PhD student @ Faculty of Automation and Computer Science
As a description, I think Vulcanus in Japan is a well thought out program that allows you to have some time to get used to a culture on another continent, to the language, to their way of doing things all while also having the experience of an internship at a prestigious Japanese company.
The fact that it’s a 12-month program comes with many pros and cons, and it’s definitely the type of experience that you should be at least 51% sure you want to have. Nevertheless, it is an extremely valuable one. I myself have been hunting it for a couple of years, and the moment the last results came in confirming my acceptance, I was more than excited. I knew more or less what I was getting myself into, as the Japanese mentality does differ a bit from the European one, and it still came to be full of surprises, mostly good ones. Starting with the people I encountered: my other fellow Vulcanus colleagues-became-friends, the school staff, the internship people, and generally the friendliness of other Japanese travelers or Japan-based Romanians that I was lucky to get to know, even if just for a little.
I got to live a life that was at the same time very full (mainly because of myself that wanted to see and do as many things as possible) as it was insightful, and it that regard, time flew by. The country is so big, and it has so much to offer that it’s hard to even prioritize places and activities. Even in your own neighborhood you can still discover new things every other day.
On another note, I truly believe it is an experience that opens doors, be it in Japan or in Europe – based on others’ stories and my observations. But at the same time, you have no obligation to enter them, and might as well just add the whole time spent in Japan as a wheel in the big cog machine of your life, personality, and skills, as it will undoubtedly stick in your memory for the rest of your days.
