[No. 83] Hiromi Inoue

It has been nine years since I graduated from university and entered the workforce, and even now when I look back on my student days, my four years at the Faculty of Science and Technology are filled with nothing but exciting and fun memories.

Recalling those fond student days, I would like to share what those four years were like.

The reason I first chose the Faculty of Science and Technology was that I was better at math and chemistry than other subjects in high school, and my family (parents) had a big influence on me. Both of my parents graduated from the Faculty of Science and Technology, so I had heard many of their memories from their time there, which made me interested in life on the Yagami campus.

I spent a total of six years at Keio Chutobu Junior High School and Keio Girls Senior High School on the Mita campus, but when I chose the Faculty of Science and Technology at Keio University, it was my first time experiencing life on the Hiyoshi and Yagami campuses.

I happily commuted to the university every day up the steep hill of Yagami, but I remember one cold winter day when the slope was so steep that the heel of my boot snapped off. It was also amusing to experience the contrast in the beautiful cafeteria at Yagami, where a piano was set up, as the smell of yakisoba and cup noodles for a late-night snack grew stronger as the evening wore on.

When I entered the Faculty of Science and Technology, I chose the chemistry-related academic cluster, but as I took various classes in my first year, I was drawn to the fact that I could study a wide range of areas at once—physics, information science, and engineering—so I entered the Department of Applied Physics and Physico-Informatics.

The Department of Applied Physics and Physico-Informatics has a relatively high percentage of female students, so my close group of female friends and I chose almost the same classes throughout the year and always got through the difficult ones together as a group. Although we all had different research themes and ended up in different labs, our group of girls still continues to take domestic and international trips together every year without fail. (Some of us even ended up at the same company.)

The classes, which allowed me to learn a wide range of areas such as quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics, electromagnetism, electric circuits, programming languages, and experiments, were extremely interesting, and I think it was around this time that I developed my skill for taking notes and writing reports quickly. As exams approached, I would focus intensely, holing up in the library with my friends to exchange information. Perhaps because we repeatedly worked to resolve any unclear points until we could completely pass the exams, problem-solving became a skill that I am still good at today. There were even times when I concentrated so hard for a test that I ended up completely memorizing all the formulas in the test scope.

After joining the lab, I learned important lessons from Professor Shiiki, not only about research but also about how to live life. I went to the university every day for my research, but in a way, I feel like I was going to see my professor. In our weekly seminars, he would of course give sharp feedback on our research content, but he also carefully taught us presentation techniques and how to present our work.

Even during my job search in my fourth year, when I had decided to enter the workforce, he helped me practice presenting my research theme many times. It is thanks to him that I was able to clearly define what my areas of expertise were.

I have too many interesting memories from the lab to write them all down, but considering that the topics that always come up when my lab mates and I get together for drinks—which we still do frequently even after graduation—are always stories from our time in the lab, I realize just how exciting those days were.

It is now my ninth year with the company. I joined as a systems engineer (SE), but I now work as a project manager, overseeing and managing the entire process from proposing a system to a client until the service is operational. Managing a wide range of phases—such as proposals, requirements confirmation, design, development, and testing—from various perspectives including cost, quality, and schedule is a very rewarding job.

I oversee projects with many members both in Japan and abroad, collaborating not only with Japanese colleagues but also with people from China. Various problems arise, but I overcome them by making full use of the problem-solving skills I acquired as a student.

There are many very active people at my company as well, so I have busy weekends going on training camps and trips with everyone for tennis, snowboarding, golf, and more.

I had a baby last year, who is now nine months old. I love my job, so I returned to the company and started working full-time just four months after giving birth.

Juggling the three aspects of my life—housework (a little), childcare, and work—is challenging, but my company fully supports working women. So I spend my days engrossed in my job during work hours, and after picking up my baby from daycare, I devote myself to childcare.

The exciting days I spent with wonderful friends at the Faculty of Science and Technology are a precious treasure to me. I hope that all of you will also have a fulfilling student life at the Faculty of Science and Technology.