Computer field

[SwordsMaster]

Would you feel comfortable taking the same job at home, rather than in China?

The language problem can be worked around; but it's important that you feel comfortable working at that level...

That said, I imagine that it'd look great on a resume

That's the thing, I am not really concerned about the language either, hell i became trilingual in 12 years, but it is the scope of the job that kinda gives me some respect... I mean, as a graduate, this would be my first proper job, and i'm not sure if i have the knowledge to manage 3 teams successfully and deliver a product on deadline...

And you're right, it would look great on a resume....

Decisions, decisions...

[pevergreen]

I, myself can not really relate to it, but i can tell the story of my brother.

After graduating, he got offered his job at the same place he did the required work experience at, and accepted it. He was put in charge of a team, and his first project was something he had no idea how to do. Doing a degree in mechatronics did not really prepare him for building a staircase, he said. He is now (8 months later) joint head of the water pipeline from Brisbane to the Northern Territory (It will deliver water to the drought areas)

He is home 2 out of 14 days, but he seems fine. Do what you think is right, and take sapi's advice.

[Togakure]

These questions came to mind off the top of my head when I read of your opportunity:

- What do you have to lose? You never really know what you're capable of until you try. What are the risks? What might you gain?

- Who will you report to, and what are their expectations?

- Who are your customers and what are their expectations? Are their expectations manageable?

- Do you have business subject matter expertise? Do your teams? How closely will you be able to work with those who will use what you develop? Will they provide subject matter experts to assist?

- What is the nature and scope of the project? Or will there be many projects over time? If so, how many concurrently? How big?

- What kind of budget will you have? What timelines are involved?

- What are the sizes of your teams? Will you have subordinate subteam leaders, or will you be responsible for these three related, but distinct teams? How experienced are they?

- If you're developing, testing, and providing customer support services, is another group doing requirements definition and traceability, business and systems analysis, specifications development, and process/applications design? What is the working relationship between your teams and those who will be performing these functions, upon which your teams' efforts will depend heavily?

***

Anyway, it's late and I'm very tired. But that's what popped into my head.

[SwordsMaster]

Wow, that's some heavy thinking before bed...

See, the problem is that i don't have too many details either. I know that it is security updates i will be working on, and I know that the client is a huge power supplier, but little else. I also know, that gathering specifications and design is part of the job.

I do not know about subteam leaders, but I do know that an update approximately every 2 months is expected to keep up with the security requirements of the client.

The way I understood it, there is already a product that has been supplied to the client, but it requires frequent security updates to address specific needs, which is where I come in, I'd be in charge of amking sure the needs are met, every 2 months and will have 3 teams under me, as I said before, development, testing, and customer support... Basically, since the product is a security update, i expect the development team to be rather efficient, testing to be tedious in procedure but straightforward, and customer support to be a lesser issue if the other 2 phases work well, since we'd be building on top of the company's own software.


I'd have to report to a managerial team (I imagine a customer service board) of my own company, as well as a representative from the client company (no more details on who, this could be).

I really have nothing to lose professionally, since my CV is lean and clean, except a long time away from my girlfriend (which is part of the reason i'm hesitating...), and a lot to gain professionally. With 2 years (duration of the contract) experience in this kind of position, I'll be able to work almost anywhere I want in the sector, or even move myself out into the management spheres of pretty much any area of business....

The risks are, of course, personal life, and a bad reference if I do not succeed. (By the way, I'm so glad these guys are not familiar with my work ethic...)

Anyway, this is pretty much all the info I have, and any advice would be appreciated...

[Togakure]

Heh, I've given more advice in my life already than ten men should give in their lifetimes. Advice is all well and good, but you don't really need it m8. Based on what you wrote in response to the questions posed, it's apparent that you can arrive at your own answers. Just invest some time and focus. The weather's better now in most places in the Northern hemisphere; I'd advise finding a nice, comfortable spot without too many distractions, relaxing, and pondering this opportunity further.

I have had the DAY of the year today as far as hyperworkostressumania goes, so forgive me if I disjoint here and there.

Before I forget: details are important. Gather as much intelligence as you can before you have to make your decision. Information-based decisions tend to be more sound than those made from the hip. Acting on a "gut" feeling is risky. This is all the info you have right now. Tap some resources. Network. How much time do you have before you have to decide? Make good use of it. This sounds like a big opportunity for someone sprinting off the block, and worth the investment.

Being away from your girlfriend can indeed be a significant risk. Then again ... well, heh, nevermind. I was thinking of the pics my UK TW friend Trajanus posted with his Chinese girlfriends. He's entrepreneuring in Chengdu right now, silk business, I believe. Come to think of it, he might be a good resource in regard to UK businessmen doing business in China. He's a member here.

Ok. So it's not a software development project per se, but the ongoing support of a specific, production IT service--security updates via a software product. Specific is good. I think it's safe to surmise that Customer expectations will ultimately depend on how effective they perceive their security to be in the areas for which you are responsible. I emphasize 'perceive' because I think it's an important point: managing perceptions goes hand in hand with managing expectations.

A big question remains: how big? Answers should help you gauge the frequency and magnitude of the security issues you and your teams will be commited to address in two-month intervals. They should give you an idea of how many actual people your Customer Service team will have to support. They should describe the infrastructure upon which your product operates, and which your product protects. These, balanced with the human and financial resources made available to you, will play a big part in determining your success over two years.

Speaking of teams, there is much type about managing, but what does it take to lead others well? This is important in the scenario you describe. Be wary of accepting a scenario where "how big?" is really big and you don't have the teams to handle it, or they aren't skilled enough and the time and funding for good training isn't available (emphasis good; there's a buttload of crap training out there).

A "huge" power supplier ... with complex distributed systems which your product protects? How well-architected and maintained is the Customer's IT infrastructure? This affects its susceptability to security breach. The nature of their competitors affects this too, aside from the common security threats. If a security problem is caused by an infrastructure weakness which your product can't address, but your customers don't understand that and expect you to address it ... well, I think you can see where I'm going with that.

Is the product that was delivered solely a security product, or does it have other functionality? If it does, who supports/manages the other functions, and how do they integrate with security and updates? If you have to depend on and coordinate with other teams not under your control, the politics become quite a bit more complicated. This increases scope and can directly affect your timelines, and consequently, the quality of your deliverables. Here, co-service provider partnerships become a very important thing to manage.

Based on what I've experienced, whether managing a software development project or directing IT services, the technical challenges are almost always outweighed by the challenges presented by managing relationships--with your command, customers (at various levels), co-service providers, and your crew. Here, a language barrier can be a huge roadblock. Hopefully, the groups can speak and understand English well enough, and translators are available. Still, expect at least initial frustration given how critical communication is in this field.

Realistically, you won't be able to know half of this before you'll make your decision. But anything you can learn along these lines and lines like these will aid you significantly in making a good decision. Gather your intelligence. And don't forget to balance all this business concern with your health and happiness. Nothing is more important than that.

My Gah, I am rambling along tonight, worse than usual. I'd better wrap for now, and get some sleep. I'll check in again. Fruitful gathering and pondering to you.

[sapi]

Cant' really say much more than go with what you believe. Having doubts will in many ways make you a better leader than anything else...

After graduating, he got offered his job at the same place he did the required work experience at, and accepted it. He was put in charge of a team, and his first project was something he had no idea how to do. Doing a degree in mechatronics did not really prepare him for building a staircase, he said. He is now (8 months later) joint head of the water pipeline from Brisbane to the Northern Territory (It will deliver water to the drought areas)

Ah, so that's who's to blame

[SwordsMaster]

Thanks to both for the advice.

Masamune you seem to have quite a bit of experience in the managerial field. Have you done this kind of thing before? I work well under pressure for shortish bursts, but as everyone else, after a burst i need time to decompress.


I have also been sending a few emails probing further, and here's what I found out. The object I am required to provide security updates for is a "Computer Image" (obviously the HHRR guy knew nothing about it), and the client is GE (General Electric). Apparently the company offering me the job and GE have been working together for quite a while so I expect an amount of trust (or bitter politics) to be there already...

The HHRR guy couldn't (or didn't want to) tell me more, since I have not actually taken the job yet. I wouldn't actually start until October anyway...

As of the language, I am not overly concerned, I am quick at picking up languages, the company provides what seems like an exhaustive language training (12 hours/week for 3 months) and I expect most of them to have some english at least.

managing perceptions goes hand in hand with managing expectations

Do you mind if I siggy that?

EDIT: Ah, Crap! The latest update came in the form of an email wishing me future with my career since they weren't giving me the job. Mental note: get the job first, and then broadcast on the forums...