"Want to work abroad? Who doesn't!!
Well, you'd better work on your coding skills, brush up on your algorithms, master requirements analysis and systems architecture, and catch up with the latest technologies. Well, this talk is about none of that!! But It is about everything else you need in order to make a smooth transition to a foreign work environment. Through a bunch of anecdotal evidence, the talk covers many differences between the work culture in foreign countries, in particular
the US, and the local (Egyptian) culture. The goal is to help you understand the culture gap and prepare you for making the required jump across it!
2. Presenter
Ayman Mahfouz
● Vice President, Engineering at Webalo
● Graduate of CS Department 1997
● 15 years developing enterprise software in the US
● PhD “Requirements-Driven Adaptation of
Choreographed Interactions”
8. Company – Process – Ownership
• Don’t be the weakest link
• Treat company assets as if your own.
• Observe copyright and licenses.
• Security. Security. Security!
• Own the product
• Consider the product as your son.
• Don’t act as just an employee!
• Quality! Quality! Quality!
9. Company – Process – Initiative
• Don’t wait till getting asked to do
the obvious!
“Should I fix this bug?”
• Consult but also take steps
independently
• Exercise care but don’t be afraid
of making mistakes
10. Company – Process - Communication
• Oral
• Written
• Requirements
• Specification
• Meeting notes
• Email
• Status report
• Etc.
• Face-to-face
• Telecomm
Communication is harder.
Errors are more costly!
11. Company – Process - Conflict
• Give constructive criticism:
• Criticize artifacts not people!
• Take any criticism:
• Nothing is personal!
• Focus on solutions:
• Don’t play the blame game!
14. Company – People – Privacy
Respect
Privacy!
Don’t!
There are TWO aspects
to a person. Separate
between them.
15. Company – People – Finance
Co-workers
• Private property is sacred
• Hard-earned money!
• Borrowing and returning
• Co-worker or friend?
• “My treat”
Boss
• Discussing salary
• Not all are equal!
• Asking for a raise
16. Company – People – Relations
Roads WILL cross again
Ultra-connected world
Don’t!
Exit
Gracefully!
20. Society – Equality
• Your skills are what matters
• Your value to the society
• Seniority not based on age
Race & Religion Gender You know what!
• Fight for your rights
• Discrimination exists but is illegal!
• Don’t accept discrimination
21. Society – Community
• Continuity
• Give back
• Teach as you were taught
• Community
• Stronger together.
• Win-win-win
24. You – Working Hard
Do your best!
Don’t just rely on your
intelligence!
25. You – Balance
In a work-centered culture you need to find your
sweet spot.
26. You – Act “Normal”!
• You are who you are!
Don’t be shy from your origins or traditions
The “Dash” contract
Don’t try to do something just to “fit in”.
Usually, there is no dress code.
27. You – Profile
• Build a profile
Programming contests
Side projects
Open source
Blog some articles
Personal Web site
Social connections
LinkedIn
StackOverflow
Quora
Keep Learning!
• New languages
• Technologies
• Online courses
Keep Improving!
28. You – Follow Your Dreams
• No social support:
Find out who you really are.
• Land of Opportunity:
Take (calculated) risks when you still can.
• Explore:
Don’t be afraid to take an unusual path.
• Believe in yourself!
• Failure is not a shame but experience!