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The story
A thread appeared on 5ch’s “Nova Speed VIP” board started by a poster who says they turned their life around by going from being a NEET to working as a “biruman” (building maintenance technician). The poster reveals that at 34 they became a full-time employee for the first time, and are using certifications like the electrician’s license as a stepping stone toward the Building Maintenance Manager qualification (“biru-kan”) and the Class 3 Electrical Chief Engineer license (“Denken”). Their current annual salary is said to be in the 3.5-million-yen range, with savings of around 6 million yen. The thread saw an extended exchange, with experienced posters weighing in on how to obtain these certifications, how common they are in the industry, and the reality behind the job’s reputation as “easy work.”
What people said
Pay's low but the work is easy
Just plain savings, maybe around 6 million yen
What about the not-so-plain kind?
Nah, haven't gotten that one yet — I just sat the exam for biru-kan (Building Maintenance Manager) this time.
Of the ones I've actually passed, Fire Prevention Equipment Class 1 "Ko-4" was the toughest.
And Ko-4 requires you to already hold the electrician's license just to be eligible to take it.
A building-maintenance buddy of mine sometimes asks me to refer someone who has it, but how would I know anyone?
Yeah, biru-kan holders really are rare.
In this industry the holder rate is roughly:
Biru-kan — about 1 in 7 or 8
Denken — about 1 in 10
Nope, I'm married and live with my wife
Impressive you still managed to save that much then
Well, I already had a fair amount saved up beforehand
Ah, that explains it.
Were you doing part-time or day-labor gigs here and there?
That's impressive — job hunting at 34 and landing a full-time position.
Did you have any work history?
Yep.
First full-time job ever, at 34
Ugh 🤮
Though I heard Denken's gotten noticeably easier lately
You're stuck there for long hours and probably can't even touch your phone anyway.
All depends on the "site gacha" (luck of the draw on which site you're assigned to).
Nah, I'm literally at work right now.
Well, site gacha is a real thing, but
I'm on about my 4th site now and there hasn't been a single one where messing with your phone wasn't allowed.
Guess I should switch jobs after all 🫤
There are plenty if you actually look for them
Why would anyone go from building maintenance to security, I wonder.
Building maintenance has gotta have shorter hours and better pay, no question
Probably only works if you're a smart NEET like OP…
Uh, I'm just a high school grad though?
So this is one of those threads where someone with a talent for effort asks someone without that talent, "why don't you just try harder?"
No, that's not it.
This thread's just recommending building maintenance because even a NEET can get into it and it's easy
Might actually happen
Yeah no, I really was a total garbage NEET.
About the only thing I did was the occasional Uber Eats delivery
Right now it's 3.5 million yen.
But I'm planning to get biru-kan and switch jobs
Pretty ambitious.
Sounds like you're aiming to become a site supervisor
Wouldn't the electrician's license come first?
Without that you probably can't even become a building maintenance worker in the first place
On weekend days when I was the only one on duty, I'd basically sleep all day at work from morning to night, so I used that time to study instead lol.
Thanks to that I got the Class 3 Electrical Chief Engineer license in 2 years.
On weekdays too, I'd study at my desk from 5pm, when the day-shift guy went home, until I went to sleep.
I honestly think there's no easier job anywhere in the world.
Now I've switched to caregiving work and I'm busy as hell.
If it's such an easy flex, why not just keep doing it instead of quitting, I wonder
Why'd you quit?
I did caregiving for 2 months myself, but it was such hell I ghosted and bailed on it
There are some here and there
Maybe it just becomes "building-person" instead
Totally doable.
Also if you have the time, might be worth grabbing something easy like a fire prevention equipment license too
The electrician's license alone gets you in.
Honestly, for the actual day-to-day work, that might be the only one you really need
Background and Key Points of This Topic
Building maintenance technicians (“biruman”) mainly handle inspections and patrols of electrical, HVAC, and fire-safety equipment, and it’s a field where pay and job duties hinge heavily on which certifications you hold — things like the electrician’s license, hazardous materials handler license, the Building Maintenance Manager qualification (“biru-kan,” formally the Building Environmental Sanitation Management Technician), fire prevention equipment specialist licenses, and Denken (Electrical Chief Engineer). The thread’s original poster describes stacking up certifications starting from the electrician’s license, noting that while the job is easy to enter even without qualifications or experience, few people hold biru-kan or Denken, which makes those credentials valuable. What split opinion in the thread was how trustworthy the “easy job” label really is, with some pointing out that how much free time you actually get during a shift depends heavily on the luck of which site you’re assigned to (“site gacha”). The poster also shared specific figures like annual salary and savings, but readers should keep in mind this is one individual’s personal account and doesn’t guarantee industry-wide averages or conditions.
*This article is composed as an excerpt and summary of the 5ch (Nova Speed VIP) thread “Turned my life around going from NEET to building maintenance.”
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