Jay Therry-Lim completed Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Commerce major in Japanese, International Business Economics, and Investment Finance. He is an Australian but he is currently living in Japan.

During my high school days, in my mind I knew I was going to UWA and there were no other options to me giving the reputation UWA has for creating graduates that can excel on the global stage. Made the decision to take a double degree, studying my passion Japanese, and also commerce, as I could not see myself teaching Japanese but still wanted to use it for work.

At my time at UWA, I participated in two exchange programs, one to China and one to Japan and these were by far the most eye-opening and life-changing experiences I’ve had. Upon graduating from UWA, I worked for a Japanese recruitment company in Tokyo, and although I didn’t enjoy the work, I was able to  learn much about the Japanese culture, especially Japanese business culture which is drastically different to Western culture but so important to understand and master if one wants to work in Japan. After travelling around South-East Asia with my company, I ended up moving to an American company who sent me back to Tokyo to open and head up the Japan branch which has been a great experience. Rooted in Japan now as my wife is Japanese and we plan to stay here indefinitely for the short-mid future.

Jay's journey since UWA.

At UWA, I was an active member of Japssoc and ended up becoming an honorary member. Always enjoyed joining in on the language exchange meetups Japssoc held on oak lawn or in one of the classrooms nearby. Actually met an exchange student at Japssoc who introduced me to my wife so I am indebted to the connections and relationships I made there.

What’s your passion and how do you want to make a difference in the world?

I love bringing people together and creating communities. I’ve been to numerous countries through both work and vacation and have never had issues with making new friends and getting involved in meetup or language exchange groups in each country I visit. I always see the value and benefit in expanding one's horizon through meeting new people and networking and I also get great pleasure in connecting people also and creating networking groups.

What is the most interesting aspect of your career? Where could it go from here?

I am fortunate with my language skills that I work for an American company but am the only Japanese speaker in the firm which allows me to be the bridge between the two countries via my work and it also allows me to travel a lot throughout the region. Currently heading up operations in Japan but hope to expand this to further countries. No harm in having big goals!

If you could share one piece of advice with a first year student, on their first day at UWA, what would it be?

I would recommend trying all that is available to you at UWA and consider taking majors or minors outside your field of interest as it could definitely open your horizon to things you may not be aware of. I was very fortunate to have studied economics and finance along with Japanese, even though Japanese was my passion and I always excelled in the subject. I wouldn’t have landed the job I had today if I didn’t study economics. (I am in the macroeconomic data business now!)

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