Reflecting on the choice to attend a technical college, from the perspective of a working professional

A significant amount of time has passed since I graduated from technical college.

Currently, I work as a company employee in CAE (numerical analysis), and on note, I share information not only about science and engineering but also about psychology and pedagogy.

The seven years I spent at technical college, including the advanced course, were a valuable experience that I consider the starting point of my current career.

In this article, as a working professional who graduated from a technical college, I will look back on my past decision to pursue that path.

Technical college is a hybrid of "high school" and "university"

A technical college (Kosen) is a five-year higher education institution established by the National Institute of Technology, an independent administrative agency.

Its greatest feature is that you can receive advanced and practical specialized education immediately after graduating from junior high school.There are several differences from regular high schools.

• You can learn both basic subjects and specialized subjects over five years.

• The curriculum is designed to skip university entrance exams.

• It has a strong practical aspect, such as laboratory training and graduation research.

• There are abundant opportunities for employment and further education (university transfer or advanced courses).

• The school culture emphasizes student autonomy.

In addition, there are many faculty members with high levels of expertise, including those with doctoral degrees, providing an environment for specialized education similar to that of a university. It is truly a strength that you can experience both high school studies and university research activities.

Struggles related to the specialized education unique to technical colleges

As part of the unique curriculum at technical colleges, in addition to basic subjects like mathematics and English and various specialized subjects, laboratory training (where report writing is mandatory) is provided.

While gaining various practical experiences such as electronic machinery (crafting) and programming, I increased the material available to judge my own aptitude and future.

The reason I decided to go to a technical college was because I was good at math and physics.I took the entrance exam as recommended by my teachers in junior high school, but I vaguely imagined a future where I would make a living in the field of science and engineering.

Using my inherent diligence as a weapon, my academic grades gradually climbed to the top. There were even times when I taught my classmates.

On the other hand, my clumsiness stood out in laboratory training, and I struggled a great deal. I also tended to worry about communication with those around me, and because I was sensitive, I sometimes lost confidence. I had many bitter experiences where seriousness alone was not enough.

Research activities as a turning point in life

Even so, I have no regrets about choosing to attend a technical college. One of the reasons for this was my research activities.

In my graduation research, I encountered the world of numerical analysis through the finite element method. I discovered the joy of seeing the mathematics I excelled at being sublimated into manufacturing.

My research theme continued into the advanced course. Immersing myself deeply in a single theme laid the foundation for my work in CAE.

Taking the time to pursue things deeply suited my personality. I think this is an advantage that is not available when transferring to a university, where the learning environment is reset.

Missed opportunities and relearning from my technical college days

After going on to graduate school, I found employment at a company. There, I faced not only the incompleteness of my technical knowledge but also the problem of the "human skills" I had missed out on during my technical college days.

Building collaborative relationships with those around me, verbalizing my thoughts and intentions, and demonstrating leadership...

These are important skills in a different sense from expertise, but I ended up paying the price for not having overcome them during my technical college days. While dealing with mental illness, I also began to turn my attention to new areas of learning such as psychology and pedagogy.

I believe that my background in these experiences is why I share information not only about science and technology, but also about my interactions with people and society.

From the perspective of pedagogy, the technical college years are a time when one is sensitive and has a large capacity for growth. The human aspect tends to be left to self-responsibility, but I continue my outreach activities because I want to convey "learning" to today's students in my own way.

Conclusion

The struggles I had with communication, the way I devoted myself to research activities with all my might, and the fact that I continue to learn beyond just science and technology—all of these are connected to who I am today.

On the other hand, I have a desire for people not to see technical colleges merely as schools for acquiring specialized knowledge.

I believe that a technical college is an environment for cultivating expertise, but at the same time, it is also a place for solidifying the foundation of character formation.

If you are thinking about attending a technical college, I would like you to think not only about immediate employment or further education, but also, as cliché as it may sound, "What kind of person do I want to become through these five years?" while keeping that question in the back of your mind.

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Thank you for reading to the end. I hope this article can be a catalyst for changing your future in some way.
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