Indonesia
Working in Taiwan has been fascinating because it’s modern & traditional at the same time. It is a true mix of Western and Eastern cultures.
I studied at National Taiwan University, starting with my Bachelor of Business Administration and then staying on for my MBA. I landed my first job in Taiwan through LinkedIn. The process wasn’t too difficult.
Of course, there were hurdles of studying and working in Taiwan. I overcame the big rock called Mandarin by really putting my mind to it. The visa process was a bit annoying, just because the company that hired me wasn’t familiar with the process. I received great support from the university, and I’ll say this over and over again: the NTU Office of International Affairs really helped a lot through initiatives like the International Mentorship Program. The government is also working really hard to get foreigners to stay in Taiwan, thus the abundance of job-matching programs. But I’ll say it here, I got my first job because of the accumulated experience that I actively searched for & worked hard to get. The school helps, but hard work also matters a lot.
The industry that attracts me the most here is semiconductors, hands down. As the global tech industry is moving so fast, Taiwan is an important piece of the tech industry, which has led to the flourishing of semiconductor-related fields like energy, data center cooling systems, AI, and various semicon players.
Working in Taiwan has been fascinating because it’s modern & traditional at the same time. It is a true mix of Western and Eastern cultures. In the office, you have autonomy and you call your boss by their name, but the moment you deal with the government, you need to print documents, stamp it & send the physical copy.
For me, I think Taiwan is a great place to build a short-to-mid-term career. I’m still young and can’t picture myself staying in one place for too long. But do I see clear career growth here? Yes, there’s always clear career growth anywhere you go, if you choose it.
I definitely feel my skills are fully used here. Coincidentally, my job requires an understanding of the foreigner's struggle to find a job in Taiwan, which perfectly aligns with my background. I get to leverage my understanding of the target market as well as my straightforward communication skills—which I think foreigners have a bit of an upper hand compared to Taiwanese people.
There are a few core things that made me feel I'm glad I stayed after graduation. Healthcare is a big one. Also, I’m much more open-minded because of the abundance of cultures and mindsets that I get to interact with here. Mostly, I understand myself more because I chose the tougher decision to not go back to my home country first. Independence is very accessible here. You get to move around, get to nature within 1-2 hours.
Looking ahead at the next 5 to 10 years, I’m open. It’s always a yes until it becomes a no. As long as there are interesting opportunities, why not stay? As for what would eventually make me leave Taiwan, the pull factor would be if I come across other opportunities abroad. The push would be some major life events.
