Stories of 15 people who made the transition from civil servants, company employees, housewives, etc. to university professors. “Career Design for Changing Jobs to Become a University Professor” now available! Recommended for those who want to become university professors, those who want to relearn, and those who are groping in the dark!
Koshokuken Co., Ltd. Press release: October 29, 2025 To Members of the Press Stories of 15 people who made the transition from civil servants, company employees, housewives, etc. to university
professors. “Career Design for Becoming a University Professor” now available! Recommended for those who want to become university professors, those who want to re-educate themselves, and those who are groping in the dark! How did that person become a university professor? What kind of life are they living now? How did people who were living “ordinary working lives” become university professors? What was the turning point in their lives? Public Service Research Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Shoichi Ota) announced the publication of “Career design for changing careers to become a university professor – Relearning opens the path to becoming a practicing teacher has been published. This is a book recommended for those who want to become university professors, those who want to relearn, and those who are groping in the dark. Among similar books, it is especially recommended for women and civil servants.
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professor.” “She changed jobs twice before earning her doctorate. She pursued a career in research, even though her salary took a cut.” “She became a university professor because it meant she could commute from her parents’ home to care for their parents.” “She studied hard to earn her doctorate and became a university professor.” “She is a first-class architect who works for a major company. She earned her doctorate before retirement and teaches at multiple schools.”… The “life stories” of 15 people who followed various paths to become university faculty and staff members. Through the stories of 15 people who embarked on the life adventure of changing jobs, this book conveys how to design your career, the joys of reskilling, the joys of graduate school life, the joys of research, and the life of a university faculty member. ====== This book chronicles the life journeys of people who lived “ordinary working lives,” revealing how they became university professors, how they transitioned to academia, and what the turning point in their lives was. We hope that readers will find reliving the lives of others an enjoyable reading
experience, and that learning about our own diverse lives will help them reexamine their own future lives. The characters are “ordinary people” who have experienced ordinary working lives. Looking at their previous jobs, the list is diverse and varied, including salaried workers at well-known companies, local government officials, foundation staff, foreign embassy staff, self-employed individuals, first-class architects, artists, and housewives. While many of the authors are university professors, the book also includes case studies of associate professors, visiting associate professors, and part-time lecturers who took up positions after retirement from their companies. There is also a case study of a research administrator (URA) who supports research at universities. The book contains the life stories of 15 people in total, including 13 who wrote the book and two who were interviewed. (From the beginning) [Book Title] Career Design for Changing Jobs to Become a University Professor ~ Relearning Opens the Path to Becoming a Practitioner Teacher [Author names] Shigeaki Matsumoto (editor), Kyoko Taketo (author), Yutaka Moriguchi (author), Seiko Shimura (author), Ichiro Moriyama (author), Yuki Asakura (author), Yuichi Shindo (author), Atsuko Ishii (author), Masayuki Moriya (author), Makihara Aya (author), Hitoshi Nishimura (author), Naoya Sano (author), Mika Kajita (author) [List Price] ¥2,640 (¥2,400 base price 10% tax) [ISBN] 978-4-87526-465-1 [Publication Date] October 2025 [Size/Page Count] 46-size, 224 pages ■Table of
Contents/Author Introduction■ Introduction: The Life Stories of 15 People [Shigeaki Matsumoto] ◆Chapter 1: The Era of Career Design and Relearning These days demand university professors with a background in business. [Shigeaki Matsumoto] ◆Chapter 2: Women’s Flexible Ways of Life “Studying Abroad” Became a Turning Point [Kyoko Taketo] From Artist to Founder of an NPO and University Professor – Believing in the Limitless Potential of Art [Yutaka Moriguchi] Taking the Next Step in My Career – Art University, the Bar Exam, and Graduate School [Seiko Shimura] ◆Chapter 3: Changing from a Corporate Employee A career that took off with graduate school ~ Changing jobs, and becoming a university professor [Moriyama Ichiro] A secondment to an affiliated company changed my life ~ Tomorrow promises new encounters [Matsumoto Shigeaki] The choice to become a university professor to survive in the community where I serve as a base [Asakura Yuki] Practitioner teachers are “living teaching materials” ~ A rewarding part-time lecturer [Yuichi Nobuto] ◆Chapter 4: Transitioning from Civil Service, etc. Searching for a path that suits you best in line with life events – From practicing as an administrative public health nurse to training [Atsuko Ishii] From administrative work to a professional position, and then to university teaching – Becoming a university teacher through the 44th public recruitment [Masayuki Moriya] Confronting my worries and continuing to think – The choice of becoming a university professor as a way of life [Aya Makihara] ◆Chapter 5: Mastering Specialization A path opened up through various encounters – From a freelance educator to a university professor [Nishimura Hitoshi] Guided by Culture, the Arts, and the UK: Choosing a Career as a University Professor [Sano Naoya] My Life Story of Raising, Playing, and Learning Alone: Designing a Career with My Daughter [Kajita Mika] ◆Chapter 6: A Diverse Research Life Even civil servants have the opportunity to move into the academic world! [Shigeaki Matsumoto] ◆Chapter 7: Life Patterns Emerging from Case Studies The Wonder of a Life of Second Challenges [Shigeaki Matsumoto] Conclusion: Thoughts on becoming a senior citizen [Shigeaki Matsumoto] ■About the Editors■ Shigeaki Matsumoto (MATSUMOTO SHIGEAKI) His grandfather, born in the Meiji era, was a joiner. His father, born in the Taisho era, was the owner of a small factory. From a young age, he was told, “Don’t become a salaryman. Become a manager.” His mother was an elementary school teacher. Born into a family of artisans, he moved to Tokyo instead of taking over the family business. He graduated from Waseda University’s School of Education, majoring in Geography and History. After working as a reporter, editor, and bureau chief for the Yomiuri Shimbun, he was seconded to a company that manages theaters and concert halls. While working, he studied public policy at Doshisha University Graduate School, completing both the master’s and master’s programs. He holds a PhD in Policy Science. He has previously served as a professor at Kochi Women’s University (now Kochi Prefectural University) and Shizuoka University of Art and Culture. After retiring in March 2022, he inherited and renovated a former printing factory owned by his late father, where he kept keepsakes. He opened “A Factory with Books” (Konohana Ward, Osaka City). The factory is the headquarters of the academic organization “Culture and Regional Design Research Institute,” of which he serves as representative, and is working to create a cultural commons. He is a cultural policy scholar. He currently serves as president of the Japan Association for Arts Management, director of the Japan Association for Cultural Policy Studies, and co-chair of the Cultural and Regional Design Association. He is also an adjunct lecturer at Hosei University, a part-time lecturer at Doshisha University, and a part-time lecturer at Shimane University. His solo works include “Regional Revitalization Begins at the Cultural Site” (Gakugei Publishing, 2024). He has edited and co-authored many works. In March 2025, he published “Culture x Region x Design Revitalize Society” (Bunshindo), edited by Tatsuro Shinkawa and Shigeaki Matsumoto. He analyzed new trends in public baths and braille newspapers. He has been writing a series of articles for Jiji Press’s administrative magazine, Local Administration, since 2000. ■Publisher■ Public Employment Research Institute, Inc. 2-20 Kanda Jinbocho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0051 Tel: 03-3230-3701
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