[Special Feature: 30 Years of SFC] SFC and Me: Thinking About How to Think

SFC celebrated its 15th anniversary while I was a student. Thinking that my alma mater has now doubled in age gives me a strange feeling. Ten years after graduation, I couldn't have imagined at all where I would be today. I simply navigated the environmental changes of each moment, choosing options that appeared before me and seemed mostly satisfying, which led me to the present. That said, I have no doubt that the mindset I learned at SFC—"thinking about how to think"—has been useful at every key juncture.

I would like to mention two features of SFC that I particularly like. One is the high degree of freedom.

SFC has very few required courses, allowing students to build their own schedules as they like starting from the spring semester of their freshman year. Additionally, dozens of new student organizations are formed every year, and off-campus activities are constantly encouraged. To accelerate the metabolism of these activities, students can easily talk to professors they've never met before during office hours based on their interests. This is a wonderful thing, but at the same time, it is quite terrifying. If you cannot verbalize your own direction starting from the first week of enrollment, you won't even be able to register for classes.

Students are constantly asked what they are doing now and what they intend to do next. At the same time, they ask their classmates the same questions. The more interesting the answer, the more respect one earns among peers. At SFC, regardless of which direction you are facing, the further you are from "normal," the higher you sit in the school hierarchy. It is an oasis for outsiders.

Behind the attitude of taking this high degree of freedom for granted is a strictness toward those who cannot think for themselves and a tolerance toward those who take action. As outliers attracted more outliers, I imagine the professors and the administrative staff must have been frustrated or chilled by the students' audacity. If anyone reading this feels it applies to them, please reflect on your actions. However, I believe that atmosphere was the driving force that raised graduates who are now active in many different worlds. Every time I am faced with a difficult choice, having an answer to the question of who I want to be has always been helpful.

The other feature I like is the concept of "Problem Finding and Problem Solving." This enhances one's ability to adapt to change.

Since I enrolled, I had a vague desire to study the themes of "technological development" and "international relations." My graduation thesis focused on internet governance. My majors were Information Society Theory and Security Studies. Now, I specialize in the impact assessment and social implementation of new technologies. Reaching this point required long and painful contemplation for "problem finding." I devoted a lot of time to research, which became enjoyable only after overcoming that hurdle.

When asked the inevitable job interview question, "What did you focus on during your student days?" I answered honestly: research. Many interviewers told me that was unusual. It was terrible. When I indignantly replied that it was fun, I was rejected by most Japanese companies. It really was terrible.

In the end, the first place I chose for employment was an American network equipment manufacturer. I worked there for nearly seven years, mainly in public sector sales. Next, looking for a position where I could make proposals less tied to specific products, I became a management consultant. After working there for nearly five years, I looked for a place where I could balance planning and execution in a growth area, and as a result, I am now involved in planning for an e-commerce site.

These may all seem like different fields, but the way I use my head doesn't change much. Based on internal and external situations, the only difference is whether the final output is "please buy this," "let's invest here," or "we will implement these measures with this goal in mind." In all cases, what matters is problem finding and problem solving. The industries have changed from manufacturing to services to retail, and the job types have varied from sales to research to planning. Nevertheless, it is interesting that even without fundamentally changing how I use my head, simply changing the hat I wear results in a major difference in the content of the work. Problem finding is the process of clarifying the issues that should be addressed. This skill, which I first acquired at SFC, has an extremely wide range of applications and is incredibly flexible.

I am aware that the campus undergoes various changes over time. Even so, attempting problem finding and problem solving in a free environment will continue to be one of SFC's roles. That is why, no matter what is happening in the world or how much the appearance of the school buildings changes, I think the spirit of the place remains "business as usual." I hope SFC continues to be a laboratory for change. After all, by the 40th and 50th anniversaries, the world will still be in chaos and society will still be in the midst of upheaval.