Honduras
I think Taiwan is a great place to build a long-term career, especially for engineers.
I completed the International Master’s Program in Electric Power Engineering (IMEPE) at National Sun Yat-sen University. When it came time to transition into the professional world, I was incredibly supported. When I was studying for my master's, I had the best program manager. She helped the students arrange company visits and also recommended specific companies and strategies for applying to jobs. Ultimately, I used the 104 website to job hunt, and I actually found my current job very fast. In fact, I had my first interview just one week after I got my diploma.
The biggest barrier, without any doubt, is the language. Most of my coworkers are Taiwanese, and sometimes it is a bit overwhelming being in an environment where you cannot communicate fluently in Mandarin. Even though I am one of the few foreigners in the company, they have been very kind and friendly to me. Once I become fluent in Mandarin I think all barriers will be gone.
Beyond the language curve, one thing about working here that genuinely surprised me is the lifestyle. Definitely, the work-life balance that I can have here in Taiwan has surprised me. I’m not sure if I would be able to have that in other places around Asia easily.
I think Taiwan is a great place to build a long-term career, especially for engineers. I'm incredibly drawn to the emerging renewable energy sector and everything related to semiconductors. They are everywhere: phones, computers, cameras. The whole modern technology spins around semiconductors and I think it’s fascinating. There is zero doubt that Taiwan is competitive globally in this field; it is the largest producer of semiconductors in the world.
I absolutely see clear career growth here. Since I started working in Taiwan, I haven’t stopped learning and growing as an engineer, designing and commissioning protection and control systems in renewable energy substations. I honestly feel my skills are fully utilized because the place where I am working right now encourages me to learn as much as I can. They don’t set any limits or boundaries on me. In fact they push me to keep growing!
Many things have made me feel glad I stayed after graduation. For example, the safety and the people. I love the feeling of being able to go and walk anywhere at any time. It may sound silly, but when you come from an unsafe place, you get to appreciate that even more.
If you ask if I would stay in Taiwan for my career, the short answer is yes. I definitely see my future career growing here in the next five to ten years. Taiwan has been a great school for me. And I will stay here to keep learning. As for now, I have absolutely no plans to leave.
