“What do I want to become in the future?” “Is my current study truly leading to my future?” “I want to work at the UN, but how can I get there?”
A special session was held at Hosei University for students facing such diverse concerns. The guest was Mr. Toda, who works for a United Nations agency in Bangkok. Arriving in Japan just on the morning of the event, Mr. Toda spoke to over 50 students about the process of “hesitation” and “challenge” that lies behind a glamorous title.
- 1 “To the Front Row!” — A Dialogue that Began by Changing the Atmosphere
- 2 “Connecting the Dots” — Bridging the Past, Present, and Future
- 3 “Three Principles” Found at the Crossroads of His Career
- 4 Beyond “Working at the UN” — A Passionate Crosstalk with Students
- 5 Voices from Participants
- 6 A Courageous Step Forward
- 7 To Education Professionals
“To the Front Row!” — A Dialogue that Began by Changing the Atmosphere
At the start of the session, Ichikawa from World Road made a request to the students in the venue: “University lectures tend to be filled from the back. But today, I want to talk openly. Let’s sit closer in the front row!” With this one request, the psychological distance in the classroom narrowed instantly, and the session began with students leaning forward.
“Connecting the Dots” — Bridging the Past, Present, and Future
Mr. Toda chose Steve Jobs’ famous phrase, “Connecting the Dots,” as the theme of his talk.
Born with dual nationality of Japan and South Korea, Mr. Toda was constantly asked, “What nationality are you?” since childhood. Through 8 years in China and traveling through Japan, South Korea, and various countries around the world, he arrived at an identity as an “East Asian”. This struggle of “not fully belonging anywhere” eventually led to a strong will to master multiple languages and become a “bridge” between countries and organizations.
“Three Principles” Found at the Crossroads of His Career
Although Mr. Toda’s career may seem like smooth sailing, he shared that there were times when he struggled with job hunting and felt he had no options. He introduced three points he values as criteria for his own decisions:
- Value “Experiences Unique to Yourself”
- Following his father’s teaching that “treasures often lie on paths people don’t take,” he chose to go to the UN Mandated University for Peace in Costa Rica. This “uniqueness” became his strength.
- Choose “Regret for Doing” Over “Regret for Not Doing”
- From working at a private company and traveling the world on Peace Boat to serving in the military in South Korea and attending graduate school, Mr. Toda jumped in by believing in his intuition, which called for the next opportunity even in unpredictable developments.
- Consider the Meaning of “Each Individual Dot”
- Mr. Toda said that even if what you are doing now seems meaningless, it will surely connect to the next dot once you follow through. In his own case, his translation work during military service led directly to his subsequent career in an international organization.
Beyond “Working at the UN” — A Passionate Crosstalk with Students
In the Q&A session, questions touching on students’ true feelings flew back and forth, such as “What do you do when you lose confidence compared to people better than you?” and “What were your failures while working at the UN?”
Mr. Toda gently affirmed the students’ anxieties, saying, “Losing confidence is proof that you are in an environment where you can level up and grow”. Furthermore, he gave powerful advice for building a career: “Systems (such as scholarships and JPO) exist for people. I want you to use them to the fullest to open your own path”.
Voices from Participants
Student R (12th Grade):
“Hearing the experiences of Mr. Toda, who has diverse backgrounds and has faced various cultures, became an opportunity for my outlook on life and values to change. Knowing the mindset valued by someone active internationally was a great inspiration for my own life choices.”
Student K (12th Grade):
“This was a very valuable opportunity to learn about working at the UN. Previously, I hadn’t been able to grasp a specific image of the UN or the people working there, but I was able to deepen my understanding by hearing about Mr. Toda’s personal journey.”
Student W (College Freshman):
“Since Mr. Toda himself is full of a spirit of challenge, just hearing about his experiences like interning at an international organization and traveling the world was very exciting. Thanks to Mr. Toda’s talk, I feel like I’ve taken a step forward toward my future career.”
A Courageous Step Forward
The expressions on the faces of the students who finished the 1.5-hour session were much brighter than at the beginning.
Most notably, after the session, many students rushed to Mr. Toda on their own and were eagerly asking questions, and Mr. Toda was giving kind advice to each individual. It was a moment where a warm and powerful network began to bud, transcending the mere framework of speakers and participants.
As Mr. Toda said, one never knows where the “dots” of life will connect. The realizations and new connections born in the classroom at Hosei University that day will surely become one of the important “dots” for them in a few years.
To Education Professionals
If you are interested in a program like this session that creates opportunities for students to proactively design their own careers through the “real stories” of leaders active in the world, please contact World Road.
[Click here for World Road Training & Workshop details]
🎥 Digest video of the day is available on Instagram! [Click here!]
We would like to express our deepest gratitude to everyone at Hosei University for providing such a valuable learning opportunity.