Hey everybody! My name is Edgar Diaz, I am an International Sales Manager working for MSI Global, the #1 manufacturer for gaming gear and computers. The name of my division is FUNTORO and we are also the #1 company in our markets, we specialized in bus entertainment systems. We are a B2B and we focus on niche global markets in over 40 countries. In Taiwan you can probably see our products in Taiwan Taxi, the screens at the back of the seat.
I am currently living in Peru as a Regional manager and handle two main markets, Peru and Chile. I also travel all around Latin America, visiting customers and opening new opportunities. I got to say work is a lot of fun, I love it and cannot imagine myself doing anything else. I studied International Trade in Ming Chuan and just couldn’t stop living the expat life. You’ll never stay in your comfort zone for sure with this kind of life, but is a thousand times more interesting and you can get paid to travel the world. It’s also a lot of work but it’s worth it. So, if you feel like you want to have an expat life, what kind of practical advice you can take from me? There are two.
First, PERSPECTIVE, you will soon realize that you real value is not on what you actually are but on how people perceive you, by coming from an international college in Taiwan you definitely got the cards on your favor, since companies now are looking for people who can adapt to global changes quickly and have international backgrounds. You got to sell yourself as an open minded international person.
Second, SUCCESS is a mix of preparation and opportunity. Mine came from teaching Spanish to the vice president of the company I work for. After a while, when lessons were over I would always stay talking to him about economics and finance because he knew a lot and I just wanted to learn from him everything I possibly could. I wasn’t really looking for anything but just a good chat and learn from a more experience person. I think Taiwanese managers love people like this and they will give you opportunities that are not normally available in the market, so be nice, talk to people and exploit your contacts, you never know when someone with your background will be needed in a company. If you are looking for a job, don’t be shy and tell everyone, write to everyone, they will close the doors on your face many times, but don’t mind about it. For preparation, I got to say the diploma will get you to the door, but you need many more things in today’s world. Opportunities are high and competition is fierce, add a couple of languages to your resume, as many extra courses as you can, and at least one class on data analytics. Show you have practical skills, that you are proactive. Because when it comes down to it, if you want to be a manager companies will look for the one who can make them the most money, you have to prove that’s you. Show them you don’t care about your salary but what you want is to work with them, they’ll appreciate.
Well that’s pretty much, if you guys want any more details, I am a proud Ming Chuan Alumni and I will always help out any of my future peers, so contact me anytime.
