Reflection: First Job

When I look back on my career, I think a lot about my first job out of school.

I took a job in a country where I didn’t speak the main language of and my infatuation with its culture so great that I wanted to be in the country more than having an actual career.

Actually, that last part was a lie. I ended up working in one of the most formidable companies ever.

Yes, I still believe they are that great, not because I worked there - only because I haven’t seen anything like them since.

My first job was at Sony Corporation.

The reason why I believe they are still one of the great companies of the world?

They set the blueprint for some of the modern tech monopolies - bringing design as a first-class product feature with engineering, entering the music and movie business as a way to fuel their products, a uniform work-force, “corporate dormitories”, etc. (Well, maybe not the last one, yet!)

When I see what modern tech companies are doing, I see parallels in Sony - a dominating company executing well.

One part of this job I think about is the way I joined Sony was almost through a “side entrance” - because I am not Japanese, I got a different path to enter the company. Whereas all of my Japanese coworkers went through the interview grind common at the big tech companies now.

At the time, I had no idea how hard it was for everyone around me to get in - I just treated them like normal people.

Looking back now - wow, I worked with some of the best Japanese technologists ever.

I am grateful to have Sony as my first job. They will always hold a special place in my heart.

Sony Banzai!