After I resigned from a telecommunications company in Quarry Bay, I started working in the Information Technology department at one of the UK's largest property development companies in Hong Kong in 2000. The department consists of about 50 employees, including several teams with different functions.

Of course, I was very tense on my first day at a giant company with a profession I had just touched, but I am grateful that my superiors were kind to me at that time.

Immediately given a task and had to work alone without anyone guiding me

On my first day on the job, I was immediately given a different task than the one my manager told me during a job interview. The first task was to assemble a server for the purpose of testing a new system. I am grateful to have had the experience of assembling several servers at home, so I have that experience. Like most companies in Hong Kong, they want new hires to be able to work on their own without guidance from other colleagues.

A photo with one of our colleagues in our work area in 2005.

Task of traveling to all branches of the office and learning how to communicate and negotiate with different people

The company has many branches all over Hong Kong; one of my tasks is to go around the branches and provide services to repair other employees' computers, make sure the system network runs smoothly, install and teach employees in other branches how to use the new system, and so on.

Since my job requires a lot of information and negotiations with employees in other branches, I have made many friends and also trained myself to deal with people with different characters.

Some of the other bosses also have characters who are easily emotional when facing work problems, so I am used to seeing scenes of throwing cellphones, cursing subordinates, banging on the table, and even throwing their computers on the floor.

A group photo of some of my colleagues in a department in 2003

Employees stabbed each other in a very different way than previous telecommunications companies

During my 5 years of working in this company, all parties were kind to me because our department was helpful, and it can be said that no conflict would harm other departments. I have the task of going around other departments, so during my 5 years working at this company, I have seen various ways in which employees of other departments have taken over positions, projects, and got rid of other colleagues.

Because the company has a history of more than 100 years in Hong Kong and continues to be led by the British to this day, the company has a very strong British culture. For example, words are not in accordance with the heart and mind. At the previous company where I worked, elbow elbows are still more visible. In this company, employees all have smiling faces, helping each other and praising each other, but when there is an opportunity, they will stab each other in the back, so that when employees are suddenly fired, they are not sure who the perpetrator is who is shifting them.

My colleagues and I have a map of the relationships between colleagues in other parts so that we can be more careful not to get caught up in the political flow of the office when we have projects that we have to work on with other departments.

Was given 2 new staff to help me with my work

1 year after working at the company, our team was given 2 new staff with positions as technicians who helped ease our work. My job was to take them around the other departments at that time. We have a good relationship, and to this day we are still in touch as friends. One of them now works in the government in a sensitive part, so every time we meet, we will not ask about each other.

Dinner with 1 assistant in 2004. We still have a good friendship to this day.

Getting busier with lectures and exam preparation, even though he already works in the Information Technology department

At this company, I spent even more time studying, updating, and taking new certificates. In another article, I will tell you about my struggle to continue my evening lectures and at the same time also prepare for other exams.

In the next article, I will tell you about my experience of visiting Indonesia for the first time after 7 years of leaving Indonesia.