Episode 532: My new company is an absolute mess and should I get an English-speaking job as a Japanese engineer?

<p>In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions:</p>

<ol>
<li>
<p>Hi Dave and Jamison,</p>

<p>I’ve been a Java backend dev for over 10 years. After getting laid off from a job I loved, I spent 3 tough months job hunting. I eventually landed a full-stack role at a non-tech company where I am the entire front-end department.</p>

<p>The team is a mess:</p>

<ul>
<li>A CTO who hasn’t coded in years and calls me directly to assign tasks, all labeled “highest priority.”</li>
<li>When I asked the CTO and CEO if we had QA, they literally laughed at me.</li>
<li>Prod releases are “tested” by the CTO before telling me to push immediately.</li>
</ul>

<p>I’m at a crossroads:</p>

<ol>
<li>Stick it out for 6–12 months to gain AI experience, then quit?</li>
<li>Try to move into management, and rebuild this mess into a functioning engineering organization.</li>
</ol>

<p>What should I do?</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Hey, Dave and Jamison.</p>

<p>I’m a non-native Japanese speaker working in Tokyo with about 6 years of experience in backend(3 years in Tokyo) and haven’t used English in work.</p>

<p>I started listening to this podcast for learning English. And I soon found this podcast is very funny and I found a lot of problems actually exist around the world, like AI hype, why people hate HR, low-performing team members, useless product managers, etc.</p>

<p>For some reason, I want to leave Japan and find a job using English. I think the best approach is to find an English job in Tokyo first. And then transfer to an English-speaking country.</p>

<p>I want to know as a non-native English-speaking engineer, what English level I need to get a senior engineer job using English.</p>

<p>What would you consider if you were the manager who is interviewing a non-native English speaker?</p>

<p>Thank you guys, I love this podcast, I can learn English, get some answers to the questions I’m confused about too, and laugh every week.</p>
</li>
</ol>