A Career Turning Point: An Unexpected Gateway to the Cloud

Bruce Yang, who hails from a background in Financial Engineering and Actuarial Mathematics at Soochow University, faced uncertainty about his future career path during his senior year, much like many of his peers. Lacking interest in his major, he started self-learning UI/UX design, a field he had long been eager to explore. However, Bruce encountered numerous obstacles in his job search for UI/UX positions, as many companies were skeptical about his unrelated academic background and did not hire him. After multiple rejections, he discovered through the process of refining his portfolio that he had project management skills, particularly in problem-solving and troubleshooting. This realization gave him a sense of achievement, prompting him to shift his job search towards project management positions.

Bruce's journey took a significant turn when he encountered HigherCloud while looking for project management roles. He was particularly impressed by Product Marketing Manager Eda Huang during the interview process. He shared that Eda was very respectful to the candidates, attentively listening to his portfolio presentation, which left him with a positive impression. After the interview, Eda realized that Bruce was more suited for a position as an engineer in the technical support and after-sales department. She then referred him for an interview in that department, leading to his successful hire, thus opening a new direction for his career. Bruce humorously mentioned that he chose to join HigherCloud not only because of the company's pleasant atmosphere and the fact that his colleagues were of similar age, but also because Eda was a key factor in his decision, making him look forward to his first job with great anticipation.

Embracing Shortcomings: Humbly Learning and Growing

As a technical support engineer at HigherCloud, Bruce's main responsibilities include providing real-time technical support to customers and writing SOP documents related to cloud technology. Reflecting on his early days at HigherCloud, Bruce mentioned that this was his first job, and he was relatively inexperienced in both workplace ethics and technical knowledge. However, he has grown significantly during this work journey.

Bruce recalled that, as a newcomer, he was quite naive regarding workplace ethics, but his colleagues were always accommodating, giving him ample space to develop and reflect on workplace skills such as customer communication, balancing work and life, and cultivating independent thinking. The diverse opinions from his seniors gradually led him to become a more professional role in the workplace.

Regarding the learning of technical knowledge, Bruce stated that he had been accustomed to self-learning since his university days and was adept at using his spare time to learn technical knowledge. However, after becoming an engineer, he realized that the actual work of an engineer was vastly different from his previous thought process. He shared that his supervisor, Tom Huang, advised him, "When troubleshooting, you should peel the problem like an onion layer by layer because the client's architecture may have many layers, and this way you can accurately pinpoint the issue." This approach was a stark contrast to Bruce's previous problem-solving methods, giving him a new perspective and teaching him a different way of logical thinking.

Additionally, Bruce mentioned that he often believed he was thoroughly familiar with the operation of many products, but every time a client raised a question, he realized there were many applications in different contexts that he had not explored. Each client inquiry prompted him to reassess his own inadequacies, helping him understand that there is always more to learn in this field. Facing challenges with a humble attitude and a willingness to learn is essential for progress.

Team Culture Inspires Future Career Planning

When discussing his department leaders and team culture, Bruce shared that Technical Director Levi Lan is skilled at observing people and knowing how to utilize talent. Levi helps team members plan their future career paths, which has guided Bruce in finding his career development direction. On the other hand, after-sales support manager Tom Huang prefers open management, expecting team members to fully leverage their talents in a flexible environment, which has cultivated Bruce's ability to independently explore problems. This has fostered a team culture where every member is capable of independent work, but partners still help each other solve difficult problems collaboratively.

Looking ahead, Bruce hopes to be promoted and continue his education, accumulating technical experience and earning more certifications to prove his capabilities as a senior engineer. He mentioned that the company provides many resources for this purpose, encouraging employees to improve themselves through online learning courses, guest lectures, and internal departmental sharing sessions where colleagues exchange technical knowledge and experience. These opportunities help him progress toward becoming a more capable and independent professional engineer.

In conclusion, Bruce expressed his gratitude to his supervisors and the general manager. He is thankful for Technical Director Levi's insightful guidance, Tom's understanding and support, and General Manager Hanson Chen's unwavering dedication to the company. He hopes that the company's cohesion continues to strengthen, fostering a team culture centered around people.