“WebNow! Vol.4” Event Report
On Thursday October 21, 2021, the “WebNow! Vol.4” event was held online.
This event, planned in collaboration with the faculty and staff of the ECC College of Computer and Multimedia, the Kobe Institute of Computing, the Tokyo Electronics College, and the Japan Electronics College, is designed to convey to students the enjoyment, sense of satisfaction, and appeal of working in web-related disciplines, and, consequently, increase the number of graduates seeking employment in the web industry.
This time, for the fourth holding of the event, a total of 160 students and 11 companies took part. With students and panelists actively exchanging thoughts online, the event was a dynamic, lively two and a half hours. Furthermore, as we could provide in-depth answers to the students’ many questions, the event proved very rewarding.
Introduction of 17 Renowned Panelists
For the first part of the event, the 17 participating panelists gave brief self-introductions and then answered quickfire interview questions. Through answering questions such as "how did you get interested in the web industry" and "what did you study at university/college?", the panelists shared memories from their time as students and gave insights into their own job-hunting experiences.
Questions From 160 Students: Real-Time Answers
For the second part of the event, a series of group roundtable discussions were held using Zoom's Breakout Rooms function. Each group consisted of a panelist from a participating company’s engineering or design department and around 10 students. The panelists then rotated through the groups. To maximize available time, students were asked to write their questions on large sheets of paper which they subsequently held up to the screen. The questions were then answered by the panelists. From Mitsue-Links, participating panelists were Mr. Kidachi, a Corporate Director (CTO), and Ms. Endo, an Executive Officer. As questions continually appeared on the screen, our representatives, based on their professional perspectives, gave answers, and shared advice.
Q&A Session (Extract)
- Q：When designing, what is most important?
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A：The most important thing is to know the client well. If designers don't have an in-depth knowledge of their clients, they can't truly understand their needs nor prepare quality proposals. So, designers should acquire as much information as possible to familiarize themselves with their client - for example by conducting interviews and researching industry trends and competitors. (Endo)
- Q：How do you overcome any issues/difficulties that you encounter in your work?
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A：I often resolve issues by discussing them with my team. If together we still cannot resolve the issue, I then post my concerns and difficulties on an internal social network. There, colleagues with prior experience or knowledge of the issue at hand often provide advice. Rather than keeping problems to myself, I always try to share them with the people around me. (Endo.)
Survey: Positive Responses to the Web industry
The event was hosted by two second year students who, upon graduating, have already accepted positions in the web industry. In their closing remarks, they both gave a few words of encouragement to the younger students who are just beginning their job-hunting activities, saying “without regret, please take up the challenge!”
In the feedback surveys from participating students, we received many positive responses about working in the web industry - such as "my desire to enter the industry has increased". There were also numerous student comments stating that the seminar provided reassurance regarding their job-hunting prospects - such as "I now have greater hopes for finding a job". We hope that this event will be a catalyst for all students to pursue careers in the web industry.
We would like to thank all the students and panelists who participated in the event.
Participating Student Comments (Extract)
- So that I can put into practice what I learnt through this event, such as what’s necessary for job-hunting and how to find the optimum job, from now on, I will start proper career planning.
- Everyone spoke so cheerfully about their work, so I felt that they really enjoyed working in the web industry.
- I learnt much about what I should do whilst still a student. I also acquired advice on business customs which will surely aid me in the workplace. Going forward, I want to keep such knowledge in mind.
- I learned a lot from the speakers, I will continue to do research and proactively take action to achieve my career goals.