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What I want to do after graduation

What I want to do after graduation

I am interested in branding, so my ideal career would be to become a brand designer in the advertising or design industry. However, this career may be too ideal. So, I am very open to possibilities. The possibilities might be Digital marketing, corporate PR, sales in the trade industry (ideally between Japan and Canada), etc. I need to consider many things when choosing a job—the place to live, salary, working environment, etc. I am open to various possibilities, but I always want to decide what I think is best for me.
I would like to work in Canada for 2-3 years to build an international career. After that, I don’t know yet. I may want to continue working in Canada, or I may want to go back to Japan. I am also interested in working in brand management, where I can combine my international relations studies and my career experience in sales and management with design. Therefore, I am also considering getting a master’s degree in brand management and digital marketing (probably in France).
I have many ideals, but I know that reality is harsh. I know from experience that working for an organization makes it difficult to do the work I want to do. However, the good thing about design is that I can always create a brand I like, brand it myself, and share it with the world via the Internet anytime. Even when I feel sad that I can’t do the work I want to do, creating and sharing my own work fulfills my desire for self-actualization and makes me feel happy. Even if I choose not to work in design, I would like to continue designing and sharing it with the world. (It would be great if it could become a side job.)
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My many little dreams have come true!

dream banner

My many little dreams have come true!

little dreams I made come true

  • Branding
  • Cultural exchange
  • Creation of a travel magazine
  • Creation of an e-mail newsletter
  • Work for an international NGO
  • Living in Montreal
  • Traveling (Quebec City, New York, Ottawa, PEI, Toronto, Niagara, Mont Tremblant)
I did a branding project at college. We branded popcorn and transformed it into magical popcorn. We could show our brand to people at the brand expo, interact with them, and create a lot of smiles.

Magi-Pop
toshihide-ikoma.graphicandwebdesign.ca/print-portfolio/print-portfolio-item-7/
One of my dreams was to work at a cultural exchange organization as a university student. I volunteered at the Japanese Cultural Center in Montreal, where I was able to interact with the people of Montreal through Japanese culture and do grassroots cultural diplomacy. I also worked at YATAI MTL, where I spread Japanese culture to the world.

I love travelling, and I love reading travel magazines and travel websites. So I wanted to make them. I was in a publication design class, and I was able to make a travel magazine.
The Explorer
toshihide-ikoma.graphicandwebdesign.ca/print-portfolio/print-portfolio-item-4/
As a university student, I wanted to work for an international NGO, and I had the opportunity to work at a summer camp where people from various countries gathered.
I am very happy to live in a town with an elegant, cool European atmosphere full of French culture. Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue is very beautiful, with abundant nature and gorgeous John Abbott buildings. And I have conquered the places I want to visit on the East Coast!

Next dreams

  • Work in branding at an advertising or design company
  • Work in PR, design, digital marketing, branding, or brand management at an international company
  • Work in Canada (Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa)
  • Create PR materials for a Canadian company and promote it to Japanese consumers
  • Create PR materials for a Japanese company and promote it to overseas consumers
  • Get a master’s in digital marketing at a business school in France (not sure)
  • Travel (Vancouver, Hawaii, Seattle, Calgary, California, Banff)
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Why do I study design after studying international relations at university?

pikachu

Why do I study design after studying international relations at university?

That’s a great question. Let me explain my crazy career.

Career

I studied international relations at university and was interested in global politics and international culture. Then, I interned at the Japan Foundation, a cultural exchange organization. During my internship, I interviewed Indians and created pamphlets, which I found very rewarding. After graduating, I worked at an IT company in Tokyo, where I learned that there was a branding job. Branding has something in common with cultural diplomacy, and I wanted to work in that field. There are many ways to brand—marketing, PR, design, communication, etc. I struggled to decide which one to study, but as I will explain later, I wanted to be able to do something other than communication. I am an introvert, and I love travelling, reading travel magazines, looking at souvenirs from my travel destinations, and going to stylish cafes, so design was the one that satisfied all of these.

Skills

I studied international relations, but I could hardly use what I learned in international relations in the private sector. For example, the international relations theory is not helpful for work lol. And all I can do is communicate with others. In other words, I realized I can only do what almost everyone can do. I was envious of people who had some special skills. People who can play instruments and perform in front of others, compose music as an artist and deliver it to the world, program and create something, etc. Therefore, instead of deepening my study of international relations at graduate school, I wanted to become someone who could do something other than communication, so I decided to study professional design course while learning English and French.

International Relations x Design x Japanese in MTL= Rare Pokemon

After college, ideally, I would like to work in branding in the advertising or design industry. If I can’t find such a job, I would be happy to work in a career that combines international relations and design. For example, a PR position for an international NGO or a sales or design position for a global company. Not many people combine international relations and design; even more so, there are not many Japanese people in Montreal, so I’m a rare Pokemon. Now is the time to catch rare Pokémon!