[No. 168] Go Matsumura

Wearing traditional Uzbek clothing

Although I majored in information engineering (IT) at the Faculty of Science and Technology at Keio University and its graduate school, I was later assigned to Uzbekistan in Central Asia as a JICA volunteer (Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteer), where I was involved in local information education activities. Currently, I am working as a specialist researcher at the Embassy of Japan in Turkmenistan, a neighboring country of Uzbekistan, mainly engaged in public relations and cultural activities.

At first glance, it may seem that what I studied at university and graduate school has no connection to my current job, but I feel that everything I learned at university and graduate school, and all the experiences I had with my friends in club activities, have led me to where I am today. My career path may be a little different from that of other graduates, but I hope you will see that such a path is also possible.

Since I was a child, I have always been relatively fond of games and computers. I became interested in how computers and games work, and when choosing my career path, I chose the Department of Information and Computer Science at the Faculty of Science and Technology without thinking too deeply about it.

At the Faculty of Science and Technology, first-year students can choose one second foreign language from German, French, Chinese, Korean, and Russian. I was drawn to Russian, a language with a unique script, and chose it as my second foreign language. I continued studying it almost as a hobby until I completed graduate school, but at that time, I never dreamed that I would one day be using Russian for work in the countries of Central Asia.

From the end of my third year as an undergraduate, I belonged to the Matsutani Laboratory in the Department of Information and Computer Science. I chose the Matsutani Laboratory because I was drawn to the professor's personality and because my class was the first generation of students in the lab, which I felt would allow me to conduct research freely. Although I stumbled many times, thanks to the supportive professor, I was able to continue my research on the theme of NoC (Network-on-Chips) and had valuable experiences such as presenting my research at academic conferences both in Japan and abroad. As the number of students in the lab grew, so did the number of events, and I had an enjoyable and fulfilling lab life. Another great gain from my university days was joining the Faculty of Science and Technology Athletic Association's Shorinjikempo Team from my first year as an undergraduate and meeting irreplaceable friends.

I was very concerned about my career path after finishing graduate school. I was resistant to the idea of getting a job through normal job hunting, so I gathered a wide range of information without limiting myself to science and engineering fields. Around that time, I learned that there were IT-related positions available with JICA volunteers (Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers), which would allow me to work abroad using my expertise, and I decided to take on the challenge without hesitation. After the application and selection process, I ended up working in information education for two years in the Russian-speaking country of Uzbekistan. I never expected to be able to use the Russian I had studied in college for my work, and I remember feeling that various things in life are connected.

In Uzbekistan, I was engaged in supporting local teachers for the compulsory subject of "Information" for students from the 5th grade of elementary school to the 2nd year of high school. Information education has only recently begun in Uzbekistan, and the reality is that both the number and quality of teachers are still insufficient. The "Information" textbooks used contain some advanced content, such as teaching programming to junior high school students, but it is common for classes on these topics not to be held due to the lack of teaching skills among the teachers on the ground. Therefore, my main role was to provide knowledge and technical assistance to local teachers and to assist with instruction in the classroom.

In Uzbekistan, everything from the language and culture was different from Japan, and it was difficult until I got used to it. However, during my two years of activity, I was able to interact not only with local people but also with various other people, including Japanese people working there, which I feel has become a great asset.

And now, I am working as a specialist researcher at the Embassy of Japan in Turkmenistan, a neighboring country of Uzbekistan. I believe my interest in Turkmenistan grew because of my two years in Uzbekistan. Although this is a slightly different direction from what I studied at university and graduate school, IT technology is deeply integrated into daily life, and the knowledge I gained at university sometimes proves useful for my work in unexpected ways. I feel that various things are connected somewhere.

Among those reading this, there may be people who are worried about the future, feel a vague sense of anxiety, or cannot imagine their future selves. If there is any advice I can give to such people, it would be to "just try doing something, anything." I believe that things are intricately intertwined, and what you have done at some point will often connect to something else somewhere down the line. I myself sometimes have moments of realization when I notice that the information engineering and Russian I studied at university, the friends I met there, and the various experiences I had have all connected in unintended ways. I'm sure there are many things to worry about, such as choosing a university or a faculty, but if you trust your intuition and take action, an unexpected path may open up for you.