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

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions:

1. Hi Dave and Jamison,

   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.

   The team is a mess:

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

   I’m at a crossroads:

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

   What should I do?

2. Hey, Dave and Jamison.

   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.

   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.

   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.

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

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

   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.