JX Nippon Mining & Metals Corporation
[Completion, Class of 2021]
The reason I entered graduate school was because of my lab assignment in my senior year. In my course, I was assigned to a laboratory in my senior year. The laboratory I was assigned to was not the one I had hoped for. However, I was impressed by the seniors who devoted themselves to research and the professors who tried to respond to their efforts, and decided to go on to graduate school.
I was worried about whether I would be able to keep up with the research. At a university that is always on the cutting edge, it is necessary to continue to input new knowledge on a daily basis. Sometimes I was so busy with daily experiments that I didn’t have time to investigate, but my professors were kind enough to teach me even at such times, so I was able to enter graduate school without such worries.
I feel that it was helpful to have many relationships with people outside my own laboratory. In my laboratory activities, I had many opportunities to interact with people outside the laboratory, such as through communication with equipment manufacturers and joint research with companies. It was a valuable experience for me to be able to interact with external parties even as a graduate student. At the company I am currently working for, we manufacture our products while interacting with a variety of external parties, including customers and affiliated companies. I am glad that I was able to learn how to proceed and how to respond in such situations.
Regardless of my industry, I believe that what is expected of more than a graduate is to have logical thinking and to be proactive. While these things are required, graduate school allows you to learn these two things at the same time.
Graduate school is tough. I think some people have such an image. In fact, there were many times when I felt that graduate school was tough. Nevertheless, now that I have entered the workforce, I am glad that I went to graduate school. This is because the logical thinking, presentation skills, and experimental schedule planning that I developed during my time in graduate school are still at the foundation of my life today, and I feel that they are constantly being applied to my work. Now that there are so many options available, I think it is one way to expand your possibilities by going to graduate school.
Ad-Sol Nissin Corporation
[Completed in March 2022]
The first reason was that I wanted to increase my expertise in my field of interest. Since I started my research in my fourth year of undergraduate school, one year was not enough to enhance my expertise and make it my own, so I wanted to study and research more intensively in graduate school. The second reason was that I wanted time to reflect on myself and think about my future. I did not have a clear image of what I wanted to do in the future, so I wanted to have time to broaden my perspective and get to know myself in order to think about my future.
I was worried that I would be later than my classmates in entering the workforce. Some of my friends were already working, so I felt impatient at the fact that I was still a student. However, I thought that the knowledge and skills that I could acquire only in graduate school would surely benefit me. For this reason, I had to study and research hard for two years, but it also motivated me.
I feel that the experience of compiling and presenting research results in papers and PowerPoint presentations as well as gathering and understanding necessary information from previous research papers has been useful. I could not have acquired this skill without going to graduate school. Although my current job is outside of my field of expertise, I believe that the skills I have acquired through my research activities are applicable to any job.
I think it is important to be curious and have a spirit of challenge, as well as technical skills. You also need to be willing to take on the challenge of adopting new technologies.
・To high school students
When you are a high school student, you may be wondering whether you will get a job or go on to higher education, or which university you will apply to. Perhaps not many of you may be considering whether you will go on to graduate school. That was the case with me. Therefore, I would first like you to choose a career path that will enable you to lead a fulfilling life. When you do so, please keep in mind that your university life is not only four years, but also more than six years if you go on to graduate school.
・To undergraduate students
In graduate school, you can spend a lot of time studying and researching in depth what you are interested in. It is common to think that after graduating from university, you must begin working, but there is always an experience that can only be had in graduate school. I hope that you will not exclude graduate school as an option from the beginning and include it as one of your potential career paths.
Tohoku Electric Power Network Co., Inc.
[Completed in March 2020]
When I was thinking about job hunting, I felt that I did not have any strengths compared to other people. As a result, I ended up finding a job in a field different from my research, but I was able to learn attitudes and ways of thinking that I can apply to my work at graduate school.
I was very anxious about the entrance exam for entering graduate school. It was an exam that was like a summary of my undergraduate years, but I had managed to get through many of them, so it took me a lot of time to review. I studied with my classmates in the laboratory and shared information with them during the summer vacation, which helped me to put in a lot of effort into my studies while eliminating my anxiety.
Although most of my current work is not directly related to the fields I studied in the laboratory, I was able to learn things that are indirectly necessary for many jobs, such as approaches to solving problems and the ability to communicate things to others using materials. Of course, you can acquire specialized knowledge, but in graduate school you are expected to think and communicate on your own, so I think I have grown a lot in that area.
In the electric power industry, there is a need to break away from the existing structure due to electric power system reforms and changes in social conditions. The company may have a rigid image, but it is in the midst of reform, so it is necessary for personnel to have the ability to think for themselves and make improvements without being influenced by past conventions, and to have the ability to respond flexibly. This is also necessary for conducting research, and I believe that many people naturally acquire this ability.
If you do not have an image of graduate school, I recommend that you ask your seniors and teachers. I actually entered graduate school without knowing much about the contents, but I was still anxious at the beginning. I think your life will be different from your undergraduate life, such as job hunting and laboratory life. There were many hardships such as research courses and preparation for presentations, but I think I gained more than that and was able to grow as a person. If you are not sure about your career path, I think you should consider entering graduate school as a candidate.
When I was in my fourth year of undergraduate school, I felt that I wanted to gain more knowledge and needed time to think about my path. Originally, I started job hunting with the intention of graduating as an undergraduate, but I realized that I had not been able to improve myself with an eye toward finding a job because I could not define my own axis and was not confident in my own knowledge. I still remember the feeling of anxiety of not being able to claim “I have learned this”. I was able to acquire more specialized knowledge as I entered the graduate school and conducted research and self-improvement. I was also able to think about my own axis, and I think I was able to confidently choose a path when I was job hunting in my second year of graduate school.
I was anxious about spending two more years at school. While I felt that there were many things I could learn and gain as a student, my worry was that the later I entered the society as a working adult, the worse it would be for my career and life plans. Although I had not resolved these fears at the time I entered the graduate school, I believed that I was able to use my time more meaningfully because of my fears and felt that I should not waste two years of my life. As a result, I am now able to build my career and life because I was able to learn and experience so much at the graduate school, so I feel that I made the right choice despite my anxiety.
I think that the experience of thinking by myself and taking responsibility for my own actions is useful even in the working world. Learning and outputting on your own is important in both research and work. I think that if you gain experience in dealing with difficult problems while you are still a student, you will be able to calmly cope with difficulties when you face them at work.
I majored in image recognition when I was a student. When I joined in work andtold my manager about this, I was put in charge of evaluation of face recognition in a project. I don’t think there is much of a direct relationship between your research and your job, but you may be able to make use of your strengths at work if you have them.
Although it is not limited to this industry, I feel that newcomers who can act with a self-responsible mindset are in demand. You need to understand what you don’t understand properly, rather than just accepting what you don’t understand somehow. What others tell you is not always correct, so it is important to think carefully, make decisions, and take responsibility for your work. I believe that a sense of responsibility and independence like this can be cultivated through research activities at graduate school.
・To high school students
First, try to learn about the field you are interested in as an undergraduate student. 4 years of experience may help you to see other paths you can take, and you may want to study more deeply. You may even become interested in a field other than your major after you start learning. In such cases, you can change your department while you are still an undergraduate student, or you can change your field of study in graduate school. I also changed departments during my sophomore year of undergraduate school and completed graduate school. Please think carefully about what you want to do and spend your time carefully. If you find a field that you want to spend more time studying, the graduate school is a good option.
・To undergraduate students
Once you start working, you will not have much time for yourself. It is a valuable experience that you can only get when you are a student and can devote a lot of time to thinking deeply about a single subject, as you can do with research activities. Please cherish your time, value your interests, and deepen your experience. If you feel that you have unfinished business as an undergraduate, I recommend that you pursue graduate study.
Iwate University Graduate school of Science and Engineering Ph.D. student
Laboratory of Visual neuroscience
［Completed in March 2022］
I decided to go on to higher education because I want to continue my research and achieve my career goals. I aspire to become a researcher, and for that to happen, it is essential to have the ability and knowledge. The research themes in my laboratory are diverse, and I am able to come into contact with new knowledge through progress reports, etc. The environment in which I can acquire various knowledge and skills was also a key factor in my decision to enter graduate school.
I was very anxious that my research was not progressing as well as those around me. Compared to those around me, only my experiments were not going well, and I was very impatient. At that time, a senior colleague in the laboratory said to me, “It is normal for research to progress differently. I had to steadily do what I could do at the moment,” which took away my anxiety. I am now doing my best to do what I can do.
I believe that the work that graduate students are doing, such as consideration and presentation, will always be useful. For consideration, skills to gather necessary information and for presentation, skills to prepare easy-to-understand materials are necessary, which will be done on a daily basis even after entering the workforce.
In addition, the experience of writing for master’s theses and preparing abstracts for conference presentations is also useful. I am glad that I developed my writing skills during my master’s program, because I have more opportunities to do paperwork, e-mail with professors, correct junior students’ graduation theses, and other tasks that require the ability to write correct and quick sentences.
The workflow in the laboratory is not much different from that in the master’s program. However, after entering the doctoral program, you will be treated more like a “single researcher,” and you will be required to be able to independently carry out your research. For this reason, intellectual curiosity and the ability to think logically are essential. Also, in the world of research, it is rare to achieve great success. I believe that the applicant must be able to tackle failure with the desire to learn something from it.
・To high school students
I myself have felt frustrated at times because I could not achieve the career path I had hoped for. However, when I entered the laboratory and met fellow students who worked hard together, I felt truly happy to have entered Iwate University and the graduate school. If you feel lost or uneasy in the future, please take the plunge and knock on the door of the laboratory you are interested in. A new world may open up for you.
・To undergraduate students
What is important in conducting research is “intellectual curiosity” and “the ability to try to get things done”. If you work on your research with these two things, I believe you will be able to acquire many abilities through your research after entering graduate school. If your curiosity and motivation are aroused after entering the laboratory, please consider going on to graduate school.
Japan Fine Ceramics Center
[Completed in March 2021]
I wanted to continue the research project I was doing for my graduation thesis in my fourth year as an undergraduate.
I was worried about whether I would be able to do what graduate school demanded of me. In the end I decided the only way to address such fears was through personal growth, so I entered graduate school with those fears still unresolved. Looking back, I think it was the tremendous support I received from those around me that motivated me to take the plunge. In that sense, I think that you can surmount any uneasiness you have by putting yourself in an environment that enables you to grow.
Since I’m working as a researcher, all of the experience I gained in graduate school connect directly to my current occupation.
People who are good at communicating. As you can imagine, research positions tend to favor those who are curious, tenacious, and upbeat, but speaking from my personal experience in the industry, I think communication skills are critical. There’s a limit to how much you can do on your own in the field of research, so it’s important to be able to communicate with all sorts of people and bat ideas around with them to take them to the next level.
・To high school students
Graduate school will put you in reach of cutting-edge research being conducted around the world. If you want to help unravel the mysteries of the universe or develop state-of-the-art technologies, graduate school will satisfy your curiosity; it is also the perfect stepping stone if you are seeking to work in an international capacity. You may not need to decide for a while, but I hope you will keep graduate school in mind as a promising possibility.
Particularly if you are considering a research career, I recommend that you equip yourself with as much mastery of English as possible. English is an essential communication tool in graduate school to read and write papers and present research results at international conferences. Quite apart from learning it as an exam subject, if you familiarize yourself with English from a young age, the day will surely come when it proves useful to you.
・To undergraduate students
If you aim to go on to postgraduate studies, you would be well advised to join a lab known for its high level of activity and gain experience in writing research papers, preparing conference presentations, and various other research activities. You should actively seek out the information you need to decide which lab or seminar would best match your aspirations. When you do so, be sure to rely on primary sources of information rather than information you found on the Internet or heard from someone, since doing so will help you realize what you really want to do.
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
HATAKEYAMA Yoshitomo
［Completed in March 2016］
I became more interested in the research I had done in my fourth year of undergraduate school and wanted to dig deeper. At the same time, I wanted to spend the next two years acquiring abilities and ways of thinking that would be needed in society, and I wanted to do my best to become a persona that would be accepted in society, so I decided to go on to graduate school.
I was concerned about whether it was worth the time and expense to go to graduate school, so I asked my parents, teachers, and seniors about their experiences and perspectives. I also compared the job opportunities available to me from undergraduate and graduate school, and decided to go to graduate school because I felt that graduate school would be more suited to my personality and the career path I envisioned.
I think the reason I have been able to make my work “my own thing” since becoming a member of society is largely due to the fact that I have been working on my research as “my own thing” in graduate school. In university, there are classes, but the attitude toward listening and the amount of content you absorb are different when you work on it as if it were your own affair, as opposed to when you are forced to do it. In graduate school, there are presentations and research, and if you don’t make it your own, you won’t be able to make progress. I feel that the same will be true after you enter the workforce, and the difference will depend on whether or not you can make it your own.
I believe that people who can adapt to change and encourage change. I think people who can adopt and utilize new technologies are exciting to work with and keep themselves motivated. I feel that we are looking for people who can also demonstrate cooperation while working on the project.
・To high school students
Many people are not even interested in graduate school when they graduate from high school. Even in that situation, I recommend that you just take a little time to research and learn about it. Just knowing about it will give you more options to choose from in the future.
・To undergraduate students
I think you are uncertain about what is best for you. In such cases, I recommend that you ask people close to you about various experiences and ideas and use them as a reference. For those who are not sure, there is also the option of going on to graduate school.
SoleBrain Co., Ltd.
System Development Div.
［Completed in March 2021］
The purpose is to increase my options for the future. Although I was exposed to a wide range of basic content at university, when thinking about my future, I wanted to study the information field more deeply and then consider the field in which I would work or the path to becoming a researcher, etc., so I thought about going on to graduate school. I thought that graduate school itself would be a positive experience for my life, such as gaining experience in research and writing papers in my area of specialization, and I decided to go on to graduate school.
Since research and presentations at academic conferences are included in the credits required for graduation, I was anxious about whether I would be able to produce research results sufficient for graduation. This anxiety was resolved through daily research activities and frequent consultations with my professor regarding my approach and progress, as I gradually found my way to research results.
I feel that the mathematical knowledge I gained through research and lectures and the way of thinking about approaches to solving problems are useful in the development work I am doing now. In my case, since I often worked with point clouds and point sequences in the laboratory, the discrete mathematics and differential and integral calculus that I learned there have been applied to data processing and algorithm implementation in my development work.
I think they are looking for people who love technology and are motivated to grow. Since I am a web-based engineer, the pace of technological innovation and the technology I used to use is faster than in other fields, and the technology becomes obsolete faster than in other fields.
Therefore, I think that people who like to catch up with cutting-edge technology, who are excited about new technology and want to “try it out,” and who like technology and programming are suited to engineering. At the same time, I think that people who can accept their shortcomings in a positive manner and grow are in demand.
・To high school students
What you do or don’t do from college is entirely up to you. There are many things I wish I had done more of. For those of you who are thinking about going on to university or graduate school, I hope you will have no regrets and enjoy the various experiences you gain!
・To undergraduate students
When you enter the workforce, you change from being a customer who paid to use the services of a school to being a provider of value to customers. In the course of our work, we are often able to use our college experience to solve problems. In graduate school in particular, I was able to gain experience in technical knowledge as well as the process of problem solving that is directly applicable to my work. If you are interested in going to graduate school, please give it a positive consideration. I am sure that you will have an experience that will benefit your life!
