【英語×日本語】StudyInネイティブ英会話Podcastcurrently outside the Japan top 100
#573 「転職」について、正直思うこと
Episode #573 centers on a career-change consultation from Chamu-san (チャムさん), a 26-year-old listener in her fifth year of working life who holds a TOEIC score of 905 and studied abroad in Canada, yet finds her new job far removed from what she imagined. Alongside the advice, the hosts cover which English verbs to use when boarding a ski lift and share a listener's story of a proposal that grew organically out of a magazine horoscope.
What this episode answers
How do you say 'getting on a ski lift' in English?
'Get on the lift,' 'ride the lift,' and 'take the lift' all work; the nuances differ slightly but not enough to matter in practice. To invite a stranger to share a lift, use 'Do you want to take the lift together?'
If you changed jobs at 26 but the reality turned out different from what you expected, should you wait three years before changing jobs again?
The hosts agreed that coasting through three years is a waste of your prime career years; leaving after one year is fine if you can explain the reason clearly, but arriving at 29 without results at your second company makes a third job search significantly harder.
What career risks come with changing jobs at 29?
If you cannot produce results at your second job and reach 29, moving to a third company becomes noticeably difficult; after 30, childbearing-age concerns and life-stage changes tend to overlap, making full career commitment harder to sustain.
How should women in their late 20s think about balancing career with marriage and childbirth?
Ages 26–29, before having children, are the window when women can focus entirely on their own careers; start by writing down your career vision (target position and salary in X years) and life plan (when to marry and have children), then work backward to decide your actions today.
When setting job-change criteria, should you prioritize 'what you want to do' or 'what you're good at'?
Prioritizing 'what you're good at' is the faster path to career advancement; feeling fulfilled at your previous job likely means you were producing results and therefore skilled at it, and relying solely on what you want to do can make sustaining motivation difficult years down the line.
Livingstone-san's Message
Livingstone-san (リビングストーンさん), a listener in his 60s, sent in his third message as a follow-up to Episode 568 on ideal proposals. He shared a personal story: his own proposal 42 years ago had neither surprise nor romance—just a simple "Should we get married?" He is currently working as an active ski instructor at the slopes, and mentioned he plans to try expressions introduced in a previous episode, such as "in the line" and "end of the line."
He also asked a follow-up question: what verb should you use when getting on a ski lift? The hosts explained that "get on the lift," "ride the lift," and "take the lift" are all acceptable. While "take" carries a slightly more transportation-oriented nuance, in practice none of the three is wrong. To invite a stranger to share a lift, try "Do you want to take the lift together?"—and the hosts encouraged Livingstone-san to put it to use at the slopes.
Ayumite-san's Proposal Episode
Ayumite-san (あゆみてさん) wrote in with her own proposal story. While she and her partner were dating, she was reading the horoscope section of a magazine—something like An An or CanCam—and came across an article declaring that next year would be the luckiest year of her life, five years from now would be second, and three years from now third. She casually said to her partner, "Apparently next year is going to be my best year." He immediately replied, "Then next year it is," and before long they were buying a copy of Zexy and looking at rings together.
She later asked for a proper proposal, which eventually happened at a resort they had visited several times. The hosts were charmed—especially by the partner's instant, unscripted response—and noted the delightful month-long wave of dopamine and adrenaline that followed. The English expression highlighted here was "butterflies in my stomach," meaning nervous excitement or fluttery anticipation.
Job-Change Consultation: Chamu-san's Case
Chamu-san (チャムさん), a 26-year-old woman in her fifth year of working life, wrote in for career advice. Her previous job had nothing to do with English but gave her a strong sense of fulfillment. After studying abroad in Canada and continuing her English studies—ultimately earning a TOEIC score of 905—she changed jobs last year to a role that would let her use English and work with overseas partners. The reality turned out to be almost entirely remote work, with most international communication happening over email and Teams. Some days she goes the entire day without speaking to anyone, just staring at spreadsheets.
She acknowledged a valuable takeaway from the experience—she now knows she thrives in people-facing roles—but is considering sticking it out for roughly three more years before making another move at around age 29. Her concern: she also wants to get married and have children by then, but does not want to sacrifice her career. Is changing jobs at 29 still viable?
The Hosts' Candid Advice
The hosts opened with a pointed question: has she actually put her life plan and career vision into writing? Before anything else, she needs to define what position and salary she is aiming for in three and five years, and when she envisions getting married and having children. With those two axes clearly mapped, she can work backward to figure out what choices make sense today.
The hosts were direct about the stakes of this particular window of time: ages 26 to 29, before having children, are the years when women can focus most completely on their own careers. Once the 30s arrive, childbearing-age realities and shifting life stages make full career commitment significantly more complicated. Coasting through these years on autopilot, they said flatly, is a serious waste.
On the question of direction, the hosts argued that "what you're good at" beats "what you want to do" as a compass for career advancement. Feeling fulfilled in a previous role likely means you were producing results—which means you were probably skilled at it. Passion alone often isn't enough to sustain motivation years down the road; the sweet spot is where what you enjoy and what you excel at overlap.
Regarding the current mismatch, the hosts suggested the remote-first nature of the role should have been visible before she accepted the offer—she may have zeroed in on the English component and overlooked everything else. For the next move, they recommended building a multi-axis checklist: English use, in-person or client-facing work, a clear path for advancement, and a concrete milestone to hit by age 30. The more specific the criteria, the better the match.
On leaving after just one year: not a problem, provided she can articulate a clear reason. The caution, though, is that if she reaches 29 at her second company without meaningful results to show, a third job search becomes noticeably harder. The hosts closed by extending an open invitation to visit Brood Co., Ltd. (ブルード株式会社), the recruiting company they are affiliated with.
English Phrases from This Episode
- **Do you want to take the lift together?** — asking a stranger to share a ski lift - **Butterflies in my stomach** — nervous excitement, a fluttery feeling of anticipation - **Fulfilling / A fulfilling job** — a job that gives you a strong sense of purpose and satisfaction - **Whether you like it or not** — regardless of how it's received; used when sharing something unprompted
Takeaways
- Ages 26–29 are the prime years for women to fully commit to their careers, and spending them coasting without a clear plan is a serious waste of an irreplaceable window.
- Prioritize 'what you're good at' over 'what you want to do' when choosing your next role—past fulfillment is strong evidence of past results, and results-based confidence sustains motivation far longer than passion alone.
- Prevent the same mismatch from happening twice by defining multiple concrete criteria before you start looking—English use, interpersonal work, a clear advancement path, and a milestone to hit by a specific age.
This article is edited from a machine transcript of the first 30 minutes of the episode. It is not an official summary — please listen to the episode itself.