1. Briefly describe your background & current job

I was a student of the Materials Engineering faculty at the School of Applied Science in 1992 and I graduated with a degree in applied science in 1995. The school offered me the opportunity to continue my studies, so I graduated again in 1996 with a 2nd Upper Class Honours degree. Then, there were a lot of opportunities to do research and EDB was keen to sponsor students to take up research in the semiconductor field. At that time, Chartered Semiconductor was running a post-graduate programme with the universities and they had a couple of research projects which were very relevant to what I've studied in the past four years as an ME student. I took up the offer to pursue my Masters degree. Little did I know that it ended up with a Ph.D. four years later.

It was also during my post-grad days that I started gaining interest in computers. Then, I had to build a PC for my research work (that was the cheapest way to buy a new PC). I came across this hobbyist site in Singapore known as the Singapore Overclocker's Group (SOG) and a Sim Lim Square pricelist site that was hosted on this newly created Singapore-based website known as Hardware Zone. I befriended the founders there and offered to help them build the site's content during my free time. I joined them in 1999 as a writer, and I was in charge of reviewing new gadgets before anyone had the chance to buy them at the stores.

As it turns out, the site grew in traffic and it became very popular - for users in Singapore as well as readers from all over the world. The internet grew at a very fast pace and so did Hardware Zone. After my post-graduate studies, I was so deeply involved in Hardware Zone that I was given the opportunity to be part of the founding members of Hardware Zone. I  became the Editor-in-Chief of Hardware Zone and remained in that post till today. Besides being in charge of the company's publications, I am also the Director and the CIO of the company.

2. Any special formula, planning & preparation required to succeed?

There's really no special formula. I think it has to do with identifying the opportunities that comes along your way. A mentor once told me to seize any opportunities that come my way. I heeded that piece of advice very closely as I really believed in it as well. Of course, not all opportunities are good and you have to be able to separate the good from the bad. For my case, it was quite clear. I had the passion and faith in Hardware Zone and I believed it would succeed. Then, the internet was still very new and the opportunities were there. I have already learned much helping to set up Hardware Zone as a hobby, so it was not difficult doing it full time. All these pieces fell into place, and although risk was significant, it did not bother me much because we knew the business well. I was relatively young then, and I told myself this, "If I don't do this now while I'm young, I would probably not do something like this when I'm older."  So I jumped right into it, knowing that even if I failed, it would be a valuable lesson in life.

My training in Materials Engineering did not go to waste either. Much of what I learned as a research student helped in building the various testing methodologies we currently use in all of our reviews. Plus, it gave me a lot of advantage knowing semiconductor materials because in most press briefings, I was the only one who can understand all the technical jargons. So it's not true that you won't have the chance to apply what you learn in school in your work life. In my case, I depend a lot on what I've learned, so it really helped prepare me in that sense.

3. Have you met any setback in your career & how do you overcome them?

So far, I've been pretty fortunate and although there were obstacles along the way, I wouldn't term them as setbacks. I believe friends are very important and they are the ones that can help carry you through your life's obstacles. Don't expect your friends to solve your problems, because ultimately, they are still your problems and no one is obligated to solve them. You just have to stand firm on your two feet and find ways to either get around them, or get over them. In the end, you'll always come out wiser and stronger. But friends can help provide the emotional and mental support and I think I've been pretty fortunate to have a few good friends that understand my character well - so the encouragements I receive are normally directed at my flaws.

4. What other advice(s) do you have for our undergraduates?

I know it's going to sound like a cheesy Star Wars script, but always follow your heart. Steve Jobs said, "Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do." People rarely have the opportunity to do what they truly love. So if you get the opportunity to pursue your dreams, go for it and put your heart into it. It will succeed only when you put your mind, your heart and your soul into it. It doesn't matter how foolish it may seem because if you believe in it, you can make it work. It's good to have big dreams and it's alright to fail while pursuing it. Just never look back one day and regret not making the decision to pursue what your heart tells you today, because when you've passed a certain age (i.e. married with kids), you'll have too many other responsibilities and burdens on your shoulder. Do it when you're young, do it when you have the energy and do it when you can afford to fail. And when you fail, learn from it. Learning is a lifelong journey and I can't really say that I've succeeded in life, because I'm not done learning myself.

Regards,
Dr. Jimmy Tang
Editor-in-Chief / CIO
Hardware Zone Pte Ltd

If you are successful or know any of our successful alumnus that you wish to be featured here, please write to us (stating your full name, mobile number & year graduated) to: msealumni@ntu.edu.sg