Name: Kai Itokazu

Year: 2023

Major: Software Engineering

Campus Extracurricular Activities: Nikkei Student Union (President), Alpha Kappa Psi, Attallah College of Educational Studies Office Assistant (former), Computer Science Research Assistant, and Website Developer Assistant for Dodge College of Film and Media Arts

With May’s graduation ceremony in sight, Fowler School of Engineering’s (FSE) Class of 2023 eagerly awaits what the future has in store for them—especially in anticipation of their well-laid career plans all across the globe. For senior Kai Itokazu, his future in software engineering could not be brighter; after graduation, Itokazu will join Bosch Japan’s software engineering team, exploring thrilling industry opportunities thousands of miles from Chapman’s campus. 

Our team spoke with Itokazu to learn more about his career path since becoming a part of the Chapman community in 2019, exploring how his FSE courses, key experiences with Chapman faculty, and previous internship at Meta helped his international industry plans come to fruition.

Q&A With Kai Itokazu

Lauren Sieberg (LS): Could you share with us a brief timeline of your career path on and off Chapman campus leading up to your internship with Meta (Facebook)?

Kai Itokazu (KI): In terms of school involvement, I did on-campus work as an Attallah Office Assistant—nothing too related to computer science—in my sophomore year. Over the summer going into my junior year, I interned at a place called Tech for Good, a startup on the east coast. My role was a full stack developer intern. It was a really good experience for sure—it made me realize that there was a lot of self-learning to be done. 

Then, going into my junior year, I knew I needed to prepare for the recruitment cycle for software engineering. That semester I worked super hard because I knew that the technical interviews were pretty difficult: I made that my highest priority. I then mass-applied to a bunch of different places. I was super grateful to hear back from Facebook—I felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders for sure. That summer [with Meta] was a really great experience. 

 

LS: What were some of your key experiences while interning at Meta? What was your area of focus?

KI: Over the summer, I went up to the Bay and Facebook provided me with housing, food, and everything. They treated the interns really well and I was able to work with these super smart people; I learned so much through that summer, it was a super cool experience. 

When they onboard you, before they put you on a team, you fill out a survey in terms of what you’re interested in. I said that I was interested in working with web development and wanted to learn more about that, so I put that on my survey and it matched perfectly with what I wanted to do: web development and learning how their technologies react. They’re really good at making sure you’re working on a team you want to be a part of. 

The project I worked on was super cool; each intern had their own personal project.

 

LS: What sparked your interest in career opportunities outside of the United States and how would you describe the steps you took to pursue a career abroad?

KI: When I couldn’t get a return offer [at Meta], the possibility of working abroad came up. I applied to a bunch of different places online and saw a job posting in Japan. They say networking is so important and honestly, it is—people can give you insight and tips on different things to do. I heard about this career fair that’s catered towards Japanese Americans called the Boston Career Forum. So I flew to Boston, interviewed with a bunch of companies, and was able to get an offer at Bosch in Japan. It was risky because I flew there not knowing if I would even get a job, but at the time with tech on a big hiring freeze, I knew I needed to take any opportunity I could. The career forum gave me the opportunity to interview at these big-name companies then and there—when you could apply, you might not get that interview. I wish I had gone to more career fairs here; I think they would have given me that same opportunity.  

 

LS: Are there any specific projects, experiences, or skills that you think helped you in the process of getting hired at Facebook? At Bosch Japan?

KI: Having internship experience was pretty important—if you don’t have internship experience, I always say, “Work on projects, do anything.” I really believe that my Tech For Good internship got me that internship at Facebook. Take any experience you can get to fluff up your resume, fluff up your skills. I would also say that for computer science, being ready for a technical interview is really important–know your concepts, study problems. The best way to practice is to do more interviews! I’m really glad Chapman provides these resources, you can take advantage of mock interviews through the career center. 

I think that being eager to learn and being open-minded also really helped. My [Bosch] position is in Japan and my Japanese is not the greatest; I speak it at home, but it’s nowhere near a professional level. I kept emphasizing that I wanted to get better at Japanese, I wanted to grow, and I think they saw that. Just being eager to learn about the company and the culture when you’re interviewing will show that you’re actually interested.  

 

Owen Agbayani (OA): Who do you feel especially grateful for in the Chapman community—friends, faculty, etc.—for assisting you throughout this process?

KI: Leanna Izen really guided me toward resume and internship opportunities. She left Chapman a few years ago, but Samuel Lee also looked over my resume and helped me consider my opportunities abroad. I definitely think the Career Center also gave me a lot of resources. But I think most of my motivation came from myself since I didn’t really have a solid mentor. That’s why I like helping other people because I kind of wish I had that mentor. A lot of my motivation also comes from talking to friends of friends from different companies—I think coffee chats and getting to know people are super underrated in the industry and in getting a job.

 

OA: What are you most looking forward to exploring with Bosch Japan? For the future?

KI: I’m very excited to be at Bosch Japan and to be in a new country—I wanted to get that experience abroad. This connects to my career and personal goals, so I’m really excited to grow and improve my Japanese. Of course, it would be very cool to integrate into a different work culture. Other than that, I’m just excited because there’s a lot of freedom with what you can do in software engineering and computer science. You can work in a startup or a big company. I like the experience of working at a big company, but I think working at a startup will allow me to wear different hats and see my impact.

OA: How has your major in Software Engineering helped prepare you for this opportunity?

KI: There are a lot of classes that really helped. Specifically, my data structures, algorithms, database management, and some other core classes. Right now, I’m in a Software Development class for my capstone. It’s a super cool class: you work on a project all semester long, and the teacher teaches you skills and techniques from the industry. It gives you the freedom to learn on your own and work on a project. I think it’s pretty realistic and simulates a real work environment. I’m definitely glad I took Software Engineering because I’m able to take it while learning more about the industry.

 

OA: What advice or words of encouragement would you offer other Fowler students actively seeking international career opportunities?

KI: Really talk to people about different opportunities. I know people always say to network, but honestly, meeting new people in the industry and being curious about what they do and how they got there is super important. Especially because within the computer science and software engineering field, there’s so many different fields you can go into, like cybersecurity and web development. There are a lot of different fields, so being open-minded about your opportunities would be super important. Me, I’m still not sure what exactly I want to get into. I also would say to definitely use your career resources. There’s a lot out there, like resume and professional development. Chapman is such a small school, so if you ask for help, you’ll definitely get it. I would also say to work on projects. Employers really want to see you put yourself out there and take initiative on technologies being used. Make sure to enjoy your project and have fun every day.

Sometimes, I feel imposter syndrome because there are people who have been coding and being involved in computer science since before college. But if you took the time and actually sought after the resources and applied yourself, you can do it. 

 

Those looking to take advantage of career resources are encouraged to check out the official FSE career page or reach out to FSE’s Career Specialist, Samuel Lee.