[From a Different Industry to Designer] About 90% Answer They Feel 'Anxiety About Future Career'! What are the 'Practical Skills' Sought Through Reskilling and the Reality of Required 'Employment Support'?

Lunch Time Inc. (Location: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, President: Ryuta Takahashi) conducted a survey on 'Cross-Industry Career Change to Designer and Reskilling' targeting company employees considering a career change from a different industry to designer.

In today's era where job changes are commonplace, more and more people feel anxious about their future careers and are seeking a fresh start through 'cross-industry' job changes. In particular, 'Designer,' a profession that brings one's ideas to life, is a popular occupation. However, to challenge it as an inexperienced individual, acquiring 'skills that can prove one's abilities' is necessary. Therefore, interest in 'reskilling,' which involves learning anew while working, is increasing as a means to acquire the necessary skills. Furthermore, attention is also being focused on whether one can 'reliably achieve their ideal job placement' after learning, not just on the act of learning itself.

Therefore, this time, Lunch Time Inc. (https://lunch-inc.jp/) conducted a survey on 'Cross-Industry Career Change to Designer and Reskilling' targeting company employees considering a career change from a different industry to designer.

Survey Overview: Survey on 'Cross-Industry Career Change to Designer and Reskilling'

[Survey Period] Tuesday, March 17, 2026 - Wednesday, March 18, 2026

[Survey Method] Internet survey conducted by PRIZMA (https://www.prizma-link.com/press)

[Number of Respondents] 1,026 people

[Survey Target] Monitors who responded that they are company employees considering a career change from a different industry to designer at the time of the survey.

[Survey Source] Lunch Time Inc. (https://lunch-inc.jp/)

[Monitor Provider] Sacrisa

About 90% of Company Employees Harbor 'Anxiety About Continuing Their Current Job' for the Future, and the Obstacle to Cross-Industry Career Change is 'Not Knowing Where to Start Learning'

To begin, when asked, 'In your current career path, do you feel anxious about the future if you continue your current job?', approximately 90% responded 'Strongly yes (38.2%)' or 'Somewhat yes (54.5%)'.

It appears that many company employees feel a sense of crisis about continuing to work as they are.

So, what are the challenges when changing careers to a different industry?

When asked, 'What do you feel are the barriers when considering a career change to a different industry?', the most common response was 'Not knowing where to start learning (45.1%)', followed by 'The possibility of a decrease in annual income (41.9%)' and 'Lack of 'skills' that are applicable in an inexperienced field (40.5%)'.

It became clear that even with a desire for a new field, individuals feel concerns about how to learn, worries about compensation such as salary in an inexperienced job change, and anxiety about their abilities.

About 90% Show Increased Motivation with 'Employment Support' from Learning Schools! Reskilling Conditions Are 'Acquisition of Practical Skills' and 'Balancing Work and Study'

When one actually embarks on reskilling, what kind of outcomes can they expect?

When asked, 'When undertaking reskilling for a career change to a different industry, what kind of 'outcomes' do you expect?', the most common response was 'Acquiring skills that can be immediately utilized in practical work (62.6%)', followed by 'Leading to a job offer at the new company (38.4%)' and 'Building a network of like-minded peers (33.3%)'.

It seems that practical outcomes such as 'practical skills' applicable in the field and 'job offers' are being sought.

Furthermore, the demand for communities where motivation can be shared is also high in learning, which can often be isolating, as 'peers and networks' are also desired.

When starting to learn for a cross-industry career change, what criteria are used to select learning content?

When asked, 'If you were to undertake reskilling for a career change to a different industry, what criteria would you use to decide on the learning content?', the most common response was 'Interest in the content (39.5%)', followed by 'Being able to balance work and study (38.8%)' and 'High market demand (number of job openings) (38.4%)'.

Since the top three items were nearly equal at about 40%, it can be inferred that while 'personal interest' serves as a driving force, a balance with 'balancing with one's main job' and future 'market demand' is sought.

To advance learning within limited time, what is emphasized in actual learning environments?

When asked, 'When learning outside of self-study while working, what kind of environment do you think is necessary?', the most common response was 'An online environment where learning can be done regardless of location (36.7%)', followed by 'In-person instruction where direct feedback can be received from instructors (36.3%)' and 'Class hours that allow learning after work (30.5%)'.

While 'convenience' that is not limited by place or time is essential for busy working adults, 'in-person instruction' with instructors is also equally emphasized, suggesting that a hybrid learning environment combining online learning with practical skill-building in-person instruction may be desired.

To what extent does support for career changes affect motivation to attend?

When asked, 'If you were to attend a school for reskilling to change careers to a different industry, would your motivation to enroll increase if there were 'company recommendations' or 'job support' after graduation?', approximately 90% responded 'Greatly increases (32.8%)' or 'Somewhat increases (53.6%)'.

The presence or absence of employment support directly impacts learning motivation, and it appears that schools are expected to provide support that looks all the way through to successful job placement.

So, when pursuing a career as a designer, how do inexperienced individuals believe they should prove their abilities?

When asked, 'When changing careers from an inexperienced background to a designer, what do you think is necessary to 'prove' your abilities?', the most common response was 'Obtaining relevant public qualifications (56.1%)', followed by 'Submitting a 'portfolio (collection of work)' (43.4%)' and 'Completion certificate from a specialized school (37.2%)'.

There is a tendency to compensate for inexperience anxieties with objective indicators such as 'public qualifications' and 'school completion certificates,' and 'portfolios' that directly demonstrate abilities are also considered important. It seems that how to create concrete 'production achievements' will be key to job changes.

What Supports the Challenge of Becoming a Designer from a Different Industry is Enthusiasm of 'Like' and 'Empathy'

So, for what reasons do those aiming for a designer position from an inexperienced background want to change jobs?

When asked, 'What image do you have of the profession of 'designer'?', the most common response was 'Cannot become a designer without graduating from an art college or vocational school (40.4%)', followed by 'Cannot become one without being good at drawing (36.4%)' and 'It is a 'technical profession' that requires mastery of specialized tools (36.1%)'.

High-barrier images such as 'specialized academic background,' 'artistic talent,' and 'technical profession requiring mastery of specialized tools' remain deeply rooted.

In aspiring to become a designer from a different industry, it is inferred that the psychological hurdle of 'perhaps I lack the talent or sense for design' is a greater barrier to taking the first step than concerns about lacking technical skills.

Then, why do people aspire to become designers from different industries?

When asked, 'For what reasons did you decide you wanted to challenge yourself as a 'designer'?', the most common response was 'Because I like drawing and looking at designs (33.2%)', followed by 'Because I had an admiration for creative professions (31.9%)' and 'Because I was attracted to work that shapes my ideas (30.5%)'.

'Liking,' 'admiration,' and 'desire for self-expression' occupied the top positions.

What encourages them to take the step of challenging an unknown territory like a different industry seems to be a bright hope of 'wanting to turn what they like and admire into their job,' more than conditional aspects.

Finally, when asked, 'What do you think is important when working as a designer, other than technical skills?', the most common response was 'Imagination and empathy to understand what users are looking for' (49.1%), followed by 'Flexible thinking that is not bound by existing frameworks' (37.1%) and 'Information gathering ability to keep up with the latest trends and technologies' (33.2%).

It seems that presenting flexible solutions with 'empathy' to understand the other party's intentions and providing the latest trends and technologies are emphasized.

Summary: Cross-Industry Career Change to Designer, Overcoming Barriers with 'Learning Practical Skills' and 'Employment Support'

This survey revealed awareness regarding future career development and the 'psychological barriers' that impede taking new steps.

While many company employees feel a sense of crisis about continuing to work as they are, 'not knowing where to start learning' becomes a barrier when considering a cross-industry career change due to anxiety about the future. Reskilling opportunities are expected to yield 'acquisition of practical skills' and 'job offers at the new company,' with 'interest,' 'balancing work and study,' and 'market demand' cited as criteria for selecting learning content. It was found that actual environments require a combination of online and in-person instruction, and the presence of 'peers' to learn with and 'job support' boosts learning motivation.

When pursuing a career as a designer, inexperienced individuals tend to emphasize 'public qualifications' and 'portfolios' to prove their abilities. The perception of a designer's profession was one with high barriers, such as 'specialized academic background,' 'artistic talent,' and 'technical profession requiring mastery of specialized tools.' On the other hand, motivations for aspiring to be a designer were dominated by 'liking,' 'admiration,' and 'the desire to bring ideas to life.' In practical designer work, besides technical skills, 'imagination/empathy,' 'flexible thinking,' and 'information gathering ability' are emphasized. For career changes from an inexperienced background, an environment that allows for practical learning while leveraging skills cultivated through previous professional experience seems to be necessary.

A Specialized School for Training Effect Designers Born from the Field: 'Lunchtime Effect Lab'

Lunch Time Inc., which conducted the 'Cross-Industry Career Change to Designer and Reskilling' survey this time, offers a school specializing in the training of effect designers, 'Lunch Time Effect Lab'.

[Service Overview]

'Lunch Time Effect Lab' is a specialized school dedicated to training effect designers, established based on the knowledge and achievements of the company, which specializes in game effect production. It aims to equip students with practical skills applicable in the industry by integrating know-how cultivated in actual production sites into education. It offers a learning environment that allows for gradual skill enhancement, catering to a wide range of individuals from beginners to experienced professionals.

[Background and Purpose of Establishment]

In recent years, as game graphics and visual effects become more sophisticated, effects have become crucial elements that influence a work's quality. Visual effects such as those linked to character movements, magic, explosions, light, and fire significantly impact the user experience. However, the profession of effect designer is relatively new, and there are few educational institutions where one can learn systematically. Furthermore, due to the demand for high-level expressiveness and technical skill, it is a field difficult to master through self-study.

Against this backdrop, the shortage of immediately deployable effect designers has become an issue in game development sites. 'Effect Lab' was established with the aim of solving this problem and passing on technology and knowledge to the next generation of creators.

[Curriculum Content]

- If you aim to become an effect designer! 'UE Step・Unity Step'

UE Step

Learn the knowledge and techniques necessary for effect production with Niagara in UE5 systematically from basics to practical application. (Methods for creating effects in Unreal Engine 5, basic knowledge of Material and Blueprint, etc.)

Unity Step

Learn the knowledge and techniques necessary for effect production with Unity's Particle System systematically from basics to practical application. (Methods for creating effects in Unity, information on texture and mesh model assets, etc.)

- For Beginners! 'Effect Basic Kit'

Recommended for those new to effects: What are game engines? If you don't understand Unity or Unreal Engine, this is for you! The Effect Basic Kit is a video course, allowing you to learn freely according to your own lifestyle.

[Lunch Time Effect Lab's Unique Strengths]

- Inexperienced individuals welcome! Possible to attend while working.

Classes are from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM, so you can attend even while working.

Those who cannot attend classes can review the content via recordings, allowing them to aim for a career change while working.

- Direct instruction from active effect designers in the field.

Learn techniques actually used in the field directly from active effect designers.

Furthermore, important points such as common problems and issues to be aware of in the field will be conveyed based on real-life experiences.

- Initiatives to become practical and immediately effective.

We are working to ensure you can be an asset in the actual workplace, not just by teaching how to create effects, but also through version control systems, data delivery methods, and effect performance optimization.

- Curriculum emphasizing communication.

Our school values in-person classes. We emphasize communication, such as asking instructors directly about points of confusion and providing feedback among students, to ensure thorough understanding.

- Internal hiring system at Lunch Time Inc. available.

If recognized as outstanding during the course, there is an internal hiring system that allows graduates to work as effect designers at Lunch Time Inc.

[Details and Inquiries Here]

Lunch Time Inc.: https://lunch-inc.jp/

Lunch Time Effect Lab: https://lunch-inc.jp/effectlabo/