Industry

Engineering His Future

Written by Christine Chan

Alumnus of Limkokwing University of Creative Technology, Tan Yue Yik, exerts confidence as he holds a cup of ice-blended coffee and sits comfortably at a sofa in The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf at Pavillion, Kuala Lumpur. Christine Chan speaks to him as he unfolds his success story as a software test engineer.

Graduation day at Limkokwing University of Creative Technology is always a celebration of the crème de la crème of those pursuing a path in the creative industries, but for Tan Yue Yik, he received more than a degree: he also received the Industry Award for Excellence for Best in Game Engine, an award sponsored by Dell Malaysia in 2007.

“Limkokwing University harnesses creativity among local and international students across the globe. The course structure and the subjects covered are more advanced and bend towards today’s industry standards and requirements,” said Yue Yik, who is thankful that he came to learn more about Limkokwing University through the website back in 2004.

During your course of study, try working part-time to gain more experience and pay attention to your industrial training, you must always improve on your communication skills, in particular how you handle both your colleagues as well as your clients

His career embarked soon after his graduation. At the age of 23 he became the Project Manager and Assistant Producer of MYGO Solutions, managing and coordinating almost every project that comes along to the company. Working with MYGO Solutions, Tan handled various projects that carried big name clients such as ASTRO, U Channel by Mediacorp in Singapore and Big Ten from the United States, to name a few.

He was also in charge of the development of two SMS TV games, Tank 3D and Moo Moo. Among all the projects undertaken, the Multimedia Development Corporation (MDEC)-funded project to create a Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) in Malaysia, which saw the investment of RM 55 million into it, was the biggest project Yue Yik had ever handled.

After six months of working in MYGO Solutions, Yue Yik decided to try out something different, and joined Scope International as a Software Test Engineer. During his 8-month period of working there, he liaised with Hong Kong-based clients on i-Banking projects, and this experience gave him his first exposure working with international clients.

When Yue Yik was offered a job at SLA Mobile, a company with branches in London, Germany, Northern Ireland and Kuala Lumpur, he seized it immediately as it was always his dream to work in a multinational corporation. The company in general focuses in providing exceptional people to assist in virtual network operators and mobile operators, increasing their profitability and ensuring success in their delivery of quality data services.

Through this opportunity, Yue Yik managed to widen his knowledge in mobile data and content services, performance testing, project management, cellular radio / wireless technology training, software development and quality assurance. At the moment of interview, Yue Yik is working as Software Test Engineer in SLA Mobile and handles two major international clients – Vodafone Australia and Vodafone New Zealand – with a job scope that covers testing, research and development on processes, test techniques, implementation of techniques and updating clients on current trends and technologies.

To do well in the industry and face obstacles, you need great communication skills, hence the importance of reading and practicing your language proficiency

“During your course of study, try working part-time to gain more experience and pay attention to your industrial training,” advised Yue Yik to students who are interested in his line of work. “You must always improve on your communication skills, in particular how you handle both your colleagues as well as your clients.”

“To do well in the industry and face obstacles, you need great communication skills, hence the importance of reading and practicing your language proficiency,” said Yue Yik, who confesses that the greatest challenge for him lies in people management. Having managed more than 20 staff members and some who came from more senior positions, Yue Yik is certainly familiar with the inevitable conflicts of personalities that can come while juggling the demands of the client.

What drives Yue Yik? According to him, it was his own sense of self-motivation that drove him to achieve more in life. Success to him means breaking through old boundaries and achieving his target in whatever that he does.

In five to six years’ time, Yue Yik foresees himself as a CEO of his own company, focusing on software testing and development. On top of that, he also intends to pursue his all-time interest in games development. For the time being, he intends to continue to uplift the processing standards of SLA Mobile and improve the management of the work flow.