Life Goals at the End of 2010: What does a Yale Degree Really Mean in Financial Terms?
With Dec 31st steadily approaching its end, I would like to reflect on my experiences during 2010, a year of undoubtedly major transitions from college to work for me that is bound to have major consequences for my future careers. But in the back of my mind, there always seem to be that thought of "am I really doing the right thing? Am I really moving in the right direction?" as listen to more and more complaints from my fellow coworkers, words of doubts from prospective employees, and most importantly, stories of major responsibilities and progress from my classmates back at Yale.
Well, first, lets see what we, the new employees here in Rakuten, have done for our first three months since entering on Oct. 1st. We have been subject to continuous lectures on the core values and ideologies of the company from Day One, our hopes of being identified as the leaders of English-nization at the company and working at our own favorite departments are mostly dashed for the time-being, and our extra values as non-Japanese workers are increasingly questioned as even necessary to any extent.
And to be honest, we the foreign new hires of Oct. 2010 really do not want anyone else to suffer through this. Yes, we do understand that the new grads do not have enough skills to always do what they want in the company and they do not have th right to be picky about their work, but the lack of skills does not mean that the management of the company can personally decide our future careers by simply putting us in corporate roles for which we are utterly unprepared to pursue as a long-term employment option.
And this sort of "humiliation" at lack of self-control over personal destiny is especially hard to live down for a Yale grad. Yes, I have said, and I stand by the comment that Yale is highly overrated in many aspects including academic, but as a college that represents the highest academic achievement across the world and one that has relentlessly brainwashed its students to think of themselves as future global leaders, to have its students snubbed in a foreign country but a company without much credit in the States would just be ridiculous if it were to be known in the States.
And it is certainly not helpful to think about this positively when so many options are presented to the average Yale grad. For money, they can go to consulting and investment banking; for experience, they can go teaching in foreign countries, work for NGOs, and head straight for prestigious grad schools abroad. Just as a Yae student who recently received an offer from Rakuten remarked, "I need to know that Rakuten is the best option for me available when I have so many other ones."
Indeed, given that the average Japanese company, including Rakuten, does not have a system of putting young employees in grad schools after few years of work, working in one can quickly cause the Yalie to become direction-less and doubtful of his initial decision. Sure, there always is the value of living in a new country, facing new challenges, and doing something that no one before has thought of doing, but when all of that is, really, in name only and do not convey REAL skills, you have to ask yourself when is the time to get off this "side track" for "life experiences."
And then, there are those who showed up as the ultimate profession of love for anything Japanese. They can quickly become disillusioned simply because, as I have experienced so many times before, the sheer gruesomeness of reality in Japan that only makes the cute, cuddly, and friendly facade of Japanese pop culture just so much more chilling and disturbing. The lost opportunities back home probably are not the biggest thing on their minds after they started working; instead, they need to reflect on their ENTIRE (Japan-centric) mentality and way of life up until now, a move that might just well kill their motivation to do anything else, in Japan or elsewhere.
People say they are willing to do anything if they are paid well. Of course, I, being convinced that excess wealth is a sign of danger, would definitely disagree. But, to quote the novel 狼圖騰 I wrote about a while ago, the "whatever" attitude that come with being dismayed of one's work environment will quickly turn a person from a "wolf" to a "sheep." Perhaps, this episode will just be one big disappointment as I, unfortunately, become just another old man discontented with my own life.
Well, first, lets see what we, the new employees here in Rakuten, have done for our first three months since entering on Oct. 1st. We have been subject to continuous lectures on the core values and ideologies of the company from Day One, our hopes of being identified as the leaders of English-nization at the company and working at our own favorite departments are mostly dashed for the time-being, and our extra values as non-Japanese workers are increasingly questioned as even necessary to any extent.
And to be honest, we the foreign new hires of Oct. 2010 really do not want anyone else to suffer through this. Yes, we do understand that the new grads do not have enough skills to always do what they want in the company and they do not have th right to be picky about their work, but the lack of skills does not mean that the management of the company can personally decide our future careers by simply putting us in corporate roles for which we are utterly unprepared to pursue as a long-term employment option.
And this sort of "humiliation" at lack of self-control over personal destiny is especially hard to live down for a Yale grad. Yes, I have said, and I stand by the comment that Yale is highly overrated in many aspects including academic, but as a college that represents the highest academic achievement across the world and one that has relentlessly brainwashed its students to think of themselves as future global leaders, to have its students snubbed in a foreign country but a company without much credit in the States would just be ridiculous if it were to be known in the States.
And it is certainly not helpful to think about this positively when so many options are presented to the average Yale grad. For money, they can go to consulting and investment banking; for experience, they can go teaching in foreign countries, work for NGOs, and head straight for prestigious grad schools abroad. Just as a Yae student who recently received an offer from Rakuten remarked, "I need to know that Rakuten is the best option for me available when I have so many other ones."
Indeed, given that the average Japanese company, including Rakuten, does not have a system of putting young employees in grad schools after few years of work, working in one can quickly cause the Yalie to become direction-less and doubtful of his initial decision. Sure, there always is the value of living in a new country, facing new challenges, and doing something that no one before has thought of doing, but when all of that is, really, in name only and do not convey REAL skills, you have to ask yourself when is the time to get off this "side track" for "life experiences."
And then, there are those who showed up as the ultimate profession of love for anything Japanese. They can quickly become disillusioned simply because, as I have experienced so many times before, the sheer gruesomeness of reality in Japan that only makes the cute, cuddly, and friendly facade of Japanese pop culture just so much more chilling and disturbing. The lost opportunities back home probably are not the biggest thing on their minds after they started working; instead, they need to reflect on their ENTIRE (Japan-centric) mentality and way of life up until now, a move that might just well kill their motivation to do anything else, in Japan or elsewhere.
People say they are willing to do anything if they are paid well. Of course, I, being convinced that excess wealth is a sign of danger, would definitely disagree. But, to quote the novel 狼圖騰 I wrote about a while ago, the "whatever" attitude that come with being dismayed of one's work environment will quickly turn a person from a "wolf" to a "sheep." Perhaps, this episode will just be one big disappointment as I, unfortunately, become just another old man discontented with my own life.
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