RubyConf Taiwan 2021, the annual gathering for the Ruby programming language and software development, was held online over two days from July 31 to August 1. Mu-Fan Teng, co-founder of 5xRuby and organizer of RubyConf Taiwan, made a rare appearance in one of the panel discussions, joining JetBrains Developer Advocate Shengyou Fan, JSDC founder Caesar Chi and Deputy CEO of Otter (電獺) Peng-Han Su ("Pork Chop") for a lively conversation on engineering careers and tech communities.

With the global outbreak of Covid-19, many entrepreneurs returned to Taiwan, driving demand for senior software engineers in the local market even higher. Against this backdrop, how can new-era engineers demonstrate their value in the workplace and meet the market's needs?

Developing Thinking Skills to Overcome Three Concerns About Young Engineers

The "new-era engineer" is not defined by age, but by how engineers evolve to fit this era. Teng noted that this discussion was not the first time 5xRuby has focused on engineering talent. In fact, 5xRuby started out as a training company and places equal weight on technical expertise and talent development. He believes that engineer development must keep pace with the times: new-era engineers can no longer simply call themselves geeks, but need to show strong presentation and communication skills. Being able to explain the logic behind technology in plain, easy-to-understand language is a core skill every engineer should have.

Good communication is the key to solving problems. "Relying on manuals for everything, lacking the ability to think things through from scratch, and being unable to apply lessons from one problem to another" are the three concerns Teng sees in young engineers. In the past, when technical knowledge was not as easy to come by as it is today, engineers almost instinctively "did whatever it took to find the answer" when they ran into a problem. Today's younger engineers tend to rely on the wisdom of those who came before them. Teng said that the new generation of engineers has plenty of creativity and strengths, but these concerns still cannot be ignored.

Taking part in tech communities to exercise your imagination, recombining packages and solving problems in creative, fresh ways, is itself a way to train both thinking and communication. Teng added: "Even if an open source project is more than 10 years old, if you can rewrite it and have it accepted upstream, that is the fastest way to build a reputation and become a thought leader."

Embracing Change: Tech Communities Give Senior Engineers a Major Boost

Beyond the new generation, experienced engineers also need to stay adaptable. Teng emphasized: "Joining communities shouldn't be just for young people." Tech communities help build professional knowledge and skills: you can ask questions, answer them, and your discussions can reach all the way to the top, even to the creators of the packages themselves. At the same time, you can build connections with mid- and senior-level managers and others in the tech world. Whether you are a veteran or a newcomer, the skills and network you accumulate grow considerably the longer you participate.

Today there are more technologies, more branches and faster change than ever. "Don't become someone who does the same thing for 10 years" is Teng's reminder to all engineers. Keep a learning mindset, take an active part in tech communities, learn by teaching, and stay ready to adapt, and competitiveness will never be a problem.

One of the founding goals of 5xRuby was to build a self-sustaining Ruby engineer ecosystem in Taiwan, starting with running tech communities. Teng therefore encourages young engineers to get involved in the community, especially those learning Ruby / RoR, and welcomes them to say hello to him in the community at any time. He also plans to launch more community events in the future to make community exchange even more active.

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About the Company

Founded in 2014, 5xRuby Co., Ltd. is one of Taiwan's most representative companies specializing in the Ruby programming language, building web services primarily on the Ruby on Rails framework. Its brand clients span Taiwan, Singapore, Japan and beyond. The company has helped an overseas startup build a cross-border e-commerce service that went on to raise a Series A round, and has developed apps and web services for many publicly listed Taiwanese companies. Through technical advisory and enterprise technology consulting, it gives brands a solid foundation for web development and delivers professional web solutions.

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