Digital Heroes: Guide to IT World

What I Learned from a Global Systems Project About Another Kind of Expertise: “Systems Interpretation” “Wait, if you can talk about systems in English, why can’t you interpret?” When I was working as a systems specialist on a global project, I ran into this wall many times. I had spent years studying systems. I joined global projects and discussed systems with people from around the world. My English was decent, too. At the time, my TOEIC score was 790. So naturally, I thought: “I can talk about systems in English. Then I should be able to interpret, too.” But when I actually tried it… No. This is tough. “Speaking” and “Interpreting” Are Different Speaking about my own ideas in English? I could manage that. I could also follow about 70 or 80 percent of what the other person was saying. When it comes to systems, many technical terms are already in English. System Architecture, Application, Database, Interface, Integration, Cloud… In fact, because system terminology itself becomes a comm...

  “Wait… Who is this guy?” This time, I joined a project to adapt a system from the UK for use in Japan. There were two key members on the Japanese side. One was a Japanese engineer who was completely fluent in English. The other was a British engineer who could speak a little Japanese. At first, I thought of him simply as someone who provided technical support. But as I talked with him, I began to notice something unusual. Japanese business experts would go directly to him with questions. When a system engineer asked a question, he would say, “Okay, let’s run this script,” and handle it right there. He could also explain the database structure and teach us about the network. “Who is this guy?” And it wasn’t just systems. He understood the business. He understood English. He understood the situation in Japan. He understood databases and networks. And when I heard that his annual income was over ¥10 million, I thought: Yes, this really is beyond full-stack. But His Own Words Were Un...

Whoa. The moment I became captivated by a salary figure, the way I saw my entire career as an engineer began to change. The “Full-Stack Engineer” I Admired In the world of engineering, there are many people who quietly and steadily build systems behind the scenes—not just those who stand out or take the spotlight. And engineers tend to be remarkably committed to learning. I was no different. Servers. Networks. Applications. A person who understands each specialized area, can see the bigger picture, and knows what needs to be done—and who needs to do it. Someone who understands the entire development project and can make the system work as a whole. People like that are often called full-stack engineers . Among engineers, they are the people others look up to. I remember going to take difficult IPA IT certification exams in Japan. The exam would take an entire day, and dozens of engineers would gather at the venue. I could almost feel the atmosphere: “Maybe these people are also working ...

If all you have to do is implement a system, then just read the specifications and you're done! …Really? I had just returned from a business trip to London. The purpose of the trip was to introduce a system used in the UK into Japan. At first, I thought: “If it’s a UK system, all we need to do is read the specifications.” Understand the system requirements. Check the functions. Then implement them in Japan. Simple enough. But as soon as I actually started reading the requirements, I ran into a wall. “This simply won’t work as it is in Japan…” A System Reflects the Business of Its Country The reason was simple. The business rules underlying the system itself were different between Japan and the UK. The securities industry, in particular, has a complex, multi-layered structure of rules. First, regulatory authorities and exchanges establish the rules. Large banks and securities firms then translate those rules into their own business processes. Smaller securities firms follow and supp...

I Was Already Excited Just to Be “Not in Economy” Whoa… even in the sky, there are “corporate classes”? That was the thought that crossed my mind. It was my eighth year after joining the company. I was on a flight to London. The reason was a training program for a financial system that our customer was introducing from London. At that time, just hearing the phrase “overseas financial system” felt like entering another world. And it was London. A place I had only seen in movies. But what surprised me even more was the airplane itself. Even Premium Economy Felt Like a Different World The Hitachi members were seated in Premium Economy. Honestly, at that moment, I was already impressed enough. “Wait, the seats are huge!” “I can stretch my legs!” “The blankets are different!” To begin with, I barely knew anything beyond Economy Class. The idea that airplanes had “ranks” didn’t even feel real to me. Which made Business Class seem almost like another universe. What Is a Lou...

Whoa… sometimes, your future begins in the very place you were trying to avoid. By my eighth year at the company, I had been living what looked like a relatively peaceful engineer life. Well… not exactly. There was one thing I had been avoiding for years. That was — a power-harassment sales manager. He yelled. He cornered people. He made unreasonable demands. He controlled the workplace with pressure and fear. So I kept my distance from him whenever possible. But one day, everything changed. Suddenly, I was ordered to join one of his projects. “Because nobody else can handle English.” …What? ■ Engineers Who Can Actually Work in English Are Rare At that moment, I was the only participant from the development team. Even from the application team, I was alone. The reason was simple. “Because you can at least read English.” This is actually a surprisingly controversial issue in the IT industry. Many engineers can build systems. Many can write code. But very few can su...

Whoa… there are nights when only shouting echoes through a silent office— ■ The Stress of the Late-Night Visitor Back then, late-night overtime was the norm. 10 PM, 11 PM. Just when I could finally focus on my own work, the “sales guy” would show up—like clockwork. And not just any sales rep, but a section manager. Why come at this hour? Why corner people at this timing? His behavior completely ignored the rhythm of the workplace, and everyone was silently fed up. ■ Submissive Upward, Oppressive Downward I occasionally saw him talking to a department head. He was shockingly humble—like a completely different person. But on the ground, he was the opposite. I heard stories of him scolding team members in front of clients and even kicking a chair in a meeting room hard enough to break it. When I casually asked a client about him, they immediately said, “Oh… that guy.” He was “well-known”—for all the wrong reasons. ■ The Day I Got Caught One day, it finally happened to me. “Here, thi...