The Turbulent Life of Katsuo / 30s / The Kosen Graduate's Story #6

英語版も作成してみました！日本語版もあるので是非読みやすい方を！

👆Chapter 5 (Failure — The Reality Waiting ) - Continued...

Chapter 6 | Job Hunting — Was There Still a Place for Someone Like Me?

■ The Year After Failing
The year after repeating a grade passed more quietly than I expected.

My former classmates had already moved on to graduation year, while I found myself sitting among students one year younger than me. At first, I became overly conscious of how people might see me.

But in reality, not much actually changed.

Some of my closest friends had repeated the year too, and the younger students never treated us like outsiders. If anything, they were careful in their own way, but still interacted with us normally. Looking back, that probably saved me more than I realized.

Even so, time kept moving forward.

As everyone around me started deciding their future paths, I knew I had to think seriously about life after graduation too.

■ Unable to Find a Company I Wanted
My grades had stayed near the bottom for years, so continuing on to university was never really an option in my mind. Naturally, I focused entirely on finding a job.

The problem was simple:
There wasn’t a single company that made me think, I want to work here.

I attended internships in August and joined several company tours, but no matter where I went, nothing truly clicked.

In the end, I vaguely assumed I would probably end up working for some local company. That unclear feeling stayed with me while time continued slipping away.

Then February came.
The weather had turned cold, and I was attending remedial classes for subjects from the previous year when I happened to talk with one of the professors in charge of job placement.

That conversation brought up the name of a large electronics manufacturer—a company many Kosen graduates had joined before.

“There’s an opening right now at one of their more popular branches,” the professor said casually. “The salary’s pretty good too.”

Then he added,
“You should go check it out at least once.”

■ The First Time I Could Picture My Future
Honestly, I barely knew anything about the company.
But I also had no reason to refuse.
“Sure, I’ll go,” I answered lightly.

Still, the moment I visited the company, the atmosphere completely surprised me.

The building was modern and clean, and the employees carried themselves with a calm confidence I hadn’t expected. I had seen another division of the same company back in my hometown before, and that place had felt like a traditional factory. That contrast made the difference even more shocking.

It’s the same company… but it feels completely different.
As I watched employees casually talking with each other, I found myself imagining something for the first time:
Maybe I could actually work here.

That company was the first place that made me feel that way.
The moment the visit ended, I submitted my application.

There were about two months left before the interview. My classmates even helped me prepare my self-introduction and reasons for applying. We sat together thinking through every answer.

And then came the result: An offer.

When I saw the notification, I was happy.
But more than happiness, what I remember most was relief.
So I really can step into society after all.

At the same time, there was another reality waiting for me.
The job would take me far away from home, to central Japan. I wouldn’t be able to casually see my friends anymore.
As graduation approached, the excitement slowly mixed with loneliness.
And yet, when spring finally arrived, I graduated from Kosen.

Even after failing a year… I had somehow made it all the way through.
That feeling stayed strangely unreal until the very end.