Saaya — Frontend developer at Axiom Zen (Vancouver); career change from design
Japan sales → design school → ~2 years designer at Kayac; returnee English; college path then frontend hire at Axiom Zen after two short prior Canadian roles.
フロントエンドデベロッパー · Vancouver · Axiom Zen
Profile
Saaya is a frontend developer at Axiom Zen in Vancouver. Attributes mark her as a career changer (未経験) into this developer role; Japan background was sales and design, not professional frontend employment.
Current role
Frontend developer at Axiom Zen (service company); started mid-January of the interview year. Has hosted React.js meetups used at work. Aiming toward senior (she cites local labels: ~3 years intermediate, ~5 years senior). Studying CELPIP for PR.
Japan experience
Career changer for frontend development. After university: **3 years sales** at a publisher (in-house design culture), then design school (**~2 years** total including weekends while still in sales: design year then more frontend-oriented year; she focused on design). **~2 years designer at Kayac**: year one client promotional websites; year two social-game design (Photoshop, character/item motion support in Unity workflow—not coding). Returnee: childhood Japan/overseas moves; **1 year US study** in university; roughly **10–11 years** overseas total by interview. Chose Kayac design over coding despite some frontend coursework.
Path to Canada / North America
Arrived Vancouver **late August 2016**; school started September. Chose Vancouver after Frog info session + a one-week scouting trip (meetups, locals, education/healthcare). College path (school name not emphasized in the provided excerpt). First aimed mobile developer; also did a project-management-leaning internship. Parallel: **3–4 months** remote frontend for a Japan startup; then **1–2 months** remote full-time for another Japan startup (mostly design, some frontend). Job-hunted while working **a few months each at two Canadian employers** before Axiom Zen—unlike peers who stayed at first Co-op employer.
Outcome
Landed Axiom Zen frontend role after the two shorter Canadian stints. Attributes: monthsToOffer=17. Planning PR / long-term Canada stay; likes the company enough to want to stay longer.
Based on Frog’s Japanese-language interview. English summary for scanning (partners / employers). Original interview (Japanese)
Company name published with consent. background=未経験 refers to FE developer role despite substantial Japan design tenure.