What Kamiyama Monosasu Juku students are thinking right now: Roundtable discussion
～News from the second batch of students of Kamiyama Monosasu School～

Four months have passed since the start of the course, and now all that is left is the graduation project.

Wow, that was quick.

Yep, four months. I thought the lectures were over.

That's true.

I'm from Oita, Sawada-san, you're from Kochi, and Haga-san, you're from Hiroshima. How is it coming to Kamiyama?

The location...well, it just so happened that I was in Kamiyama this time, but it felt like I'd come to a place I'd never been before.

I was interested in Monosas (the company) and Monosas Juku, so Kamiyama was just a coincidence.

I was interested in the fact that Monosasuji Juku was being held in this rural area of Kamiyama.
If I had been doing Monosasu Juku in Tokyo, I don't know if I would have been accepted. It was a surprising combination, like, "Web in the countryside?" I found that interesting.
It's not that I was interested in the countryside, I was more interested in the city, but I found the idea of doing something urban in the countryside interesting and exciting.

First of all, I wanted to know the basics. As knowledge of the web. Also, I was interested in how to use the web. Rather than building a website, I was interested in how to use it.
Also, I wanted to know what it meant to be the person inside.
※The person inside...not a doer or receiver relationship, but a party involved

Kamiyama was originally famous for its satellite offices, and I knew about the existence of Kamiyama Juku, so it was easy for me to imagine Web + Kamiyama.
I was attracted to Mr. Hayashi's words, "Work with people you want to live with." I've always thought that if I change jobs next time, I want to work with people I want to work with. I thought, "There's someone who's written exactly that!" I wanted to meet people (students) who have been influenced by these words.

Haga-kun, you were interested in why a company from the city would run a cram school in the countryside, so does that mean you thought it might be a good idea?

Yes, I thought that might be a good idea.

Now that that "might be nice" has actually arrived, have you begun to understand what it is?

Monosus itself is still in the exploratory stage, and I get the impression that people have come to Kamiyama to try out different ways of living and working.
They've actually set up a satellite office, and it looks like they're in the process of thinking about what to do with it from now on. I wonder if there are some things in common with Monosasu Juku, where people who are searching for a way of life gather.

My image has changed. The articles written on the Monosas site as "Honest Now" were so good that I didn't really feel it was right. But I would never have realized that it's a company where everyone is really working hard to be "Honest Now" if I hadn't come to the school.

Yes. There were many opportunities to think about how to work and live, and I felt that this was a company that puts into practice the idea of working with people who really want to live together.

Nishimura-san's lectures left a strong impression. (Everyone nods)

I've never been so conscious and committed to listening to other people.
I felt like I wasn't listening to what other people were saying at all. I thought I was listening, but I wasn't really listening.

Nishimura's lecture felt like I was digesting it while asking myself questions. As a listener, I learned how to be truly interested in people.
As a speaker...I'm not very good at revealing myself, but I think Nishimura's way of listening to the other person was a big factor in me being able to reveal myself. Interviews are interesting because they allow you to get to know people.

When I listen to people, I always feel like I've gotten ahead of myself, but this is the first time I've had someone explain it to me in a proper way. I'm glad I've become more aware of it. It's been a long time since I've felt interested in someone.

Also, there are times when I feel tense when I think that the instructor is there. Like, "If I do it wrong, it's no good." When I think that it's no good if I do it wrong, I feel like I'm focusing on myself, and when that happens, I realize that there were many times when I wasn't listening to what other people were saying.

At first, I thought, "If I do it poorly, it's no good," and I had to do it well. I had to code well, I had to write well... I couldn't get rid of that premise, and I think I was just worrying about it.
But I thought this was the place to fail. If I don't fail now, when will I fail? I felt a little better after that.

When you enter the workforce and start to get a sense of your own way of doing things and what you like, you start to filter what you hear in your head. I think that's where relationships with people become weaker.

I think this has become especially noticeable since I became a working adult. I've always kept my work and private life separate, so I can't be interested in people when they don't intersect. I think it's fine to have a relationship like this because it's work. Even though I spend most of my day working, I've spent my time without paying any attention to anyone.

Nowadays, there are a lot of opportunities to get to know people through writing and interviews. It feels like you get to know people through those opportunities, and as a result, you get to know yourself, right? (Everyone: nods)
There are times when I realize something about myself through conversation. I feel like it's the thing I don't know the most about myself, so maybe that's what I learn through other people.

There was one thing that Mr. Hayashi said that made a strong impression on me: "Instead of thinking about whether you can do it, it's important to decide that you're going to do it." Those words really struck a chord with me.
Up until now, I've always been thinking about whether I could do it or not, and in the end I never took action. But this time, coming to Kamiyama means that I've taken action, and although I don't know what will happen from now on, I can think, "OK, let's do it!"

That's a pretty big change, isn't it? I think the hurdle is high.

It's a high hurdle. I don't know if I can overcome that hurdle, but I have to decide to overcome it.

Like a determination?

It may sound a bit exaggerated to say I'm prepared, but it's not the same as making up my mind; I think it's a much simpler way of thinking about it.

Things like "making up one's mind" are heavy on my mind. So simple is good, and easy to move in. I feel like Monosus taught me that.
During our one-day meeting, Hayashi-san suggested that we discuss and speak honestly about the best options and then decide, which made making up our minds not such a big burden.

Hayashi-san's words that I could come to Monosas or find another job made me feel at ease.

Hurdles are something you have to overcome, right? But you can go under them, or even avoid them from the side.

That's a good idea. I think it's okay if you trip over a hurdle and fall. You'll still get over it.

But in my case, I find it harder to keep running after overcoming the hurdle...this is a challenge for me.

It's okay to walk there. You don't have to run. You can stop for drinks along the way.

I see. There's something about it that makes you feel like you have to go full throttle.
There's no variety in the way I run... I want to change that. Oh, I see, I should just walk.

Isn't it enough if people around you understand that?
I guess I'm the type who follows at the very back, so I don't get tired or rush.

At first, I tried to hold on tight so as not to fall too far behind, but it eventually became too much for me, so I switched to a method of just maintaining my own good pace.

When I decided not to push myself, I finally felt like I could become myself. It was like, this is good enough! I'm grateful to the people who helped me to know my own pace and think, this is good enough!