Voice of SenpaiTransition from Internship to a construction company in Nagano

I graduated form a high school in Mongolia in 2016 and applied for a university in Japan. I studied at Shinshu University for six years up to graduate school. I joined an internship at Iijima Construction for a month when I was in the first year of graduate school, and then got employed. It has been two years since I joined the company. It’s my 9th year living in Nagano happily living with my wife and child. This is my ninth year in Nagano Prefecture. My wife, two children and I live together happily.

I started studying Japanese when my sister went to study at a Japanese university. I was interested in Japanese sweets and anime DVDs that my sister brought as souvenirs. My high school adopted Japanese educational systems, and Japanese teachers offered classes specialized for student who liked to study in Japan.
I focused on studying Japanese when I turned the 3rd year at high school. I applied for a university in Japan via qualification test for international students called EJU. When I studied abroad, I was not particularly anxious because there were seniors from the same high school as me at Shinshu University.

While living in Nagano, I fell in love with the area and began to think that I would find a job here. I applied for an internship at Iijima Construction after being introduced to the company by a professor at my university. I had a chance to join a company tour of housing, construction and civil engineering sections in addition to the associated events. Through the internship, I came to know the employees better and decided to work there. After all those six years studying in Japan, I strongly wanted to stay and have a deeper knowledge of a civil engineering industry in Japan.

I am a construction manager in the civil engineering department. Specifically, I am in charge of managing cooperative vendors, budgets, and processes. I am currently taking on a project of bridge repairs. There are lots of difficulties in this industry, however, I feel fulfilled as I can see my performance result clearly. My first task was to protect shores associated with the recovery works of the 19th typhoon disaster. I wanted to quit because the work was unbelievably hard but when I saw the completed site I was involved with, I was fulfilled with great joy. I was too busy to realize that two years had already passed.
I want to keep working here as I like the company and Japan!

I did not have any problems living in Japan, but I am not fond of raw fish, so there were some inconveniences in terms of food. I used to cook by myself several times a week. Nagano prefecture is rich in nature. Lots of green and fresh air remind me of my country, Mongolia. I used to live close to my campus and commute by riding a bicycle. As it’s inconvenient without a car, I got a driver’s license in Japan before the employment. I like Japan and want to stay for another five years at least.

There were lots of students including friends of mine who wanted to work at large-scale companies. On the other hand, I originally was looking for opportunities at mid-small-scale companies. In a large company, you are just busy working every day in a large organization, but in mid-small-scale companies, you are evaluated because the organization is small, and you can talk directly to the CEO about what you are thinking. I even have a chance to talk with the CEO regarding my private life as well as the job, which makes me think that I am valued. This is one of the things that makes mid-small-scale companies attractive. I transitioned from internship straight to employment. It is good to be able to imagine what it would be like to work and to get to know the employees if you utilize the internship program.