Part-time jobs in universities
Johannes Nicolaus Wibisana Updated in SEPTEMBER 2024

I have heard that some students struggle to make ends meet and must do part-time jobs. However, often these part-time jobs are physical labor that do not even require speaking in Japanese. This type of job might not be very favorable, as foreign students, while able to earn some money, not learn anything else in addition. I would like to introduce some jobs that I found productive and might be interesting to some people.

It all began one day when I was an undergraduate, I realized that I had too much free time and wanted to make better use of it. At the same time, I saw on the university online bulletin board that some laboratories are hiring part-timers to help with some scientific analyses and lab maintenance. So, I applied, and I got called for an interview. I was asked basic things, if I would be able to comfortably work there despite the communication mostly being in Japanese.

After that, I was accepted and asked to start as soon as possible. At that time, I had several tasks which include cleaning the lab, sample processing of blood from patients, mice genotyping, image analysis among others. At first, it was a bit difficult because at that time my scientific Japanese was limited. I am glad that the laboratory I worked at was very accommodating and helpful. After a while, I got used to the work and I improvised a lot. For example, I devised a program to make the image analysis much faster and was used by other people in the lab in the end. I ended up working there for a bit more than a year because at the time I had to focus on my studies towards the end of my 4th year of undergraduate. However, it was a very valuable experience, and I learned a lot during my stay there.

Other than that, I also did some other jobs in other laboratories, some of which involve me mentoring other students. I think that these kinds of part-time jobs are not only productive, but also very rewarding. I think it is also worth a try, especially for science students which might gain new skills from doing this.