Graduates in their 50s who made career advancements

Mr. INOUE Tadasu

PROFILE
President & Representative Director, Tokyo Literacy Co., Ltd.
President & Representative Director, System Thinkers Co., Ltd.

Graduated from Yokohama City University
Completed the Master Program of Innovation for Design and Engineering in 2015.

Having a navigator in the head that takes me to the future

The times have come, when the accumulation of experience will not do.

The principal role of media has changed dramatically over the last thirty years. Around the time I started working, advertising was the hottest industry. People with exceptional talent were vying with each other at the production sites for newspaper and magazine ads, as well as large posters and tv ads.I was one of them who gained much from my on-the-job experience in the field and put the best of my efforts into refining my skills. At that time, the accumulation of experience was reflected in one's career and proof of one's skills.

Because I was involved in the Internet in the early days of 1995, I thought I understood the possibilities from early on. Even so, the mainstream projects I worked on in my production company, which started in 1998, were for paper media because of the lack of communications infrastructure. However, the widespread use of the Internet and mobile devices completely changed the situation. The most definitive change was that in a world supported by fast-evolving technology, the accumulation of specific skills became senseless. The technologies for people with early experience were no longer needed.

In such times, management executives must be able to read the future. I chose AIIT as a place to study because I wanted to have a navigator to grasp society as a whole from a macro perspective and to be able to quickly prepare for any changes.

I watched a video recording of classes that offered something to learn, so I could develop a firm understanding.

I chose the Master Program of Innovation for Design and Engineering because I thought I could apply the methods of MOT and innovations taught in the program to business. Using the knowledge I gained from the program, I planned to construct a guide that provides the key to interpreting the times to renovate my company. I took classes that I could gain much from for the time being. If everything went as expected, I would continue with my studies. I repeatedly watched video recordings of the classes, so I could develop a firm understanding as the basis of my knowledge.

Innovating myself to prepare for the next change

The greatest result, which I achieved in three years by using a long-term completion system, was that I acquired a method of perceiving and constructing the world in my head. In the world today, where it is difficult to make use of the accumulation of experience, it is necessary to have the ability to assume multifaceted perspectives and adapt to sudden changes in circumstances.

By reviewing new information and existing knowledge in response to changes in circumstances, one can create wisdom. With the wisdom as a navigator, I can manage my business by looking into the future.

Currently, my company mainly offers the production of mobile content and consultation services. Although I work with different clients and coworkers, my dream is to create a place where the people I worked with in the production of paper media in the past can display their skills through the accumulation of experience. As a receiver, I want to keep my company going as long as I can.

Mr. TAMURA Masato

PROFILE
Nippon Telegraph and Telephone East Corporation
(On loan to Japan Telecommunications Engineering and Consulting Services)

Graduated from the National Institute of Technology, Nagano College.
Completed the Master Program of Information Systems Architecture in 2016.

Acquiring the ability to lead international projects

Student life reinforced my expertise for the first time in 33 years.

When I worked at NTT, I was involved in the management and operation of communication systems for the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano. With this opportunity, overseas operations became the central aspect of my work. I am currently on loan to a consulting firm specializing in international development in the communications and broadcasting sector. I offer consulting services for the construction of infrastructures for information, communications, and broadcasting in developing countries. I work with the government of a client to launch an ODA project in Japan based on the survey results in the country to bring the project to completion.

I was 53 years old when I started studying at AIIT. After graduating from a technical college, I got a job at the age of 20. I went back to school 33 years later. My goals were to reinforce my expertise in the ICT field and to organize my project management skills, as well as to acquire new knowledge and earn a master's degree.

AIIT helped me acquire the skills needed internationally in a structured manner.

As an expert in Information and communications technology (ICT), my company sent me to a developing country. My job requires expert knowledge in ICT in the field. Of ICT, I have a proven track record of experience in communications. In comparison, I had fragmented knowledge of IT, so I wanted to fill the gap in knowledge of IT to organize my expertise by adding cutting-edge information.

For project management, I wanted to redefine my way that had been formed through previous experience and acquire a more versatile method. AIIT offers extensive training for project managers (PM). Although I knew that there was a body of knowledge called Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), I did not get my hands on it, thinking I had to master all the knowledge in the manual that defined everything in detail. However, the classes at AIIT helped untangle what was needed for me, which helped me handle PMBOK as a reference book. What is more, it was meaningful that I obtained certain standards of human qualities that I thought I could not learn in school. The classes at AIIT ingeniously break down the elements that form the personality needed for project managers. This helped me become aware of the skills I have and those that I lack.
I earned my master's degree because I learned that it was regarded important when I work overseas. I thought it was necessary as a degree and for me to execute the projects I propose in the future.

Taking an objective look at my own ability provides a foothold for the next challenge.

From the beginning, I did not think I would learn nor acquire everything in just two years. Even so, after studying at AIIT and judging my strengths and weaknesses based on objective criteria, I developed the self-awareness of my own position. As a result, while I was taught to grasp the entire project and to learn of my own limitations, I became able to confidently accept the bold challenges of a project and capitalize on my strengths. I think it provided a firm foothold for taking on the next challenge.