Episode #6
He Got a Drone License While Working Full-Time in Japan | Shakaijin Life | Career in Japan | Radovan Kostadinov PT. 2
What happens when student life in Japan ends and working life begins? In Part 2 of my conversation with Radovan Kostadinov, we pick up his story as he transitions from six years of student life in Hokkaido into becoming a shakaijin in Tokyo. Rade talks about navigating Japan’s 新卒採用 (shinsotsu saiyō) system, finding his first full-time job through OfferBox, and eventually joining ReENE ENERGY, a renewable energy company working across solar power and energy infrastructure. Less than six months into the job, another opportunity appeared. Get a professional drone license in Japan. Rade had barely any experience flying drones, but his company offered to support the training. What followed was months of studying Japanese aviation law, drone physics, weather, safety procedures and highly technical terminology, all while continuing to work full-time. We get into: • Finding a job in Japan through OfferBox • Going from student life to shakaijin life • Starting his career at ReENE ENERGY • Discovering professional drone inspections through PV EXPO • How drones are used to inspect solar panels in Japan • Japan’s national unmanned aircraft pilot licensing system • The practical and written drone examinations • Studying specialized Japanese beyond JLPT N1 • Japan’s DIPS 2.0 drone registration and flight permission system • MLIT regulations and different categories of drone flights • Balancing a full-time job with professional qualifications • Using qualifications to build skills, confidence and potentially strengthen a future PR application • Why Rade believes you should try difficult things while you have the opportunity Rade’s story is a reminder that passing JLPT N1 or graduating from university does not mean the learning stops. In many ways, becoming a shakaijin is where the next stage begins. Mentioned in the episode: Radovan Kostadinov LinkedIn: Radovan Kostadinov ReENE ENERGY Renewable energy and solar O&M in Japan Corporate website: reene-energy.co.jp OfferBox Japanese offer-based graduate recruitment platform offerbox.jp PV EXPO Japan solar and photovoltaic industry exhibition Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) Japan’s national authority overseeing the unmanned aircraft licensing and regulatory framework DIPS 2.0 Drone/UAS Information Platform System used for drone registration, licensing procedures, flight permissions and flight-plan notifications in Japan If you haven’t listened to Part 1 yet, go back to hear how Rade travelled from North Macedonia to Japan without ever having taken a flight before, studied at Hokkaido University, learned Japanese from scratch, passed JLPT N1, and built the foundations for his life here. Blueprint Japan explores what it really takes to build a life, career and future in Japan.
