Whenever being asked a question, Thong was always thinking about the perspectives of other people before himself. He approaches everything from diverse viewpoints, analyzing things from general to specific, yet keeps his own identity. Having a talk with him just brought us a genuine sense of inspiration about his human-centered mindset, applied in both work and life.
Read below to meet the Katalian of June - Thong Tran and enjoy his authentic story partying face.
Q. What makes you feel better at work every day?
Thong: I find happiness when seeing the users use our products, in the process of finding solutions that help solve the users' demands, therefore contributing to easing people's lives. Talking in a broader perspective, it is not about me enjoying coding itself yet the process of creating values for the users.
Q. Mentioning “creating values for users”, is that the reason why you enjoy being a Software Engineer, and developing Katalon Studio? Given the fact that a few engineers saying that they get bored as KS does not apply many trending technologies?
Thong: Each individual has their preferences, in every aspect of life. It applies the same to technology. Taking Katalon Studio as an example, to be honest, I haven't asked my teammates about their opinions on Katalon Studio. The fact that its technology is not that innovative is true, but finding it interesting or boring, is a different story.
I experienced technology quite early. To me, I found much inspiration from the “outdated" technology. They are the foundation that builds and helps evolve what people called the innovation of today. Just like history, the new replaces the old, but no one can deny the foundation role of those old ones.
Q. Not only helping users, but we also heard about how you had gone beyond to support others. One of them is a story of you supporting the Sale Team to solve a customer request although it was very much out of the working hours when you were even in a personal matter. Can you tell us about that story and why you decided as such?
Thong: It was an occasional situation. It was 9-10 pm that day, and I was hanging out with my friends from a quite long distance to the company. What I thought at that moment was prioritizing which thing is more important. We could hang out another time, right? But that customer request might affect the company directly. I know when it comes to responsibility at work, people have the option to set the boundaries. As long as you deliver your tasks thoroughly, supporting other teams may be the choice. But to me, I think it is more than that. If I can help the company achieve something, then I take it as my responsibility.
Q. We see the positiveness in you not only from supporting your colleagues but also in how you inspire others and bring values to life. Can you share with me your philosophy of giving and the driving force behind it?
I feel happy when doing it, and I have enough courage and confidence to choose that life. You have to have more to give more. Have you ever been in a situation where you didn't have anything left? No friends, no job, no money, no knowledge, no support from your family, even no health?
The richest person is not the one who has the most, but the one who gives the most. I consider them as the values that I want to contribute to society, on the journey of growing myself into a better version every day. I don’t know what people think, but to me, supporting others is what I consider a part of my professional sphere. Sharing knowledge is spreading positive impacts as it enables the team to keep everyone empowered and engaged. So it is not about winning or losing.
Q. If these philosophies are your motivation, do you refer to them as something that keeps you moving forward to be a better version of yourself every day?
Thong: I agree. I think it built who I am today. I had been pushing myself forward every day during my school years even though it may be “toxic productivity” to some extent. But it really paid off.
Q. How to maintain that motivation, as a sharing to the young generation who see everything as uncertain?
Thong: You have to find the one impulse that keeps you going every day, and it must come from your inner self. By keeping that strongly in your mind and heart, you can go as far as you want without feeling doubt in yourself.