First Week as a Japanese Salaryman

It has been a week and a half since I started my new job. I spent most of that time setting up my computer, creating accounts, and learning about the various systems and tools I will be using everyday. It has been a bit overwhelming.

Moreover, this job is a big change in every way. It is a big company, everything is done in Japanese, and the work itself is also very new to me. There are many big changes and therefore many opportunities for culture shock and surprise.

Recently, in the last few days, I finally finished setting up my computer and I could start work writing computer code. I finally started the real job. It is very fun and I am starting get get excited.

But, I also realized that there is so much to learn. The system is very big and complicated. Many times I can’t understand what people are talking about, half because it is Japanese, half because I don’t know the details of the job.

Everyone is very nice and spends time helping and teaching me. But, I feel I am not very helpful. I feel like I am a burden to everyone around me. I am discouraged by how much I don’t know.

But, then I remember I just started less than two weeks ago! Of course it will take time to get up to speed. I am confident I will be useful and enjoy this work. I just have to get a little more time and experience under my belt.