive working conditions and pays well. Read this article in Japanese. IT skills in demand in Japan in 2022 Cyber security The demand for cyber security engineers is significantly increasing. In 2021, the domestic market value was 1,135.7 billion yen with a growth rate of 13.4%. The growth rate is projected to increase, given the acceleration of remote work and the current social conditions. If you are a security engineer, you are likely to have many job opportunities in Japan.   Useful certifications for security engineersRegistered Information Security Specialist Examination: A qualification to prove your expertise in information security, offered by IPA. After the qualification is obtained, you are eligible to apply for a national certificate for Registered Information Security Specialist.CISSP: A qualification to prove your expertise in information security, offered by (ISC)², International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium. Cloud As more and more internet services shift to cloud, the demand for cloud engineers is increasing. The market value of cloud computing was 2,875 billion yen in 2020 with a growth rate of 22%. In addition, the demand for public clouds, such as SaaS and IaaS, is especially high.More than half of the Japanese companies that provide cloud services use AWS. If you are an AWS engineer, you have many job opportunities in Japan.   Useful certifications for cloud engineersAWS certifications: A certificate to validate cloud expertise. AWS offers several levels: associate, professional and speciality. There are also certificates for those who are specialized in the fields such as network, data and machine learning.Google Certified Professional: A certificate to prove your expertise in Google cloud platform. Machine Learning The use of AI in services and products is now commonplace. The sales in automation services and personalised services are increasing rapidly.In 2019, the market growth rate of machine learning was 95%. As the use of machine learning will increase in the future, machine learning engineers will have many job opportunities in Japan as well. Useful certifications for machine learning engineersDeep Learning for ENGINEER: This is a certificate to validiate your knowledge and implementions skills in deep learning. It is offered by the Japan Deep Learning Association (JDLA). *The exam is available only in Japanese.Python 3 Certified Data Analyst Examination: A certificate to prove your advanced knowledge and skills in deep learning.  5G The market growth rate of 5G is projected to be 80.3% between 2020 to 2027. It is a field that is expected to create many job opportunities in the near future. Jobs related to 5G include embedded engineers, network engineers and IoT engineers. To work with 5G, the knowledge and skills in the development of embedded software and network are required.The article below explains the details of the 5G market in Japan and skills you need to be an engineer who works with 5G.5G market in Japan and skills you need to be an engineer who works with 5G Programming languages and developer tools in demand in Japan According to the research conducted by GitTap, the skills that are most in demand among Japanese companies are AWS, Python and JavaScript (January, 2022).AWS is a cloud computing service offered by Amazon. In Japan, more than half of the companies that provide cloud services use AWS. The market of cloud computing is expanding and the demand for AWS engineers is projected to increase. The article below explains programming languages in demand in Japan in detail. The programming languages in demand in Japan Summary International IT engineers have many job opportunities in Japan since there is a serious shortage of IT engineers. This is especially the case in some fields such as cyber security, cloud and AI. The following  jobs are some of the examples of jobs that are in demand in Japan. Python engineer Job Summary:Implement mathematical models, develop optimization algorithms, conduct software testing while working closely with professors. Salary:7M yen~ Learn More about This Job Automation engineer Job Summary:Develop and maintain automation platforms. Develop new automation products. Salary:7M yen~ Learn More about This Job CTO Job Summary:Chief Technology Officer for a financial system Salary: 8M yen~ Learn More about This Job GitTap is a job matching platform for highly skilled international IT engineers. The platform has many senior level jobs, which leads the average salary range of the advertised jobs to be 6-12M yen. There are also many remote positions available. The platform allows you to find a job efficiently by not only applying for positions but also getting scouted and conducting informational interviews. It is free to use, please feel free to register. Browse Jobs on GitTap G Talent is an employment agency for international IT engineers who wish to work in Japan. Bilingual consultants will assist you to land your dream job! To learn more about the service, please click the link below. Learn more about G Talent

Career Development

How to become a DevOps engineer in Japan

DevOps engineers create solutions for improving the development speed of applications and systems as well as ensuring the stable operation of services. Being involved in both development and operations, they are responsible for a wide range of tasks, from developing and improving applications and systems to building and operating infrastructure environments such as the cloud. “DevOps” is a word coined from combining “Development” and “Operations”. To put it simply, it is an idea that the development side and the operation side cooperate to ensure speedier development, while also providing stable service operation. Due to the focus of DevOps on improving development speed, it is easy to confuse this with agile development, which will be explained later. Amongst all the different IT engineering jobs, to be a DevOps engineer requires a wide range of skills and plenty of experience. With a higher level of responsibility comes higher salary. The average annual income for a DevOps engineer is somewhere between 5 to 15 million yen, while the average for IT engineers in general is 4.52 million yen (※doda company survey). In the future, the demand for DevOps engineers is expected to rise, as the industry becomes more specialized due to increasing system complexity and more infrastructure environments transitioning to the cloud. This article provides a brief overview of what a DevOps engineer does and explains how you can become one too. DevOps engineers differ from infrastructure engineers A lesser-known position amongst IT engineers, the DevOps engineer is often compared to infrastructure engineers. This is because both are involved in tasks like server management. The table below provides a brief overview of the differences between DevOps engineers and infrastructure engineers, for you to get a good idea of what DevOps engineers do. ◆Differences between DevOps engineers and infrastructure engineers What sets a DevOps engineer apart from an infrastructure engineer is the former’s involvement in the development side. Both DevOps engineers and infrastructure engineers work on networks and servers, but DevOps engineers also engage in application and system development. You can think of DevOps engineers as one level beyond infrastructure engineers. This is why DevOps engineers must have more knowledge and experience than just infrastructure engineers. The No.1 role of DevOps engineers is automation Now let’s take a look at what DevOps engineers do. As explained earlier, DevOps is a concept born to “speed up development” and to “enable stable operation” of the system at the same time. What do DevOps engineers do to achieve these goals? Here are some of the specific roles DevOps play in the IT industry. “Infrastructure as Code (IaC),” essential for stable system operation Infrastructure as Code (IaC) means to get infrastructure settings written in code in order to automate the building process of the environment for operating and developing systems and software. In creating infrastructure, the task of typing all the commands according to a design can be extremely tedious and costly, especially as the scale increases. In addition, people cannot always avoid making little mistakes. Once infrastructure settings are written in code, all you need is just to execute it in order to automatically create an infrastructure environment. Also, executing the same code means you can reproduce identical environments at scale without the risk of human error. By allowing multiple servers to reproduce the same environment, problems caused by differences in infrastructure settings are less likely to occur. As a DevOps engineer, you want to achieve the stable operation of a system. Therefore, IaC is an important skill to keep in mind in order to minimize the workload and avoid human errors when creating infrastructure. However, you need skills for building the infrastructure to be able to practice IaC, which means more investment in acquiring those skills may be necessary. You may also need experience working as an infrastructure engineer. Build a CI/CD Pipeline to speed up development Building a CI/CD pipeline is a key skill for DevOps engineers who seek to “speed up” the development of applications and systems. A CI/CD pipeline is an automated set of steps required to practice CI/CD. CI/CD is a method of automating build, integration, testing, etc. to make software development faster and increase the speed before production. CI (Continuous Integration) is a method of automating code changes from build to test. CD (Continuous Delivery) is a method that allows software that has passed testing to be automatically released into a production environment. ◆ CI/CD pipelines Simply put, by building a CI/CD pipeline, the entire process of Build – Integrate – Test – Release – Deploy becomes automatic. Any changes to your code will be automatically applied to every step from build to test to deployment, thus reducing the lead time of your development process. By getting everyone on a development team to work with this pipeline, software release becomes much faster. CI/CD tools include on-premises and cloud types, with some examples being Jenkins and Drone for the on-premises and Travis CI and CircleCI for the cloud. DevOps engineers need to use different tools to build CI/CD pipelines depending on their objectives. “Knowledge of managed services” to reduce management cost and working time A managed service allows a company to outsource part of the operation management and maintenance of a serve. Stably operating a server is no simple task. From hardware procurement to equipment/line management to trouble handling, the operation management and maintenance of a server requires expertise offered by dedicated professionals, which can be quite costly. This is where managed services come in. By capitalizing on managed services, you can reduce the amount of work devoted to issues such as fault response and security measures. This allows for improved efficiency and ultimately leads to stable system operation. Since not all engineers in a company are knowledgeable about infrastructure, leveraging managed services to reduce management costs and work hours is an important task for DevOps. As you can see, being a DevOps engineer is not so much about working directly on products and services, but rather focusing on creating solutions to increase productivity for developers and operators. 2021 Roadmap for becoming a DevOps Engineer So, what does it take to become a DevOps engineer? This section is based on the article, “The 2021 DevOps RoadMap for Developers” which is another highly recommended read. Now, let’s take a look at the roadmap for becoming a DevOps engineer. There are 9 steps in total. ◆Roadmap for becoming a DevOps Engineer 1. Learn a programming language To be involved in system development, you need to know a programming language. If possible, become proficient in at least one of: Java, Python, or Ruby Each has its own characteristics. Java is generally an all-rounder in any environment, while Python is relatively simple and easy to understand. Ruby originated in Japan and thus more resources are available in Japanese. Its code is simple and easy to read, making it beginner friendly. 2. Understand different OS concepts This comes under the area of “Operations.” In the past, only system operation managers and support personnel were responsible for the OS and hardware. However, as DevOps engineers engage in both systems and infrastructure, OS-related knowledge is necessary. You need to be familiar with important systems such as process management, memory storage and file systems. 3. Learn server management For stable service operation, you must build a server to create a system and environment. More specifically, you need to monitor the operational status of applications/services and the usage of CPU, memory, and other resources; update the system, fix programs that need to be improved, and respond to failures. All of these require general knowledge of a server. 4. Learn about network and security The evolving technology nowadays allows for easy access everywhere on the web, which also means security challenges are on the rise. As poor security measures can lead to the leakage of important data such as customer information, it is critical to learn about network and security. Make sure to have basic but essential ones down, including DNS, FTP, SSL, etc. 5. Understand middleware and learn how to set it up Middleware is software that performs intermediate processing between an application and an OS in a computer. Examples of middleware are the web server, application server, and database management server. ◆About middleware Understanding the structure of a web server or application server, and learning how to set it up, will give you a better understanding of the system. Doing so allows you to proceed to the next step where you make the system operation more efficient and automate the building of the infrastructure environment. 6. Learn Infrastructure as Code (IaC) As explained earlier, Infrastructure as Code (IaC) means to have the infrastructure settings written in code in order to automate the creation of operation/development environments for systems and software. The benefits of IaC include no need to manually repeat the same process when creating a different environment, an easier grasp of current infrastructure and server configuration, and no need to manage procedures. 7. Learn CI/CD pipeline building tools Again, CI/CD is a method of automating build, integration, testing, etc. to speed up software development and to make it ready for release into production immediately. There are various tools for building CI/CD pipelines from open source to commercial ones. However, one tool cannot automate all of CI/CD, and it is common to create a CI/CD pipeline by combining tools that are appropriate for a specific development stage. This means you need to learn to use multiple tools. 8. Learn to monitor software and infrastructure In addition to middleware setup and deployment, software and infrastructure monitoring is another important role of DevOps engineers. Monitoring means constantly checking for anomalies or problems with the functionality of an application, network, server, OS, or middleware. There are already a variety of tools available for monitoring, so DevOps engineers need to be able to choose the right tool for their companies’ needs. 9. Learn about the public cloud The public cloud is a service that provides cloud computing environments such as servers, storage, databases, and software through the Internet to an unspecified number of users, including companies and individuals. These include Amazon Web Services (AWS), IBM Cloud, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP). Since there is no need to own a server in-house, the use of the public cloud is rapidly spreading nowadays, and many companies have already moved their servers to a cloud environment. As a DevOps engineer, you need basic knowledge of the public cloud. AWS and GCP are well known public clouds that you should get a grasp of. This is the 2021 roadmap for becoming a DevOps engineer. A DevOps engineer, being a type of IT engineer, of course needs a programming language. On top of that, you should also know how to work with various tools and infrastructures (especially the cloud). As mentioned at the beginning of the article, to be a DevOps engineer requires a wide range of knowledge and experience, and therefore it is a position one step beyond application engineers and infrastructure engineers. Sounds worth aiming for? “DevOps” is a model or concept, “agile development” is a development method As already explained, “DevOps” is a coined word that combines “Development” and “Operations”. The idea of DevOps was born from the contradiction between the development side and the operation side. While the former wants to develop applications and systems quickly, the latter wants to ensure stable operation. In other words, in order to make a system better, the development side generally takes a policy of “adding new features and updating existing ones.” On the other hand, the operation side often takes a policy of “if things are running stably, keep them as they are,” in order to consistently provide a comfortable experience to the users and to avoid troubles with systems and functions as much as possible. The concept of “DevOps” was born to bridge these contradicting interests. Now, “agile development” is a method that, when developing applications and systems, repeats the development process of “planning → design → implementation → test” many times in a short period of time. Once you have a rough idea of the system you want to create, you iterate through planning, design, implementation, and test, and release the system relatively early. After the system is released, you then repeatedly improve it based on feedback from users and clients. This allows for agility and flexibility in development. Agile development is the opposite of waterfall development. Waterfall development is a method in which the development process of “design → development → implementation → test” is divided into each stage and developed step by step. In this method, developers decide in advance all the functions and spec details to be installed in the system, then start development and complete one step after the other. Basically, you never go back to the previous stage, and thus systems and software are released only after the entire process is completed. In the past, this has been the customary strategy for many companies. However, it is common to discover improvements or to receive feedback from users after releasing systems or applications. Even with all the time spent during waterfall development, extra work is always necessary to use this method successfully.. As a result, more and more companies are adopting agile development because it is easy to respond to user needs when “planning → design → implementation → testing” is repeated over and over in a short period of time. Agile development is very compatible with “DevOps,” an idea that enables both speedier development and stable service operation. By incorporating agile development, DevOps engineers can “speed up development” while creating a mechanism that allows developers and operators to collaborate to achieve “stable service operation.” This is why this newer development method is currently in high demand. ◆The difference between agile development and waterfall development Source: Agile and DevOps Quality Assurance and Reliability By the way, the word DevOps first appeared in 2009 at a conference called “O’Reilly Velocity 09” hosted by O’Reilly. The term appeared in the presentation, “10 Deploys a Day:Dev and Ops Cooperation at Flickr” by John Allspaw and Paul Hammond, who were at the time engineers at an image-hosting service, Flickr. In this presentation, they proposed that the development side and the operation side can bring about fast development that deploys more than ten times a day by cooperating toward a common purpose. (*To deploy means to make the program usable.) DevOps Engineers are increasingly in demand as IT and DX advance Today, there is a growing demand for DevOps engineers. This is because, along with the progress of IT and the promotion of digital transformation (DX), there is a growing need for a shorter development period and flexibility in system development. As previously explained, development today requires companies to continue to improve their services after release using feedback from users. This makes for the rising demand for DevOps who can contribute in stabilizing operations while accelerating not only development but also improvement speed. According to the article, “Ask Hitachi, the Current Role of DevOps and DevSecOps in Large-scale Development“, the company has adopted the idea of DevOps. The article reports that DevOps is getting increasing attention due to many Japanese companies and organizations having begun to work on DX. DX is typically applied in new businesses, and therefore the business model is not clear, and the system specifications are not fixed. Thus, the idea of DevOps has been adopted because it is necessary to improve fixing the problems that come out after development and release, while also ensuring stable operation. In this way, the concept of DevOps is gaining more recognition regardless of whether it is a large company or a small- and medium-sized venture company. Moving forward, given that the demand for public clouds such as AWS and GCP will also increase, there will be more spotlight on DevOps engineers who provide expertise on these areas while also being able to engage with the development side. Summary Now you have it, an overview of DevOps engineers. The path to becoming a DevOps engineer is steep, given the wide range of knowledge and experience required. There is no correct way to become a DevOps engineer. However, if you are an inexperienced IT engineer with a goal of becoming a DevOps engineer, it is relatively easy to step up after gaining experience as an infrastructure engineer or a WEB application engineer. We offer two services for IT engineers: “G Talent“, a career transition service and “GitTap“, a scouting and job information website that allows you to contact companies directly. For foreign IT engineers working in Japan and Japanese IT engineers seeking a global environment, we offer a variety of recruitment opportunities. Please check out the “G Talent” and “GitTap” service pages.

Career Development

5G and Its Impact on the IT Industry in Japan

The release of 4G LTE in 2009 surprised many mobile phone users and several industries in the world for its faster speeds and low latencies. With the rise of multiple innovations in the tech industry, connectivity has become an integral element to take us a step further into realizing a more digitized, safe, and comfortable environment. 5G promises speeds 600 times faster than 4G to cope with next-generation technologies. It could put mobile internet on par with Google Fiber’s standard home broadband service. No wonder 5G has become the ultimate buzzword in the tech industry! But internet speed aside, how important is 5G to the world? 5G and Technology The success of businesses in the future depends on their ability to do operations remotely and automatically. The lower latency and faster data transfer provided by 5G could boost and enhance the production of autonomous devices and other tech initiatives. Here are some of the advantages that 5G provides. Autonomous Cars Automotive companies are taking significant steps to reduce the number of vehicle crashes recorded daily. With the application of several technologies, companies have rolled out and reinvented autonomous vehicles. The vehicle-to-vehicle communications enable cars to exchange location, speed, and destination data for alerting you and other drivers of the possible road conditions, reducing the probability of collisions. With 5G, data transfers can be done in real-time, allowing for a safer commute. Gaming 5G promotes a better gaming experience for everyone in the world. The promise of lower latency is what every gamer has been longing for, banishing the dreaded “lag.” The response time is whittled down to a couple of milliseconds, providing a real-time virtual gaming experience. Nowadays, players usually insert disks to gaming consoles or download games on PCs and mobile devices before getting the game started. 5G opens the possibilities for cloud gaming, which allows users to access their games anytime, anywhere! Moreover, mobile gaming is also set to increase in light of 5G. Medical Advancements The healthcare industry continues to reinvent and produce new methods for several medical operations. Thus, 5G opens opportunities for AI diagnostics and robotic surgeries, which brings medical care closer to those who need it immediately, such as the elderly and differently-abled. The possibility of remote surgeries and remote vital signs checking may be closer to reality with the fast data transfer brought by 5G. Evolution of IoT Nearly all IoT devices will benefit significantly from 5G. From smart-locking doors to alarm systems, the application of 5G can enhance each of their services. IoT devices, such as doorbell cameras and fitness trackers, will be able to transmit data within milliseconds. 5G in Japan Japan recently rolled out 5G for commercial use. As expected, smartphone manufacturers have been releasing one 5G-capable device after another. The tech industry in Japan is looking forward to applying 5G in machines, robots, vehicles, and especially in the manufacturing industry to fill in the country’s workforce. Though some mobile devices support the technology, there are only limited locations that provide 5G networks. Therefore, telecommunication companies are expected to invest in their infrastructure to expand and apply their service in telemedicine and other automation initiatives. The installation and maintenance of 5G devices will require the support of many IT experts. IT Careers 5G is more than just mobile phones. It opens a lot of opportunities for innovation concerning automation and communication. With the release of 5G, IT companies are expected to level up their services, which requires the following IT job titles. Network Engineers The application of 5G to enterprise networks and cloud services could create gaps in network security, which network engineers control. They will also oversee several network changes, such as installing new equipment to apply the 5G network and developing a wireless LAN necessary for building a 5G environment in the workplace. Moreover, the complexity of 5G deployments will require network engineers to focus on software and microservices, such as software-defined networking for routing and switching, software-defined radio access networks for mobile and handset connectivity, automation, and network function virtualization for firewalls and load balancing. AI Engineers With the rapid changes in the 5G network topology in response to the changes in traffic, mobile network operators will require an intelligent and automated approach to make their network efficient. Thus, mobile network operators are expected to incorporate AI into their networks, which will require AI engineers’ expertise. IoT Engineers With the fast development of 5G devices in Japan, IoT engineers are needed more than ever. The introduction of 5G poses several challenges in the deployment of integrated sensors, algorithms, and system designs. It is the role of IoT engineers to apply, maintain, and monitor these efforts to ensure the quality of services provided by IoT devices. Programming Languages Since the rollout of 5G, there has been a shift in the priority of programming languages in the world, especially in Japan. Here are some of the newest and oldest programming languages for the development of 5G technologies. Go Lang Google developed this programming language as an alternative to C++ and Java with memory safety, garbage collection, and structural typing. Though it first appeared in 2009, its stable release was in September 2020. IT engineers are expected to process large volumes of data with the release of 5G. Go Lang is considered one of the best programming languages to work with Big Data and Parallel Processing Applications. Its execution speed is the fastest among other programming languages available. Moreover, several machine learning frameworks can be integrated with Go Lang. Lisp Lisp is the oldest programming language used in AI development today. Though many chose Python in this field, Lisp is mostly preferred by IT engineers for logic-based AI projects. They favored its Read-Eval-Print Loop for easy interactive programming. Lisp also comes with a good environment setup like debugging, incremental compilers, and more. Furthermore, the programming language supports symbolic programming. Python Python is among the recommended IoT programming languages for its flexible and uncomplicated language. It is the practical choice of data-intensive applications and AI development. Moreover, Python has rich features and extensive library and community support. Conclusion 5G opens several opportunities that could help ease the everyday lives of people worldwide. Though the application of 5G has not been fully actualized in Japan yet, the technology is bound to ease data communication and transform entertainment and medical care in the future. However, these changes will not happen overnight. It requires the expertise of several IT professionals in the field of IoT, AI, and telecommunications. Sources: https://www.networkworld.com/article/3336867/what-programming-languages-rule-the-internet-of-things.html https://onetech.jp/blog/5g%E6%99%82%E4%BB%A3%E3%81%AB%E4%BA%BA%E6%B0%97%E3%81%AEgo%E8%A8%80%E8%AA%9E%E3%81%A8%E3%81%AF%EF%BC%9F%E6%B3%A8%E7%9B%AE%E3%81%95%E3%82%8C%E3%82%8B%E7%90%86%E7%94%B1%E3%82%84%E6%B4%BB%E7%94%A8-7345#5GGO https://qiita.com/SFITB/items/e1290eb4d0bd00843384 https://www.xenonstack.com/blog/golang-for-big-data/ https://dev.to/saikrishna_iam/top-5-best-programming-languages-for-artificial-intelligence-in-2020-5ghj https://www.digiteum.com/top-iot-programming-languages https://learn.g2.com/advantages-of-5g-technology https://miraisozo.mizuhobank.co.jp/future/80137#:~:text=%E4%BB%8A%E5%9B%9E%E3%80%81%E3%81%A4%E3%81%84%E3%81%AB%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E3%81%A7%E3%82%82%E3%82%B5%E3%83%BC%E3%83%93%E3%82%B9,%E3%81%A7%E3%81%8D%E3%82%8B%E3%81%A8%E3%81%84%E3%82%8F%E3%82%8C%E3%81%A6%E3%81%84%E3%81%BE%E3%81%99%E3%80%82 https://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/answer/Will-5G-networks-require-new-network-engineer-skills https://www.fenet.jp/infla/column/technology/155-2/ https://www.ifc.org/wps/wcm/connect/1f00b57b-3f6b-4be9-ad6a-af8ea87a0581/EMCompass_Note+76-AI+and+5G+in+Emerging+Markets_FIN+for+WEB.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CVID=mYsdFhr

Career Development

The Value of IT Engineers for Online Streaming Services

Video streaming has become part of everyone’s daily activities ever since the start of Youtube. The development of mobile devices has made video content more accessible to people, whether on a long bus ride home or while waiting in a coffee shop. By 2021, an average person is expected to spend 100 minutes a day watching online videos. Nowadays, several streaming platforms are available in every country. With the recent pandemic, online streaming consumption worldwide increased while Netflix became the top streaming platform. In Japan, most people still prefer to watch movies and shows on TV. However, the younger generation has become heavy users of online streaming platforms for its convenience. Part of its appeal is the convenient access to these streaming sites and other forms of entertainment in one device. But this type of service wouldn’t be possible without the work of IT engineers. IT Engineers in Video Streaming App Development The influx of viewers on these video streaming platforms causes servers to shut down. It’s an IT engineer’s task to fix this and other similar issues to keep viewers entertained while staying at home during the pandemic. Their job also includes the maintenance and development of more features that would best fit any device used for this service. Building a Video Streaming Platforms IT engineers have to be versatile in this field of work. Not only do they handle several data, but they also are working on different specializations of IT work. If you are looking forward to working in Japan’s video streaming market, you have to know the necessary tools and information to develop online video streaming platforms. Machine Learning Algorithms Algorithms are necessary for any streaming services. It helps recommend to users a selection of movies they might want to watch based on their viewing history or analyze a user’s rating to improve the platform. Therefore, IT engineers must be equipped with knowledge in machine learning algorithms to provide the best user experience. Cloud hosting IT engineers working on a video streaming service handle several types of data and video content. Keeping the servers running is an integral part of the work. Instead of using a single server, companies prefer cloud hosting platforms to balance the load. If one server fails, another server kicks in and keeps your video streaming service running. Moreover, cloud hosting platforms allow quick access to video content, and it’s easy to increase their space. They are also a cheaper option compared to purchasing hard drives. Therefore, IT engineers must be familiar with several cloud hosting platforms to provide clients the best options for their video streaming service. Computing Architecture Developing a video streaming platform requires a complex architecture. A cloud architect is responsible for designing the features necessary in an online video streaming platform, such as the search engine, recommendation system, caching architecture, and A\B testing, with cloud computing. Network Connection Depending on the project’s scale, video streaming services must be integrated into a content delivery network (CDN) to handle significant traffic. CDNs serve a large portion of the internet today, including graphics, scripts, downloadable media files, software, live streaming media, and on-demand streaming media. An IT engineer must know the content delivery techniques needed to be applied in the service. Security Customers have to input sensitive information like credit details in a subscription-based video streaming platform. IT engineers must have vast knowledge in cybersecurity to prevent these important data from being accessed by anyone. Also, the security of the video streaming service includes the monitoring of server failure. IT engineers will have to develop safety precautions in accessing accounts on different devices. They also deal with domain restrictions and watermarking for extra live stream security. Other Skills IT engineers must be equipped with the necessary programming languages, primarily PHP, Ruby, and JavaScript. They should have experience in web or mobile application development, basic TCP/IP knowledge, and be capable of handling network and server designing. Experience in live streaming protocols such as RTSP, RTMP, WebRTC, HLS will give you an edge in the industry. Development Process IT teams work together for more than 300 hours, depending on how big the video streaming service is. They have to work on several functions and designs to provide customers the best user experience. Here’s a breakdown of the tasks of each stage in the development process. User Registration It takes about 32 hours to work on the registration feature in a video streaming platform. The task includes testing of the email confirmation and addition of login options. User Profile This part of the process takes a shorter time. In 16 hours, engineers brainstorm and apply the account’s functions and personalization, such as editing names, uploading photos, and showing a user’s preferred genre, actors, and movies. Subscription and Payment Gateway In this part of the development process, the team and the client will choose the best monetization model, whether as pay-per-view, advertising, or subscription, and preferred payment method for the video service. The application of the subscription and payment gateway features takes 80 hours to accomplish. Notifications, Content Search, and Reviews and Ratings Push notifications remind users of the new movie or series available and advise them of subscription notices and options. Moreover, the search bar needs to provide several options, such as genre, ratings, and more, to provide the best video content selection. The application of these features will take 88 hours of the team’s time. Design This part of the process is the most demanding of all. IT engineers must produce the best layout to provide a seamless user interface to all types of devices. The whole process could take 100 hours or more since it involves several confirmations from the team and the client. Conclusion The market size of Japan’s paid streaming services reached 277 billion yen in 2019. With the recent pandemic, video consumption is set to increase as people spend more hours on their mobile devices and computers. The doubling of the market size from 2015 to 2019 shows that Japanese consumers are embracing this new form of entertainment. As more subscribe to video streaming platforms, the need for better content and features in these services arise. Therefore, it is expected that the need for IT engineers will increase in the industry, opening several opportunities for foreign IT engineers to fill. Sources: https://theappsolutions.com/blog/how-to/app-like-netflix/ https://www.hostinger.ph/tutorials/what-is-cloud-hosting https://www.computersciencedegreehub.com/faq/what-is-computer-architecture/ https://interestingengineering.com/how-exactly-does-netflix-recommend-movies-to-you https://www.smartinsights.com/digital-marketing-platforms/video-marketing/video-marketing-statistics-to-know/ https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2020/04/11/digital/streaming-isolation-apps/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/1097284/japan-svod-market-share-by-service/ https://en-gage.net/itochu-cable_saiyo/work_837767/

Career Development

The Importance of IT Engineers in the Video Gaming Industry

Nolan Bushnell, the co-founder of Atari, once said that “Video games foster the mindset that allows creativity to grow.” For hardcore gamers, there is no truer adage. Video games are more than just an activity done during their leisure time; games also spark the wildest sides of their imaginations and are a huge chunk of their lives. Game developers also share the same sentiment, albeit having a deeper connection with video games. A way of looking at it is that video games are the canvas, and developers are the artists. Behind every new game released are the heart, sweat, countless hours, and tears of a development team that has given it their all into the game’s production. The dedication they have put into games has drastically changed the landscape of the entire video game world. Video game developers are some of the most hardworking professionals on the planet despite complaints of mistreatment by the same industry that they work so hard to grow. Numerous controversies pointing to unfair treatment of game developers have popped up over the years, some of which are still ongoing in some game studios. Several months of nonstop work, no overtime pay, and trying to meet unrealistic deadlines are just some of the issues that continue to plague the video game industry. These problems have gotten so bad that developers are now pushing towards unionization to ensure their rights as professionals. Although this situation should never be romanticized, game developers are completely undeterred by all the drama, still continuing to provide gamers excellent new products while doing what they love the most. Now that’s what you call passion. In a country such as Japan, where video games are a way of life, its industry is composed of brilliant and creative enthusiasts striving to put out one great game after another. One of the hardest working members of the whole field are IT engineers. Without IT engineers, it would be challenging to develop, let alone finish a game. In this article, we’ll discuss just how important IT engineers are in Japan’s video game industry. Creating the Heroes and Villains (Character Design) In the film industry, the plot isn’t enough for a movie to be successful. Motion pictures need interesting protagonists and antagonists, complete with awesome backstories plus the proper costumes and visual style. This is the same for the video game industry. Nowadays, for games to truly be successful, there needs to be a “cool” hero character and a despicable but equally “cool” villain counterpart. Both sides need to look the part. You can’t put a colorful and ridiculous outfit like suspenders and long multicolored socks on an antagonist who is supposed to be the ruler of the underworld. That wouldn’t work. IT engineers are essential in the character design process because they are very keen on creating the different personalities that make up the game. These characters are made from scratch. IT engineers consider their backstories, what characteristics define the heroes and villains, key visual elements, and the subtle or minor details that everyone loves, like easter eggs. Gone are the days when award-winning or critically acclaimed games only had characters made up of shapes and pixels. IT engineers need to create refined and well-detailed characters, even for smaller gaming mediums like smartphones, where the characters look smaller and a lot less clear compared to the ones in proper game consoles. Setting the Stage (Scene Design) Aside from the fantastic characters, IT engineers also need to set the stage and create settings, backgrounds, etc. that properly fit with the game’s time or era. For example, suppose the developers have decided for a game to be set in Tokyo in the year 3000. In this case, IT engineers will need to create an environment that feels like Japan’s capital in the distant future, complete with state-of-the-art cars, cutting-edge technology in every corner, and whatnot. For future-set games, IT engineers can let their imaginations run wild with whatever they can think of regarding the future. But for games set in the past, there needs to be a little bit more discipline. IT engineers need to create set pieces that are incredibly detailed and era-appropriate. The most hardcore gamers are quickly going to notice if a certain type of architectural design wasn’t around during the game’s set period, or how humans haven’t invented this and that by that point. So, IT engineers need to do some thorough research when creating games set in a bygone era. Additionally, IT engineers will have to add many elements to the game’s surroundings that will help players during crucial moments of the story. If a player wants to chuck a barrel full of fish at his opponent or wants to climb up a roof to gain a commanding perspective, IT engineers need to program that particular piece or area as “interactables.” Overall Game Development Although they are heavily involved with the game design process, IT engineers can also be found working on other aspects of the overall game development. Game developers can rely on IT engineers to be included in any game development stage because of their broad skillset. IT engineers are always willing to collaborate, good with time management, knowledgeable in multimedia development software and programming, critical thinkers, effective communicators, good storytellers, quickly adaptive, creative, and persistent. IT engineers can offer game development expertise in steps and stages such as high concept, pitch, concept, game design document, prototype, and production. During production, IT engineers will focus on design, level creation, and programming. During the programming stage, IT engineers can focus on computer programming and use their knowledge in languages such as C++, C#, Python, Java, and many more. IT engineers also have a hand in choosing the game engine, which will provide them awesome 3D and 2D graphics rendering, audio support, animation, collision detection, artificial intelligence, and networking, to name a few. Satisfying the Most Hardcore Gamers (User Experience) Even if developers put their all into the game production, the game will likely tank if the consumers and critics aren’t going to like it. A game bombing will result in major repercussions to the game developer’s reputation going forward, so IT engineers also bear the pressure in making sure this won’t happen to the development company by following some essential steps. First off, IT engineers always know their intended audience. IT engineers will tailor the game to meet the expectations of the consumers. If gamers expect a realistic racing game, IT engineers make sure that everything’s on point and the game will give racing enthusiasts a real driving experience. If players expect a more “go-kart” feel, IT engineers will make the game less serious and inject more silliness like power-ups. Second, IT engineers who work on a sequel or another chapter of an already established game make it a point to improve upon the previous edition. Players will quickly notice if the game has stayed the same since the last installment, so IT engineers need to add better gameplay elements for later versions to keep it fresh. Third, IT engineers make sure that the game they are working on will have a responsive, fluid, and somewhat realistic experience during release. Players hate when the game is slow, the physics are awful, and the animation is lousy. This is what derails most developers, as gamers are not afraid to let the world know if a game is unsatisfactory and falls short of expectations. Negative reviews like these can easily spread and affect the purchasing decision of potential players. Lastly, IT engineers create exemplary user interfaces. The user interface can be the difference between a great game and an iconic one. Chances are that you still remember the in-game menu of your childhood game or the sound the game makes when you click different options. This is how vital user interfaces are, and IT engineers know how much of a difference it makes. Conclusion Video games have progressively become more sophisticated and entertaining over the years, thanks to contributions from personnel such as IT engineers. The significance of IT engineers to the video game industry can never be understated, and all of their efforts should never be overlooked. IT engineers work tirelessly to design heroes, villains, and environments. Beyond their usual scope, they also offer their help on several aspects of game development. And most importantly, they always emphasize the experience of users and gamers. Sources: https://www.gamedesigning.org/learn/character-design/ https://medium.com/@haikus_by_KN/how-we-design-games-now-and-why-bcbc1deb7559 https://www.petersons.com/blog/10-skills-you-need-to-become-a-video-game-designer/ https://www.gamedesigning.org/video-game-development/ https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/how-to-get-started-with-game-development/ https://medium.com/@player_research/what-is-games-user-experience-ux-and-how-does-it-help-ea35ceaa9f05 https://gameanalytics.com/blog/5-tips-to-improve-your-games-user-experience.html