Self-Introduction [Career Consultant Salon Editorial Department]

Thank you for reading this article.

The second post from the Career Consultant Salon Editorial Department is
"Self-Introduction"

I am Kyaripan, also known as Panda, a career consultant.

I will summarize my journey chronologically from the perspective of why I became a career consultant.

■ Chasing a dream that didn't come true

I spent about 12 years studying while chasing a dream I had since I was a child. I worked hard on my job hunting, but unfortunately, I could not get the job I wanted.
I couldn't afford to be a ronin (unemployed graduate) for financial reasons, and Company A, where I found employment, was large and I couldn't get into the department I wanted.
I lost sight of the consistency with what I had done up until my student days.

*Later, I realized that I had been mistaken in thinking that getting my ideal job or occupation was the definition of career success.

■ Becoming a career drifter after failing to find a job that utilized my experience

When I moved to a different region, I was told by my company that I couldn't transfer, so I had no choice but to resign.

Although I looked for a new job, the area I moved to was depopulated.
There were few companies in the same industry or job type, and no job openings within commuting distance, so I changed to Company B in a different industry and job type.

I felt frustrated that I couldn't use any of the knowledge or skills from my previous job, and that women with university degrees or higher were teased as being 'know-it-alls' (how rude!) and treated poorly.
There were no signs of the organizational culture improving, and I thought it was a waste to keep getting older there! Just then, I was hired by Company C, which I had found, so I changed jobs to yet another industry.

The turning point where I could finally utilize my knowledge and experience came a few years after I joined Company C.

My original strengths in proposing improvements and ideas, along with the knowledge I gained at Companies A and B, became useful, and I began to show my presence in areas that other employees did not have.

■ Long-distance transfer after maternity and childcare leave

My 20s, which I spent running through with my work, came to an end, and I was blessed with my first child.

However, immediately after giving birth, I was approached by my workplace about returning early.
Since the local government assigns nursery schools, I couldn't get a 100% answer on when I could enroll, and my husband also pulled the rug out from under me, saying, 'It's obvious, but my company doesn't allow childcare leave.' I was then ordered to transfer to a distant location (a distance that takes half a day just to travel).

I wanted a handover period before the transfer, so I did what was likely the first 'ho-katsu' (nursery school hunting) in the area where I lived, cut my childcare leave short, and returned to work full-time.

In the morning, I would wait with my child before the nursery gate opened and rush in, and at night, I would go to pick them up near the end. If they had a fever, I would take them to the night emergency clinic, and the next morning, I would leave them with a relative before going to work. Even when my child was sick, I still had overtime work.

There were many times when the nursery school teachers would yell at me in front of other parents, saying things like, 'They're so young! Why leave them for so long!' or 'Please look after your child more!' It was a time when I experienced the difference in awareness between public welfare and general companies.

*There was an atmosphere where if you didn't devote your full energy to either life or career, you weren't considered a full-fledged member of society or a mother.

■ A chance encounter with a career consultant

I happened to meet a career consultant who was looking for clients online, and they provided me with career consulting.

They helped me organize my experiences, perspectives, and desires, and provided advice based on logical grounds.
I truly felt that this was more effective than worrying alone, getting certifications, or job hunting by myself.

Thinking that it would be useful not only for individual career consultations but also for organizational career development, I made up my mind to aim for the qualification.

■ So that you don't have to give up by weighing housework, childcare, and work against each other

I believe that everyone's experience is valuable precisely because it is unique.There are circumstances that should be respected for each person.

Like me,the experience of being able to connect the career changes I experienced with every life event every few years, such as marriage and childcare leave,is something I believe will also be useful as a career consultant.