Alumni: TAGUCHI Taishi - International Development Consultant

(A man with a smile on his face and focusing on his job)

 

International development consultant
Dispatch Destination: AY2019 NTC International(Côte d'Ivoire)

About my work and other news

For the first time in my life, I am living in a city, and no one is mad at me for buying 1,500 yen worth of craft beer. Just the thought of having expensive beer at home is enough to keep me going. I am currently working on a project related to COVID-19 as a development consultant, and I am communicating with doctors for the first time outside of a hospital. My mother is a medical professional, and I am involved in medical-related cases, so I think my mother will be appreciative of my work. On the other hand, I am working hard on this project on behalf of the people who had their fun internship in Cote d'Ivoire ended early because of COVID-19 and whose life plans were ruined because of COVID-19.

Looking back from my internship to the present

After finishing my internship, I wrote my master's thesis while suffering from ill health, and after successfully graduating from graduate school, I returned to unemployment for the third time in two years. Perhaps my low batting average in life also shows through here. After seven months of being unemployed, I was lucky enough to be able to join my current company. It is difficult to get into this field, and I was lucky to make it in. I was even more fortunate to be able to become an international development consultant at the age of 28. I can only express my gratitude to the company for accepting me.

(Meeting with local staff)

The reason I chose this field of work

After graduating from a multiversity, I was dispatched to Uganda as a member of the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV), and the first Japanese person I met at my post in the countryside was a woman working as a development consultant. It was then that I first learned about this work. Since then, I have had the opportunity to meet with various international development professionals. I thought it was so cool that development consultants had to deal with the government officials of the target country and JICA starting from nothing, so I decided to aim for it.

What I gained from my internship and the impact of my internship experience on job-hunting

I am an ordinary Japanese person, and I have learned firsthand that I cannot digest coconut oil, just as non-Japanese people cannot digest seaweed. I also got to see first-hand what development consultants do in the field, their relationships with local project members, how they finish projects, and their interactions with the local JICA office. These experiences enhanced my understanding of the job and gave me the confidence to take on the interview even though I had no experience.

(Cross-cultural understanding: Conquering all the beers you can order at a restaurant while interacting with the locals at a bar in Côte d'Ivoire)

Advice for Juniors

If I don't think there is anything in particular I can tell you about my career as the path I have taken is a bit different to normal and therefore probably not so helpful. But can I say that I, who have never met you, will view you in a positive light, no matter what you do or don't do, when you read this. You will probably be okay!


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