Interview with developer from Korea: SangJoon Park

※This article is machine translated.

Employment in Japan

How did you come to work in Japan?

I came to Japan when I was 30 years old. I originally had a life plan to start a new life at the age of 30. I had thought about going abroad, but since my parents are getting older, I thought it would be better to be closer to them in order to take care of them, so I quit my job in Korea and came to Japan.

I studied Japanese while attending a Japanese language school and worked as a freelance developer. I learned about Cocone through an introduction by a temporary staffing agency through an information session at the school, and that is how I have been working all this time.

Have you ever felt a difference in the way of working between Korea and Japan?

It has been so long since I came to Japan that it has become vague….
I worked in Korea almost 15 years ago, so there is a difference between then and now. I am not sure how the corporate culture in Korea is changing today, but I do think there is definitely a cultural difference.
When I was working in Korea, I think there was a strong feeling that my personal life and company life intersected together and were indistinguishable.
What surprised me when I came to Japan was the clear distinction between public and private life. What surprised me the most was that we did not eat lunch together.
When I was in Korea, we would all go to lunch together and say, ” What do you want to eat today?” In Japan, however, each person would bring his or her own lunch and eat at his or her own table, or it was difficult to get together with a small group of people to eat, which was new to me, not that it was a bad thing. Now I find it rather easy to do so, and I have come to think that it is hard to get together and go together.

Cocone’s development positions

What do you gain from working with Cocone?

I think I gained a lot of experience. I gained experience not only in “Pokecolo” but also in many other areas as I took on various challenges to help the company grow.
Although we are currently focusing on “CCP”, Cocone is interested in new business areas and has a diverse workforce. As a developer, I think I can grow in an environment where I can demonstrate my experience in various fields and platforms, and where I can challenge myself to gain experience.
I don’t think the engineers in the company have a clear hierarchical relationship. I am not sure about younger engineers, but there is an atmosphere of chatting with their bosses over dinner.

Cocone’s Work-Life Balance

What do you think about work-life balance?

Certainly Cocone is more supportive than other companies when it comes to work-life balance. Like the flextime system and remote work. Especially for developers, I feel that they actively support working styles in a form that allows us to focus on our work and improve efficiency. It is helpful that they adopt or consider any input from employees, challenge them, give them feedback, and do things to solve problems.

The hardest thing about having a child was having to do three things together: childcare, housework, and work. At that time, the ” childcare free time system ” was really helpful. And although the new coronavirus had an impact, the increase in remote working hours was helpful in terms of housework and childcare.
I think it is the best thing to do as a position where you have to take care of your child, do housework, and also do development work.

My Life in Japan

How is the environment for childcare? (nursery school situation in Tokyo)

We live in Koto-ku, Tokyo and have a 4 year old son. My wife took childcare leave for one year, but at that time we were not able to enter a daycare center, so we waited about six months before entering one.
When my child was born, there were not many daycare centers, but now there are more and the environment seems to have improved.
Now I am wondering which elementary school to send him to.

Message to those who are seeking employment in Japan

I think it is the same in any country, but getting a job abroad is not easy at first. He or she has to make efforts in such areas as cultural differences, language differences, and so on.
After all, it’s impossible to integrate into society without effort. This is the part that I myself feel while living as a student and a member of society, but I think there will be a big difference in whether or not the mindset of the individual will change. I think it is difficult to have a simple mindset of escaping, of not liking one’s own country or environment and trying to lead a new life elsewhere, and I think it is necessary to bring oneself closer to the country and learn the language and culture as the foundation necessary for living in that country, whether in Japan or in other countries, as the same may be true in other countries. I believe that it is necessary to learn the language and culture that will be the foundation for living in the country.

As a developer, the technical part is important, but at the same time, understanding and learning about language, culture, and society is also important. I feel that the difference between those who are able to do so and those who are not is immediately apparent within a company. Therefore, I think it is a good idea to pay attention to such points as well.