[New Future Session NEO] Persian cat represents young experts from Tokushima Prefecture

Hello!
I'm Inoue, the Persian cat at Beyond Shikoku office.

at Tokushima Prefectural Joto High School
the dialogue meeting "New Future Session NEO 2020" held
, I participated in

In addition to Joto High School, Tsurugi High School, Kaifu High School, and university students from within the prefecture also participated.
However, due to COVID-19 precautions, Tsurugi High School and Kaifu High School held their events online.

What is the New Future Session NEO?

This is an exchange of opinions forum hosted by Tokushima Prefecture, bringing together young people, including high school students, and individuals actively working on the front lines of the local community. The aim is to provide
high school students with an opportunity to think about "the present and future of Tokushima," and
the "flexible opinions and ideas of young people" proposed through free exchange of ideas
into Tokushima Prefecture's policies.

■Purpose of the event:
In Tokushima Prefecture, with the common concept of "vs Tokyo" to overcome population decline and correct the over-concentration of population in Tokyo,
various initiatives are being promoted to encourage a "return to Tokushima" centered on young people.
This dialogue meeting will provide high school students with an opportunity to exchange opinions with people who have moved to the region and those who are active on the front lines, and to think about
"the present and future of Tokushima." Furthermore
, with the participation of diverse members including students from other schools,
we hope to freely exchange opinions and incorporate "the flexible opinions and ideas of young people" into Tokushima Prefecture's policies.

Two young experts from within the prefecture participated:
one is from Tokushima Prefecture, is still employed and active in Tokushima Prefecture;
and the other is someone who moved to Tokushima Prefecture and is also employed and active in Tokushima Prefecture.

Why Persian cats insist on finding employment locally

After graduating from high school, I wanted to find a job, so I first got a job in Tokushima City.
After working there for about two and a half years, I started to want to work in my hometown of Miyoshi City.
My hometown is Higashi-Iya, which is part of Miyoshi City, and
since I started living in a dormitory when I entered junior high school, I only lived with my parents for 12 years.
For that reason, I longed to live with my family again, and with the desire to cherish time with them, I
returned to my hometown, Higashi-Iya in Miyoshi City, and got a job.

In Higashi-Iya, being deep in the mountains, there are few jobs where women can thrive, which is a problem.
While I was thinking about advancing my own career, I learned that there was a satellite office in Ikeda-cho, Miyoshi City.

What attracted me to the satellite office was the opportunity to work at the same pace as in the city, while remaining in my local area.
Our company has its
headquarters in Osaka, and also has offices in Yokohama, Shikoku (located in Ikeda-cho, Miyoshi City), and Canada.
My work at the Shikoku office involves everything from server construction, operation,
and maintenance, to customer support for our company's web reservation system.
The work itself is the same as at the Osaka headquarters,
allowing me to work in a field that requires IT skills applicable throughout Japan, while staying in my local area.

This job requires very advanced IT skills, but studying is necessary for any job.
Even so, there are still many things I don't understand during work, but
since all locations are constantly connected online, it's not particularly inconvenient.

I joined the company as one of the founding members of the Shikoku office, despite having no prior IT experience. However, I
was able to secure an engineering position regardless of location or IT skills.
When I considered changing jobs, I chose based on what I "couldn't do," rather than what I "could do."
By searching for work in areas where I was "unable to do," my career options expanded,
allowing me to take on an engineering role I had never experienced before, and
I feel that my life experience has also increased.

The satellite office is located in the same building as other companies,
and there are many colleagues of the same generation, so there are many opportunities to interact and get inspired.
I believe that the inspiration I receive from my peers greatly influences my personal growth.
At Nishi-Awa, we hold a "Next-Generation Leader Development Training Session" four times a year for people working in the satellite office
, and I am able to maintain a high level of motivation by seeing everyone's growth there.

Also, although I currently live alone because it's difficult to commute to work from my parents' house every day,
the fact that I'm close enough to spend time with my family on weekends is a benefit for me.

I think most people only have one or two places they can truly call their hometown.
Of course, I was raised by my family, but
I've always had the feeling that I was raised by my hometown. I believe
that this comes from basic things like greeting people and saying "thank you" and "I'm sorry,"
as well as the kindness of being considerate and caring towards others.

When I thought about how I could give back to my hometown, which is the only place
I have, the first thing that came to mind was to live and work there.

, thanks to the hard work of myself and the members of the Shikoku office
our satellite office, to become a company that is rooted in the local
My current goal is for Beyond

What a Persian cat wants to tell high school students

Here are some of the opinions from high school students who want to leave the prefecture:
"I want to work for a big company,"
"There aren't many big events in Tokushima,"
"I want to go to another prefecture or a big city and learn many different things."
I agree with all of them.
Everyone has the same amount of time, so I want you to enjoy the "now" and live in the "now."
I'm sure there will be times when you regret whatever path you choose.
But if you always live the "now" happily and to the fullest, past memories will always be happy memories.
Whether you live and work in or outside the prefecture, I want you to be proud of being born and raised in Tokushima.
Because the individuality and strengths you possess were undoubtedly created by the environment you've been in.
That's why Tokushima will always be your hometown.

Finally

For someone like me who is extremely bad at speaking in front of people, participating in this event made me so nervous I was trembling
, but I feel it was a valuable experience that I wouldn't get to have again.

rarely have the opportunity to talk to in my daily life
It was a great honor to be able to speak with Governor Yoshikazu Iizumi of Tokushima Prefecture, someone I would
, and to represent Tokushima Prefecture at this event. I am grateful
to everyone involved for making this experience possible.

I think this was a good opportunity for people in Tokushima to learn that there are companies with this kind of working style

I think there are many students who want to be fashionable even while working, so
for this day, I went to great lengths, bleaching my hair for the first time in my life and dyeing it pink.
Taking care of my hair afterwards has been a real challenge... (*_*)

Growing every day, moving forward every day.
I must update myself every single day!!!
Thank you for reading to the end.