Third GMP Career Forum of 2025 Encourages Students to Envision Their Careers 20 Years Ahead

The third GMP Career Forum of the 2025 academic year was held on Sunday, October 19, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the Large Conference Room on the fourth floor of Building 11.

Unlike previous GMP career forums, this forum focused on the theme of “GMP students thinking about their careers 20 years in the future.” To support this long-term perspective, the forum invited Waseda University alumni, primarily in their 30s and 40s, from a wide variety of career paths, including:

• Alumni who have pursued “membership-style” careers by remaining with a single company
• Alumni with “job-based” careers who have worked at multiple companies through job changes
• Professionals working in private companies
• Those employed in the public sector
• Entrepreneurs who have started their own businesses
• Alumni who have advanced to graduate schools (e.g., MBA programs) overseas or in Japan
• Individuals who could speak about balancing work and family life

Despite the forum being held on a Sunday—a valuable day off for many working professionals—ten alumni participated. Two of them attended with their families (spouses and children), allowing GMP students to see firsthand how Waseda alumni put work-life balance into practice.

Keynote Session

The forum opened with welcoming remarks by Professor Nakaide, Program Director of the GMP. This was followed by keynote speeches from four alumni, including Hidenori Miyamoto, Akiyo Kyono, and Kei Ninomiya. The keynote speakers shared insights on future trends in Japan and globally, career development over the course of a lifetime, experiences working overseas, and the differences between building a career within a single organization and across multiple companies.

The subsequent panel discussion featured six alumni, including Kanaru Aoki, Ruriko Aono, Hiroya Izumisawa, Wei Shao, and Sosuke Yamada. Drawing on their personal experiences, the panelists spoke in detail about moments of joy and fulfillment at work, the skills they have developed through their careers, what they consider most important in professional life, how they balance work and family, and the lives they aspire to lead.

Panel Discussion

The forum concluded with small-group discussion sessions. Students moved freely among the alumni, asking questions in an informal setting. Fourth-year students used the opportunity to prepare for entering the workforce the following year, while third-year students currently engaged in job hunting sought advice on company research and discussed concerns about the recruitment process.

Reflecting on the forum, Misora Fukushima, a third-year GMP student, commented, “Through this career forum, I saw how each graduate had a strong sense of purpose and was sincerely engaging with life, which made me realize that I had not yet reflected deeply enough on myself. This realization became a valuable opportunity to reexamine my own values and direction.” She also noted that, as she was at a time of uncertainty about her future, “being able to hear diverse perspectives from alumni with a wealth of life experience and to consult with them directly was an extremely meaningful and valuable experience.”

Small-Group Discussions

In addition, the forum welcomed GMP alumni who had graduated only recently. The theme of thinking about one’s career 20 years ahead resonated not only with current students but also with GMP graduates who have already begun their professional journeys. The event highlighted the GMP as a broad and connected community encompassing both current students and alumni.

<Participating Alumni Employers >
Itochu Corporation, Grand Central, Crédit Agricole Bank, Deloitte Tohmatsu Consulting, Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance, Mizuho Bank, Member of the Yamanashi Prefectural Assembly, among others.