Doing a Machine Learning PhD While Working in Japan
A Google software engineer shares the pros and cons of completing a machine learning PhD in Japan on the MEXT scholarship while working part-time.
summary is enough Provides a rare, firsthand breakdown of doing a Japanese CS PhD while working at FAANG, though much of it is personal narrative.
summary
The author details their experience completing a computer science PhD at the Institute of Science Tokyo while working part-time for Google on a student visa. Key advantages include Japan's flexible student visa laws permitting part-time work, a structured three-year timeline, and a growing local tech scene. Major downsides involve lower global name recognition for mid-tier Japanese universities, rigid degree requirements like mandatory career courses, and funding vulnerabilities. Ultimately, prospective students must weigh whether they plan to return home where foreign credentials lack prestige or stay in Japan.
key points
- Japan's student visa allows up to 28 hours of work per week during semesters, enabling simultaneous industry experience.
- Japanese universities enforce a strict three-year PhD timeline, which compresses the schedule and discourages high-risk machine learning topics.
- Mid-tier Japanese universities suffer from a lack of global name recognition, creating career risks for graduates returning to Western markets.
who should read it
Software engineers and researchers considering graduate school abroad while maintaining industry ties.
discussion positive
consensus
Commenters generally found the write-up insightful, though academics noted that three-year completions are field-dependent and often dragged out by thesis revisions.
pushback
Some readers criticized the writing style as overly hedged and bureaucratic.
I am the author of this. Happy to discuss!
One thing to note is that, after I submitted the final draft of this article, the Japanese government ended the MEXT university track or is at least planning to. There was a memo, but the status is not clear.
Anyway, I had a great time doing my PhD this way, and generally I recommend that people work before a PhD and try to work during it (if you are in CS). It gives you a lot of freedom and, at least for me, it is very helpful to have more than one pipeline of work at a time so that when one slows down (as it inevitably does in research), you can …
The author reveals in the thread that the Japanese government is ending or restructuring the MEXT university track.
Generated by an LLM from the article and thread. Check the sources before relying on it.