Goey Ming Chieh

Computer/EE Technology Specialist

“I was originally attracted by SY’s multi-lingual working environment, its impressive profile in patent prosecution and litigation - this is an ideal platform for a fresh graduate to start up his career.”

 

What originally attracted you to SY?

A multi-lingual working environment, its impressive profile in patent prosecution and litigation, this is an ideal platform for a fresh graduate to start up his career.

What were the initial difficulties of adjusting to life in Japan?

It was not as difficult as I have expected. Although the language barrier is always one of the problems to be dealt with but living in Japan is not as difficult as I imagined, and one can definitely live comfortably without a deep grasp of the Japanese language.

How would you describe your co-workers?

Smart, intelligent, reliable, kind & helpful.

Do you feel like you're having an impact directly on the clients that you work for?

Yes. It is a huge responsibility to propose strategies and provide advice to the client, as it will impact directly on their long run market strategies.

What are the challenging or difficult aspects of your work?

Dealing with inventions from different fields and with complex law procedurals and terminologies. Persuading clients and attorneys about the work product is difficult, as each of every one of them are very experienced and intelligent. Each and every advice or course of action that I proposed has to be supported by solid reasons. Having to communicate efficiently, i.e., how to express the main points of a communication efficiently without ambiguity and misinterpretation is a big challenge.

What do you think is the most important strength for a tech specialist to have?

One should be able to think logically and determine the key feature of an invention and the differences between inventions with similar embodiments. It is also important to be able to analyze and propose arguments confidently for an invention even if the field of technology is not so familiar to you.

What are the 3 best things about living in Japan?

1. Japan is one of the safest and cleanest countries I have ever been.
2. Japan has many different choices of foods according to the seasons, and they are delicious.
3. Japan has the best railway systems in the world, you can basically get to anywhere in Japan with a train.

What might surprise people about working in SY?

The high expectations from the client of the work product’s quality and even though the work load may be heavy from time to time, but everyone is still capable to finish their assigned works in time.

When I am not at work, I am ...

exploring Japan and looking for nice food. I also like to participate in sports and language exchange events.

I would tell someone just starting their career here at SY to ...

be patient. Especially for one who is about to join the tech teams, the nature of the job is substantially different with other technical jobs (i.e., engineer or programmer). This job requires a lot of reading, analysis, and writing and you may experience difficulty at the beginning as you do not have the related experiences. Everything will be fine as time progresses. Also the new recruit should be open to constructive criticism. The clients are expecting flawless work products from us, and they will be disappointed if their expectations are not met. Do not be afraid of making mistakes, but keep in mind that do not overly repeat the same mistake in the future.