United States LinkedIn to the American dream Alan SHUM Ka-Yi’s dream destination was the United States. “I missed out on the chance to go there on exchange in Year , and went to South Korea instead. But, luckily, I was chosen for a summer internship at an American computer so ware company, so I flew to San Francisco right a er my exchange program ended. When I graduated, the company o ered me a job.” He later joined Linkedln, the world-famous employment- oriented online business, as a so ware engineer, helping to build sales solutions at the company’s global headquarters in Sunnyvale, California. Alan found it a challenge to start from scratch. “Suddenly I had to handle everything myself in a city in which I knew nobody and nothing,” he said. This he managed well, with assistance from his co-workers, and he now has a clear career path at LinkedIn: “I didn’t struggle much at work and my teammates have always been helpful and willing to teach me,” he said. 29 IN FOCUS Germany Relaxing into European life as a digital games developer Stephen LUI Ka-Fai’s longtime aspiration was to explore life in Germany. Following his graduation, he bravely flew to the city of Hamburg in without a job. However, it only took four months to rectify that. “My engineering background was a great help,” he said. He is now enjoying life in Munich. Initially, he worked for Koch Media, a major producer and marketer of digital entertainment products. There, he developed telemetry tools that collected analytic data on game-playing behavior to assist the marketing and development teams build and sell new products. He also had to learn to cope with a di erent style of working. “My colleagues, who are mainly German or from other European countries, were friendly. It just took me some time to get used to their more relaxed attitude to deadlines.” More recently, Stephen moved to Realmforge Studios, also in Munich, where he is engaged in actual game development. It wasn’t always straightforward to be in a di erent land, and he was grateful to a fellow Computer Science and Engineering alumnus in Hamburg, who gave him many tips, including how to tailor his resume and cover letter. “I had zero network and foundation here.” Like Wing, mastering the language is a key ambition, with being able to argue in German a current goal. “That would indicate I’m truly fluent,” he said. Stephen Lui is happy in his work in Munich and also has time to enjoy himself, including celebrating at the country’s famous Oktoberfest. Alan Shum (center) with colleagues at start-up Compass, where he worked during his School of Engineering internship in San Francisco.
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