[No. 180] Hideo Sato

First, let me introduce myself. My relationship with Keio University began in high school. After entering university, I fully immersed myself in research related to computer applications in my laboratory. After graduation, I have been working as an IT engineer, leveraging the experience from that research.

Next, about this article. I am writing this article for those considering advancing to the Faculty of Science and Technology or the Graduate School of Science and Technology, hoping it will be a useful reference as they aim for that path. The main content is about my experiences at Keio University and in the professional world. I would be happy if I can be of help by sharing a part of my experience through this article.

In this article, I will touch on three points. The first is about what I learned at Keio University, the second is about my work, and the last is about my hobbies. In the next chapter, I will immediately write about what I learned at Keio University.

I learned many things at Keio University. I learned not only about academics but also the principle of independence and self-respect, which holds that everything is one's own responsibility. In this chapter, I will write about what I learned through my laboratory.

I learned two ways of thinking through my laboratory.

The first is "to act with a sense of purpose," and the second is "once you have an idea, first try it out in practice." These ways of thinking have become the pillars of my current principles of action, and I am confident that I am taking effective actions to solve problems in my personal life and at work.

The laboratory I belonged to was the "Aoyama-Yako Laboratory." Under Professor Toshiro Aoyama, I primarily conducted research based on mechanical engineering, and under Professor Takahiro Yako, I focused on research based on computer engineering.

In that laboratory, Professor Aoyama would ask students, "What is the purpose of this research?" I understood this to mean that it is important to comprehend the problem behind the research and to demonstrate that the proposed method is suitable for solving that problem.

Furthermore, Professor Yako would encourage students by saying, "Once you have an idea, let's first get our hands dirty and try it." While thinking and making assumptions is important, there are also problems that can only be understood by actually doing. Therefore, I understood that it is important to first try things out and confirm the facts that emerge.

The engineering mindset I learned from these two professors has been useful in the business world that surrounds me today. In the next chapter, I will introduce specifically how it has been useful.

I work as an IT engineer at a foreign investment bank. The main reason I decided to join this investment bank was that I believed it had a corporate culture that entrusts challenging work even to young employees and an environment that would allow me to grow.

My mission at that company is to solve business problems using IT. Business problems include, for example, complex administrative processes that place a heavy burden on operations. I determine whether such problems can be solved using IT and provide the solutions.

To solve such business problems, I apply the mindset cultivated in my research. For example, suppose I receive a request from a user department of an IT system to "automate a certain administrative process." In this case, simply automating it as requested can sometimes be inefficient. What needs to be done is to understand "what the purpose" of the request is and propose a solution to achieve that purpose. Understanding the purpose is very important because sometimes the goal can be achieved by slightly changing a completely different process.

Furthermore, when building an IT system, it is ideal to create something that completely solves the problem. In reality, however, it is often more useful to first "get our hands dirty" and build a system that solves the majority of the problem, and then see if any issues actually arise. In this way, I apply the mindset cultivated in my research to business as well.

I do this kind of work with many colleagues. And, influenced by these work colleagues, I have taken up triathlon as a hobby. In the next and final chapter, I will introduce my hobby.

I participate in triathlons as a hobby. I am an athlete and also active as a technical official (referee) both in Japan and abroad. Additionally, I serve as the chairman of the technical committee of the Tokyo Triathlon Union. In this chapter, I will write about my activities in triathlon.

I learned about triathlon through a colleague and earned the title of Ironman. Ironman is a title given to those who complete three events—a 3.8 km swim, a 180 km bike ride, and a 42 km run—within 17 hours. It required a great deal of effort, but I decided to take on the challenge with a specific thought in mind. That thought was my desire for my children to feel the importance of challenging difficulties and striving toward a goal. I would be happy if they remember this when they grow up and face difficulties.

After becoming an Ironman, I shifted my hobby from being an athlete to being a technical official (referee). The main reason for this shift was my desire to give back to society. I believe that I am who I am today because I have been able to learn so much through society. I will continue my activities while considering what I can do for the Tokyo Olympics, which have been postponed to 2021.

I hope this article has given you a glimpse of what you can learn at Keio University and what kind of life awaits you after graduation.

The characters for "university" (大学) literally mean "great learning," but my learning did not end at university. I believe that life is a continuous series of learning. I was fortunate to meet various people at Keio University and build my guiding principles of action. As I continue to learn, I am very much looking forward to seeing how I can make myself useful in the world.