Ch 15 – Semiconductor Engineer
Semiconductor Engineer.
It was a position any semiconductor company wanted to desperately fill, but only around 10 people passed the test each year. It was an extremely hard certification to get. There were 10 subjects tested, and the difficulty was extremely high. Even the graduates from the named universities, who majored in the subject, shuddered at the thought of the test.
In terms of theoretical knowledge about the subject, it was equivalent to the civil service examination, and the test also touched on knowledge regarding other engineer certification tests.
It basically meant amongst the National Public Technology certification, it held the dominant position amongst the certifications.
“In our country, there isn’t a single semiconductor technical expert.”
Technical expert. It was a certification given to those, who had the highest standard regarding theories and work experience for the relevant field. If he gained 4 years of work experience with the engineer license, he would have the qualification to take the test. However, as the words indicated, it would only give him the right to take the test.
“Try looking at the other certifications. For the other technical expert exams, they are essentially the same thing. However, the semiconductor certification is considered to be the best amongst them. You’ve chosen the right path.”
“I’ll give you a warning. You have to constantly use English. You have to especially master the ability to read, write and speak the technical jargon in English.”
There were only 4 seniors on the design team, who possessed the engineering certification. They taught his about the job, but they also gave him practical advices that would help Hahn-suhjin in the future.
‘Is this what it means for a senior lead a junior from the front?’
He had heard the alumnus of the named universities guided and pushed each other forward when they entered society. This phenomena was more prevalent as one went to the more prestigious universities.
When he heard about it, it didn’t feel real at the time. However, now that he had experience it, he had a new perspective on it.
This man was being friendly just, because they had the same certification. What if he had also come from the his alumni university? Hahn-suhjin’s heart beat faster just from thinking about it.
Two out of the 4 seniors were from the Seoul University. The other two was from the Yonsei University. He had a preconceived notion that the people, who graduated from the country’s top universities, would be prideful. However, it wasn’t like that at all.
They were very rational and logical about everything. Moreover, the line between what was right and wrong was clear. Moreover, they were very friendly as they wanted a person in their same occupation to succeed. They didn’t skimp on giving out a lot of advice.
“You are like my dongsaeng.”
It meant Hahn-suhjin was like a little brother to him. He liked hearing that.
Each day at work was enjoyable. No matter how difficult the information, he was able to comprehend it. There wasn’t any engineering work where he couldn’t use his power of Insight.
“Ee-yah. At this level, should we insert him into doing actual work?”
“I guess so. He’s entirely different from me when I first got my certification.”
“You have such a great head on your body, so why didn’t you go to a university? Why don’t you seriously think about applying to a university?”
“The College Scholastic Ability Test isn’t that hard. You just have to buckle down and study for two or three months. Then you’ll be able to go into Korea University.”
Jung-jiwon was an alumni of the Korea University. The rest of his seniors booed, and they bantered with each other.
“Team leader. Aren’t you being really unfair? You are the only one here, who graduated from the Korea University. We weren’t able to get into Korea University, so what does that make us?”
“Well, you probably had dates in the library. Since I know what Jisuk is like, you probably just hit on girls. If we counted the girls you went out with, we could probably fill out 3 full rosters of a girl group.”
“Eh-ee. I’m not as bad as that!”
Team leader was the team’s best when it came to school pedigree, age and personality. He led the team with a soft charisma, and it completely stopped any rifts from forming within the team.
The design team wasn’t composed of only five of them. There were 5 support team members present to assist in their tasks. They didn’t have much qualification regarding semiconductor engineering, but Jung-jiwon always treated them with kindness.
Hahn-suhjin felt a lot of emotions as he watched the team.
‘I always heard the learned people always gathered only with the other learned people. Moreover, I heard they were assholes, and their personalities were bad… It was all a complete lie.’
Hahn-suhijn quietly reflected back on his past.
He was a high school graduate, who went into manufacturing work. In the end, he had hung out with people like him. He thought hard about if there was a person in the past, who could be compared to his current team members, in terms of character.
‘There are none.’
There were a lot of kind and polite people. However, in the end, they couldn’t shed the sense of inferiority they felt towards more educated or more successful people. At the very least, it seemed that way from his perspective.
On the other hand, he looked at Jung-jiwon. This man never ignored the people worse off than him, and he always treated everyone with respect.
‘I want to continue working on this team.’
Hahn-suhjin visited a convenience store as he was returning to his house after work. He was picking out a bento he would eat as he studied at night, when another customer came in through the door.
“Uh, Hahn-suhjin. We meet again.”
“Ah! Team leader.”
The other customer was team leader Jung-jiwon. Hahn-suhjin was glad to seem him, so he bowed his head.
“Ee-yah. This is quite the coincidence. Do you perhaps have a home nearby?”
“Yes.”
“I guess you live in a studio apartment? Where is it located at?”
“Ah. I live in that prime tower.”
“Oh, you are living at a good location. Rent? Lease?”
“I own it.”
Jung-jiwon looked at him with slightly surprised eyes.
“It’s a new building, so it should be quite pricey… You are young, yet you already have a home?”
“Eh-ee. It’s only a studio apartment.”
“It seems your family is well off. So, why didn’t you go to a university?”
“Well, my household is poor. I was able to buy the studio apartment, because I was lucky.”
Jung-jiwon chuckled as he spoke.
“You are good at cracking jokes. How can you buy a studio apartment from just being lucky?”
“It’s for real. I was broke, but I won an instant lottery ticket worth $200,000. I used it all to buy this studio apartment.”
“Wow. That puts a whole new meaning to your story. Isn’t that more impressive?”
Jung-jiwon showed his admiration as he picked up a beer. Hahn-suhjin, who was picking out a bento, glanced at the beer as he asked a question.
“You are having a beer, team leader?”
“Uh. I drink a can of beer before I go home. It is my only indulgence.”
“Ah ha. So that’s how it is.”
“I’m feeling a bit hungry. Maybe I’ll have a onigiri and a cup ramen. I’ll buy.”
“I’ll thankfully accept it.”
The two of them chose a cup ramen and a kimbap. After pouring in the hot water, he placed the kimbap in the microwave. Hahn-suhjin placed the kimchi on top of a table for ease of access, and he readied his chopstick.
“Hey, Suhjin. How’s your relationship with your family?”
“……I have a younger sister. We aren’t that close.”
Hahn-suhjin avoided talking about his mother, who had run away with another man with all of his savings. Jung-jiwon’s expression darkened a little bit.
“I’m sorry. I asked something unnecessary.”
“No.”
The ramen was ready before he knew it. Jung-jiwon pulled the top off, and he lifted his chopsticks.
“How’s work? Is it doable?”
“I’m still in the process of learning.”
“Still, in my opinion, you are much better than the other three engineers. You’ll become proficient in everything soon. Then everyone would try to poach you. You’ll be making several hundred thousand dollars a year in no time.”
“I really wish things will turn out like that.”
“It will. I will guarantee it. Just do as you have been doing until now.”
Jung-jiwon’s voice had a power to put a person in a good mood. He understood why this man was the team leader. Hahn-suhijn developed a feeling of admiration towards Jung-jiwon.
“Also…… I want to talk to you about my speech about the university.”
“Yes. What about it?”
“I said it in a joking manner, but don’t think of it as a joke. I really want you to seriously think about it.”
“…….”
“You were able to get a semiconductor engineering license after studying for only a year. If you put in a little work, you’ll be able to get into the Korea university. No, at the very least, you’ll be able to get into Yeonsei University. Semiconductor Engineer? Of course, everyone wants to recruit you. However, instead of a high school graduate, wouldn’t it be better to be know as a scholar of Korean university?”
Hahn-suhjin stopped moving his chopsticks when he heard the weighty speech, and he silently glanced to his side.
Jung-jiwon smirked as he continued to talk.
“My household was also really poor. That is why I gritted my teeth as I studied. Korea University is still cheaper than a regular private named university, since it is a public school.”
“…….”
“Go to a university. No, go to a named university. The way you view the world will change. If you continue to work right now, you will eventually make an yearly salary of several hundred thousand. If you get a master’s degree from the Korean University, you’ll be able to receive millions later. Does it sound like a dream? It isn’t a dream.”
“However, if I go to school while going to work is a bit…….”
“Our company has a scholarship system in place. Use that to your advantage. It is a bit of a nominal title, but if it is you, the company will aggressively help you out. If you can firm your resolve, I will speak to the human resources about you.”
Each and every word he said touched Hahn-suhjin’s heart. The feeling of thankfulness welled up, and he was filled with a warm feeling. Hahn-suhjin looked at the other man without saying anything. Then his gaze landed on the scratch lottery tickets.
He bought 10 tickets from that place. After Hahn-suhjin finished paying for it, he pushed it forward to Jung-jiwon.
“Team leader. Please have this.”
“Scratch lottery tickets? What’s the meaning of this?”
“I’ve been on a good luck streak these days. You’ve given me some good advice today, yet there isn’t anything I can do for you… Maybe I’ll gift you my luck. You never know, right? There might be a winning ticket within these.”
“Ha ha. It would really be great if that was true. If I do have a winning ticket here, I’ll split it with you.”
Jung-jiwon laughed as he waved his 10 lottery tickets in amusement.
“I’ll be going first. I’ll see you tomorrow at work.”
Ch 15 – Semiconductor Engineer
Semiconductor Engineer.
It was a position any semiconductor company wanted to desperately fill, but only around 10 people passed the test each year. It was an extremely hard certification to get. There were 10 subjects tested, and the difficulty was extremely high. Even the graduates from the named universities, who majored in the subject, shuddered at the thought of the test.
In terms of theoretical knowledge about the subject, it was equivalent to the civil service examination, and the test also touched on knowledge regarding other engineer certification tests.
It basically meant amongst the National Public Technology certification, it held the dominant position amongst the certifications.
“In our country, there isn’t a single semiconductor technical expert.”
Technical expert. It was a certification given to those, who had the highest standard regarding theories and work experience for the relevant field. If he gained 4 years of work experience with the engineer license, he would have the qualification to take the test. However, as the words indicated, it would only give him the right to take the test.
“Try looking at the other certifications. For the other technical expert exams, they are essentially the same thing. However, the semiconductor certification is considered to be the best amongst them. You’ve chosen the right path.”
“I’ll give you a warning. You have to constantly use English. You have to especially master the ability to read, write and speak the technical jargon in English.”
There were only 4 seniors on the design team, who possessed the engineering certification. They taught his about the job, but they also gave him practical advices that would help Hahn-suhjin in the future.
‘Is this what it means for a senior lead a junior from the front?’
He had heard the alumnus of the named universities guided and pushed each other forward when they entered society. This phenomena was more prevalent as one went to the more prestigious universities.
When he heard about it, it didn’t feel real at the time. However, now that he had experience it, he had a new perspective on it.
This man was being friendly just, because they had the same certification. What if he had also come from the his alumni university? Hahn-suhjin’s heart beat faster just from thinking about it.
Two out of the 4 seniors were from the Seoul University. The other two was from the Yonsei University. He had a preconceived notion that the people, who graduated from the country’s top universities, would be prideful. However, it wasn’t like that at all.
They were very rational and logical about everything. Moreover, the line between what was right and wrong was clear. Moreover, they were very friendly as they wanted a person in their same occupation to succeed. They didn’t skimp on giving out a lot of advice.
“You are like my dongsaeng.”
It meant Hahn-suhjin was like a little brother to him. He liked hearing that.
Each day at work was enjoyable. No matter how difficult the information, he was able to comprehend it. There wasn’t any engineering work where he couldn’t use his power of Insight.
“Ee-yah. At this level, should we insert him into doing actual work?”
“I guess so. He’s entirely different from me when I first got my certification.”
“You have such a great head on your body, so why didn’t you go to a university? Why don’t you seriously think about applying to a university?”
“The College Scholastic Ability Test isn’t that hard. You just have to buckle down and study for two or three months. Then you’ll be able to go into Korea University.”
Jung-jiwon was an alumni of the Korea University. The rest of his seniors booed, and they bantered with each other.
“Team leader. Aren’t you being really unfair? You are the only one here, who graduated from the Korea University. We weren’t able to get into Korea University, so what does that make us?”
“Well, you probably had dates in the library. Since I know what Jisuk is like, you probably just hit on girls. If we counted the girls you went out with, we could probably fill out 3 full rosters of a girl group.”
“Eh-ee. I’m not as bad as that!”
Team leader was the team’s best when it came to school pedigree, age and personality. He led the team with a soft charisma, and it completely stopped any rifts from forming within the team.
The design team wasn’t composed of only five of them. There were 5 support team members present to assist in their tasks. They didn’t have much qualification regarding semiconductor engineering, but Jung-jiwon always treated them with kindness.
Hahn-suhjin felt a lot of emotions as he watched the team.
‘I always heard the learned people always gathered only with the other learned people. Moreover, I heard they were assholes, and their personalities were bad… It was all a complete lie.’
Hahn-suhijn quietly reflected back on his past.
He was a high school graduate, who went into manufacturing work. In the end, he had hung out with people like him. He thought hard about if there was a person in the past, who could be compared to his current team members, in terms of character.
‘There are none.’
There were a lot of kind and polite people. However, in the end, they couldn’t shed the sense of inferiority they felt towards more educated or more successful people. At the very least, it seemed that way from his perspective.
On the other hand, he looked at Jung-jiwon. This man never ignored the people worse off than him, and he always treated everyone with respect.
‘I want to continue working on this team.’
Hahn-suhjin visited a convenience store as he was returning to his house after work. He was picking out a bento he would eat as he studied at night, when another customer came in through the door.
“Uh, Hahn-suhjin. We meet again.”
“Ah! Team leader.”
The other customer was team leader Jung-jiwon. Hahn-suhjin was glad to seem him, so he bowed his head.
“Ee-yah. This is quite the coincidence. Do you perhaps have a home nearby?”
“Yes.”
“I guess you live in a studio apartment? Where is it located at?”
“Ah. I live in that prime tower.”
“Oh, you are living at a good location. Rent? Lease?”
“I own it.”
Jung-jiwon looked at him with slightly surprised eyes.
“It’s a new building, so it should be quite pricey… You are young, yet you already have a home?”
“Eh-ee. It’s only a studio apartment.”
“It seems your family is well off. So, why didn’t you go to a university?”
“Well, my household is poor. I was able to buy the studio apartment, because I was lucky.”
Jung-jiwon chuckled as he spoke.
“You are good at cracking jokes. How can you buy a studio apartment from just being lucky?”
“It’s for real. I was broke, but I won an instant lottery ticket worth $200,000. I used it all to buy this studio apartment.”
“Wow. That puts a whole new meaning to your story. Isn’t that more impressive?”
Jung-jiwon showed his admiration as he picked up a beer. Hahn-suhjin, who was picking out a bento, glanced at the beer as he asked a question.
“You are having a beer, team leader?”
“Uh. I drink a can of beer before I go home. It is my only indulgence.”
“Ah ha. So that’s how it is.”
“I’m feeling a bit hungry. Maybe I’ll have a onigiri and a cup ramen. I’ll buy.”
“I’ll thankfully accept it.”
The two of them chose a cup ramen and a kimbap. After pouring in the hot water, he placed the kimbap in the microwave. Hahn-suhjin placed the kimchi on top of a table for ease of access, and he readied his chopstick.
“Hey, Suhjin. How’s your relationship with your family?”
“……I have a younger sister. We aren’t that close.”
Hahn-suhjin avoided talking about his mother, who had run away with another man with all of his savings. Jung-jiwon’s expression darkened a little bit.
“I’m sorry. I asked something unnecessary.”
“No.”
The ramen was ready before he knew it. Jung-jiwon pulled the top off, and he lifted his chopsticks.
“How’s work? Is it doable?”
“I’m still in the process of learning.”
“Still, in my opinion, you are much better than the other three engineers. You’ll become proficient in everything soon. Then everyone would try to poach you. You’ll be making several hundred thousand dollars a year in no time.”
“I really wish things will turn out like that.”
“It will. I will guarantee it. Just do as you have been doing until now.”
Jung-jiwon’s voice had a power to put a person in a good mood. He understood why this man was the team leader. Hahn-suhijn developed a feeling of admiration towards Jung-jiwon.
“Also…… I want to talk to you about my speech about the university.”
“Yes. What about it?”
“I said it in a joking manner, but don’t think of it as a joke. I really want you to seriously think about it.”
“…….”
“You were able to get a semiconductor engineering license after studying for only a year. If you put in a little work, you’ll be able to get into the Korea university. No, at the very least, you’ll be able to get into Yeonsei University. Semiconductor Engineer? Of course, everyone wants to recruit you. However, instead of a high school graduate, wouldn’t it be better to be know as a scholar of Korean university?”
Hahn-suhjin stopped moving his chopsticks when he heard the weighty speech, and he silently glanced to his side.
Jung-jiwon smirked as he continued to talk.
“My household was also really poor. That is why I gritted my teeth as I studied. Korea University is still cheaper than a regular private named university, since it is a public school.”
“…….”
“Go to a university. No, go to a named university. The way you view the world will change. If you continue to work right now, you will eventually make an yearly salary of several hundred thousand. If you get a master’s degree from the Korean University, you’ll be able to receive millions later. Does it sound like a dream? It isn’t a dream.”
“However, if I go to school while going to work is a bit…….”
“Our company has a scholarship system in place. Use that to your advantage. It is a bit of a nominal title, but if it is you, the company will aggressively help you out. If you can firm your resolve, I will speak to the human resources about you.”
Each and every word he said touched Hahn-suhjin’s heart. The feeling of thankfulness welled up, and he was filled with a warm feeling. Hahn-suhjin looked at the other man without saying anything. Then his gaze landed on the scratch lottery tickets.
He bought 10 tickets from that place. After Hahn-suhjin finished paying for it, he pushed it forward to Jung-jiwon.
“Team leader. Please have this.”
“Scratch lottery tickets? What’s the meaning of this?”
“I’ve been on a good luck streak these days. You’ve given me some good advice today, yet there isn’t anything I can do for you… Maybe I’ll gift you my luck. You never know, right? There might be a winning ticket within these.”
“Ha ha. It would really be great if that was true. If I do have a winning ticket here, I’ll split it with you.”
Jung-jiwon laughed as he waved his 10 lottery tickets in amusement.
“I’ll be going first. I’ll see you tomorrow at work.”
