ASIJ Alumni, By the Numbers

In line with many of the interests and aspirations of current ASIJ students, a plurality of ASIJ graduates chose to pursue majors in Business Administration and Management, with more than 260 alumni furthering their education in this field. Finance, Marketing, and Economics majors also made up a considerable amount of the sample, with 31.9% of alumni choosing to pursue these fields. 

In contrast, Mathematics and History emerged as the least favored among the ten majors represented, with a total of 108 alumni opting for majors in these disciplines.

Similar to the trend of ASIJ students choosing majors in business or finance, a number of alumni have translated these academic interests into their professional pursuits. This is especially apparent in the field of Business Development, where 344 alumni are currently employed.

Education emerges as the second most common field, employing 208 graduates, with Management following closely with 206 graduates.

Beyond Business Development, Education, and Management, alumni distribution across various fields appears relatively even. Those engaged in Finance, Research, Media and Communication, and Engineering represent 7.45%, 7.35%, 7.25%, and 7.25% of the sample, respectively.

Professionals in Community and Social Resources, as well as Human Resources, constitute a minority within the overall sample.

While the majority of graduates opted to reside in the U.S., Tokyo stands out as the city with the highest concentration of ASIJ alumni, with nearly 1,200 individuals residing in the Japanese capital. Following Tokyo, New York City is the second most popular spot, accommodating 28.9% of ASIJ alumni.

Outside of Japan and the U.S., the U.K, is the most common place of residence, hosting 3.4% of alumni.

Of the 87 surveyed alumni, a diverse array of professions and occupations were represented, from architects to music teachers to grief specialists.

On the topic of how ASIJ influenced her career choices, Gwen Thorton (‘09), currently a senior emergency veterinarian, commented, “I didn't know any alumni that were zoologists or veterinarians when I was at ASIJ, but I was lucky to be surrounded by teachers and peers who were supportive, motivated, and driven, who pushed me and allowed me to believe that I could succeed in this seemingly obscure dream to work with and treat animals.” 

Julie Wiese Froude (‘80), who teaches K-12 music in Ohio, also noted that ASIJ “strongly influenced” her interest areas, which covered everything from Japanese and journalism to international studies and art. “During my first year at Indiana University, I took related courses in these areas and decided to audition for the school of music,” she said.

“Exposure to many people from different backgrounds and experiences [at ASIJ] sparked my interest in learning about the wider world. ASIJ is a fantastic place for anyone who has a dream or a goal to be able to explore that,” Ms. Thorton said. 

Notably, a plurality of surveyed alumni expressed a high level of confidence in their career goals and aspirations upon graduating high school. Specifically, 28.7% of the surveyed alumni said they were "Very confident" in their future goals. 13.8% of the sample indicated they were "Confident," with approximately 23% feeling "Moderately confident" and 17.2% were "Slightly confident." Another 17.2% of respondents noted that they were “Not confident at all” in their goals and aspirations. 

For some alumni, while their overarching professional goals remained consistent, the specific trajectory of their careers changed over the years. “I always wanted to be a writer,” freelance writer and creative director Brenda Cohen (‘96) said. “What I learned after high school is how many different job opportunities there are in writing.”

Cameron Olsen (‘11), currently employed at the Directors Guild of America, shares a similar experience. “As I navigated the field of directing, I found new avenues and pathways to go about achieving my goals as well as achieve more than I thought previously possible,” he said.

Others credit work experience in solidifying their career interests. “I didn’t know what I wanted to do when I graduated high school,” Karen Fry-Hale (‘93), a technical writer, said. “I had a better idea when I graduated college, but work experiences paved the way.”

Despite many alumni initially graduating with well-defined career goals, a significant number experienced changes to their career outcomes post-graduation: 26.4% expressed that their current career bore no alignment whatsoever with their initial intended career. Responses in the other categories were relatively consistent, with 17.2%, 18.4%, 19.5%, and 18.4% of respondents indicating that their current careers were "Slightly aligned," "Moderately aligned," "Aligned," and "Completely aligned," respectively, with their initial aspirations.

Exploration emerges as a recurrent theme for many alumni post-high school as they refined and redefined their career interests. Nykkol Okabe (‘02), a current employee at Netflix Japan, explains that she was pretty set on entering the field of criminal law after graduation, but “ended up hopping to customer service, sales, finance, and eventually now the media production industry.” She said that she has “absolutely no regrets because I know I wouldn’t be where I am now if I hadn’t [hopped around].”

In fact, over 58% of respondents noted that their career interests and goals changed significantly from graduation, demonstrating the fluidity of individuals’ professional trajectories. 

Jessica (Brown) McCarthy (‘04), the founder of an advertising agency, was also initially interested in pursuing a career in law, but “ended up really loving advertising” upon taking college classes on the subject. “I got a lot of great experience working on international brands, which ultimately led me to open my own agency,” she said.

On the value of exploration, Ms. Thorton advises students “to say 'yes' “to opportunities that interest you as you may never know where they may lead you.” 

“Change is always going to be pretty scary, but also can lead to some incredible experiences, so try to see change as a positive thing, no matter how hard it may be,” she said.

Changes in values and priorities are also attributable to changes in careers. Kyoko Nakayama Johnson (‘90), who majored in Photography and now works as a Conservation Dog Trainer, said that “it is not easy to pursue art and photography professionally and make a living, especially if it’s fine art and not commercially oriented.” She noted that being financially successful “became less important” to her, and “doing something positive for the planet became more fulfilling.”

In a similar vein, Kelly Gotoh Harms (‘95), who pursued English in college, mentioned that she initially aspired to be an editor and eventually became one, only to realize that the reality of the role differed from her initial expectations. “As I grew and changed, my career focus did, too,” she said.

Many pieces of advice from ASIJ alumni revolve around the significance of acknowledging and embracing the privilege of learning in Japan. Reflecting on the unique learning experience, Chris Munson ('88), an employee at Xbox, said, "It's such a privileged position to be able to study overseas—to walk out of your school right into a foreign country—that you don't realize how special and unique it is until you leave for good."

Margaret Akita ('70), a performing artist and flight attendant, echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that the opportunity to immerse oneself in the culture of a foreign country is a "gift that many who have never lived outside of the United States will not have."

Alumni also stressed the value of exploration and avoiding confinement within societal expectations. Ms. Thorton emphasized that students can pursue "anything" they desire if they are willing to "put themselves out there and take chances to explore."

She added, "You don't have to have everything figured out by the end of high school."