[Roundtable Discussion, Part 1] Expanding Career Paths Unique to the Keio University Faculty of Pharmacy. The Richness of Making Thoughtful Choices.

My name is Sachiko Go, a second-year student in the Department of Pharmacy, and I will be your moderator today. It's a pleasure to be here.

I once reunited on the ward with a doctor who had been in my Inter-Professional Education Program class. We greeted each other with, "It's been a while!" We were in charge of the same patient, and when we were able to exchange opinions in a real clinical setting, I truly felt the significance of the Inter-Professional Education Program. Even when I was applying to universities, I wanted to go to a comprehensive university with multiple medical faculties rather than a standalone pharmacy college, so I felt I had made the right choice.

So the classes from the Inter-Professional Education Program are really memorable. I'm currently on the executive committee for the Inter-Professional Education Program, so it makes me happy to hear stories about people connecting through it.

I chose the Keio University Faculty of Pharmacy because it was a university where I could consider options other than becoming a pharmacist. In fact, during the job-hunting season, many people around me were aiming for development positions, which was very encouraging for me. The toughest time during my studies was job hunting; there was a period when I was disheartened after being rejected by several companies. However, I was able to get through it because I had many friends with the same aspirations, and we encouraged each other and exchanged information. I also think it's a unique aspect of Keio University that junior alumni consistently join the company where I currently work.

In my case, I wanted to be involved in "monozukuri" (manufacturing), and while I wanted to study medicine, I was also interested in cosmetics. So, I chose the Keio University Faculty of Pharmacy, thinking it was a university where I could learn a wide range of subjects. I also have a favorable impression of how much Keio values the spirit of "bunbu-ryodo" (the literary and martial arts). I was on the track and field team in junior high and high school, so I joined the track and field club of the Keio University Athletic Association. In the Athletic Association, there were so-called Olympic athletes, as well as people who just wanted to continue the sport because they loved it. There were all sorts of people and values, and being able to spend my university life in such an environment has become a great asset. We still have opportunities to get together after graduation, and hearing everyone's stories, I feel that my own perspective continues to broaden even now.

With so many different faculties and so many different people, you really feel a sense of "breadth" at Keio University. I was also drawn to that breadth. There's also the "KP Kai," an organization for Faculty of Pharmacy graduates, and I feel a strong, wide bond between people with diverse values. I think the ability to choose from a wide range of working styles is also unique to Keio.

There's one more thing I'm glad about with the Keio University Faculty of Pharmacy. I went on to the Doctoral Programs as a working adult while still employed at my current company, and I believe this was a good choice for me. The reason I decided to pursue further education was that I felt a gap between myself and the R&D team I was assigned to after joining the company. Many members of that team had completed Doctoral Programs. When a problem occurred at work, they could naturally go through the cycle of thinking of a solution, trying it, and if it didn't work, thinking of another solution. I couldn't do that at the time and felt I was lacking. I thought that if I went on to the Doctoral Programs and immersed myself in research, I might be able to think like everyone else. I still consider myself to be in training, but after completing the Doctoral Programs, I feel I have acquired the fundamental skills necessary to be involved in R&D.

Since we've been talking about job hunting and the workplace, I'd like to ask about changing jobs. I've always been stability-oriented and hope to find a stable job in the future. Right now, I'm interested in being a civil servant, but the lack of internship opportunities is a concern. I've been learning a lot by working as a short-term, part-time employee for Minato City and the National Tax Agency, thinking, "So this is what a civil servant's job is like," and "A job that contributes to society using large capital is rewarding." If I can combine a civil service job with my interest in the field of pharmacy, it might become a job I'd want to devote my life to.

It's wonderful that you're thinking that far ahead as a second-year student. Are you also considering a national civil service position?

I'm interested in the PMDA (Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency), the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. I hear that many people build a career as a civil servant and then change jobs to a private company. However, I don't have a very positive image of changing jobs. The thought of going through the tough process of job hunting all over again in a few years makes me hesitant. What are your thoughts on changing jobs?

It seems I'm the only one in this group who has changed jobs, but I've never been a company employee. Are there many people who change jobs at your companies?

I feel like it's been especially common in the last few years. I think it's natural for anyone's interests to change as they work. Some people join because they want to take on a new challenge, while others leave for the same reason.

Don't you think there are a lot of commercials for job-change websites recently? I think today's society has a positive view of changing jobs. When you feel a desire to do something more interesting, that might be the time for a job change... or perhaps "career advancement" is a more appropriate term. It's a chance for that.

I think it's difficult to have a perfect image of your work before you even join a company. Even if you have information about the company, you only really understand the nature of the job and the workplace after you start. So, it seems natural that a certain number of people will feel that it's different from what they imagined after joining.

I think an industry where you can freely change jobs is a fortunate one. In the pharmaceutical industry, the knowledge and skills you learn at one company can definitely be applied to the next, so it's a great environment.

I hear that changing jobs is common in pharmaceutical companies, but is that actually the case?

I think it is. What kind of work style you want is something that becomes clear only after you start working. So, maybe you don't have to decide "this is the only place for me" with your first job.

So, it seems things turned out surprisingly close to what you imagined, Ms. Sugimoto. Do you feel like you're able to do what you want to do in your current job?

I do. My company is a domestic pharmaceutical company, and I've always wanted Japan to take the lead in conducting global clinical trials.

So, expanding from Japan to the world?

That's right. I really enjoy being involved in activities that expand to the rest of the world.

Ms. Matsuura, was there a gap between your expectations before and after joining your company? I have the impression that your company is particularly active in global business.

It's true that we have a lot of global development. Personally, in my third or fourth year with the company, I had the opportunity to present at an international conference and work with people from overseas. There were language and cultural barriers, and at the time, I couldn't move the project forward as I had hoped. However, it was a great experience, so if I get another opportunity like that, I want to try again with a different approach.

Something I really wanted to ask my seniors from the Faculty of Pharmacy today is about life events like marriage and childbirth. After graduating from the six-year Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, I don't plan on going to graduate school for now. One reason is the timing of marriage and childbirth. People around me have expressed concern about spending six years in university... They say that since humanities faculties graduate in four years, being two years behind might delay marriage and childbirth. I've been a bit influenced by that opinion and worry that the longer I'm a student, the less freedom I'll have in my desired life plan, and that going on to Doctoral Programs would narrow my options even further... Did any of you have such anxieties or worries?

I got married in my late 30s, so I was single for quite a long time before that, what with going to graduate school and changing jobs. So, if you ask me whether my marriage and childbirth went according to the image I had as a student, the answer is not at all. I think in life, there are things that go well with your own effort and things that don't, no matter how hard you try. Even with changing jobs, what determines it is timing. It's only decided when your desire to move on and your acquisition of skills align. Things rarely go according to plan, but it's important to be prepared so you can act when the time comes. I feel that things work out better if you think about being flexible and able to move with the times. Even if you can't picture your future at all, I think it's fine to just keep doing what you want to do now.

I can well understand how two years might seem long to students and make you feel that you might miss your chance to get married. Some people get married after 30, some get a job at 24 and marry the next year, and others focus on their careers and decide to marry and have children later. It varies. Personally, I don't think you need to worry so much about those two years.

I agree. My husband was my classmate in the Faculty of Pharmacy and went on to the Doctoral Programs, so we couldn't get married for a while. I was waiting for him to finish, but during that time, I was really enjoying my work. I wanted to build my career first, so I didn't think about wanting children at the time. We got married after my husband completed his Doctoral Programs, and we were blessed with a child shortly after. I don't think anyone knows when the best time is until it happens. You don't have to worry about being two years behind others, or an additional four years if you go to the Doctoral Programs. You might have other fun things to do and have a fulfilling time during that period. I think the right timing is different for everyone.

I went from my undergraduate degree to a master's program, so I was a student for a total of six years. After getting a job, I went on to the Doctoral Programs in my third year while working, and I attended for three years. A year after I started my Doctoral Programs, my husband did the same, and we got married during that time. We were both living lives where we did what we wanted to do, so I don't think marriage was a hurdle for my career. However, childbirth does have a big impact on work. You take time off during that period, and even after the child is born, you can't devote all your energy to work. But work is something you do for decades. If you compare it to a marathon, I think you can just run a little slower during the childbirth and child-rearing period, and then run at full speed again when they don't need as much care.

I've been listening to everyone's opinions with a fresh perspective. For students, life has been divided into roughly three-year units—three years of junior high, three years of high school—so spending an extra two years in school feels like a hurdle. But realizing that it's just two years in a long life and that I don't need to be so anxious about it has been a huge discovery.

Well, we've gathered people with similar values for this discussion, so we naturally conclude that two years is nothing. If you can meet a partner with the same values in the future, it might not be a problem at all.