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HK Expat Moving Back To Hong Kong - IT Networking Industry

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  1. #1

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    HK Expat Moving Back To Hong Kong - IT Networking Industry

    New member here. I was actually brought up in Hong Kong and in 1994, I moved with my parents to New Zealand due to having asthma. I have lived in New Zealand for over 20+ years and now I am in my late 20s. I am planning to come back. I am currently studying the Bachelor in Information Technology Networking major which involves Wide Area and Local Area Networks and the installation of routers and switches and more. I am also planning to get Cisco Industry Certifications, I.E. CCNA RSE (Cisco Certified Network Associate, Routing and Switching) and Microsoft Certified Network technician. Currently I also study and work in New Zealand, on study days I am usually at campus but on days off, I do work for a IT firm which include working with databases and being trained with installation of routers, switches and etc. Usually in New Zealand when I work, I start at 6:30 am and finish around 3:30 pm or 4:00 pm. What I would like to know is what does it take to get into the IT Networking Industry in Hong Kong as from what I seen Hong Kong provides better career opportunities.

    Also I used to be very fluent with speaking Cantonese but have lost some of my ability to speak it due to living in New Zealand, will I have to relearn it since I am planning to come back.


  2. #2

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    What I would like to know is what does it take to get a job in the IT industry in Hong Kong and also what is the work hours and salary like?


  3. #3

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    Original Post Deleted
    Most of my relatives live in Hong Kong

  4. #4

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    You mention that you've been working in NZ, but it sounds like you're just starting out if you're still being trained in device configuration.

    My advice would be to stay in NZ, or move to Australia (I'm guessing you have NZ citizenship by now), for long enough to build enough solid work experience as a base before trying to move to HK, for two reasons.

    The first is that 'fresh grad' salaries in Hong Kong are low compared to Western markets. The assumption in HK is that new hires live with their parents and so have very low costs of living. The 20-25K mentioned above might be feasible, but for a new hire straight out of university, it's probably below that (you don't sound like a typical uni grad though, so it's hard to say).

    The second reason is more important- working in NZ or Oz will likely teach you better work habits- you're more likely to be encouraged to think for yourself. As a junior hire in HK, it will be unlikely that you're going to find an environment that encourages independence of thought and experimentation, which are important to personal development.

    Oh, a third reason. The market here is just not that big. A small number of industries dominate networking tech, and they are either hard to get into (finance- fancy toys but good luck trying to apply), or are not my idea of wonderful work environments (e.g. the local telcos). Anecdotally, I have think of several junior ex-colleagues who were passionately interested in niche interests within IT- in any larger English-speaking market they would have been able to pursue these interests, but in HK they've been moving around companies, constantly trying to get into these areas but unable to (and quite often given misleading promises with new jobs, only to stay in areas they are trying to move out of).

    Come to HK when you have enough experience under your belt to be seen as an experienced candidate, not as someone who's just finished their education.

    Edit: I'd also add that an CCNA won't count for much, personally a couple years of good experience would be much more compelling. A CCNP is okay, a CCIE is good. And unless you have a load of experience already, any certification with the name "Microsoft" in front of it would be taken with a grain of salt. You've seen the MS exam brain dumps already, right?

    Last edited by jgl; 20-01-2018 at 12:58 PM.

  5. #5

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    A question, you moved to NZ because of asthma. Pollution is even worse now so why move back?

    Morrison, MerMer, emx and 3 others like this.

  6. #6

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    Asthma often improves with age. Allergen sensitivities can also shift over time.

    But moving from NZ to HK air is definitely going to be a shock.


  7. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by hullexile:
    A question, you moved to NZ because of asthma. Pollution is even worse now so why move back?
    Having had HK as my home base for 30 years now, I very much regret to agree that the pollution here is MUCH worse than it was in the '90s, specially during winter
    emx, z754103 and JAherbert like this.

  8. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by jgl:
    You mention that you've been working in NZ, but it sounds like you're just starting out if you're still being trained in device configuration.

    My advice would be to stay in NZ, or move to Australia (I'm guessing you have NZ citizenship by now), for long enough to build enough solid work experience as a base before trying to move to HK, for two reasons.

    The first is that 'fresh grad' salaries in Hong Kong are low compared to Western markets. The assumption in HK is that new hires live with their parents and so have very low costs of living. The 20-25K mentioned above might be feasible, but for a new hire straight out of university, it's probably below that (you don't sound like a typical uni grad though, so it's hard to say).

    The second reason is more important- working in NZ or Oz will likely teach you better work habits- you're more likely to be encouraged to think for yourself. As a junior hire in HK, it will be unlikely that you're going to find an environment that encourages independence of thought and experimentation, which are important to personal development.

    Oh, a third reason. The market here is just not that big. A small number of industries dominate networking tech, and they are either hard to get into (finance- fancy toys but good luck trying to apply), or are not my idea of wonderful work environments (e.g. the local telcos). Anecdotally, I have think of several junior ex-colleagues who were passionately interested in niche interests within IT- in any larger English-speaking market they would have been able to pursue these interests, but in HK they've been moving around companies, constantly trying to get into these areas but unable to (and quite often given misleading promises with new jobs, only to stay in areas they are trying to move out of).

    Come to HK when you have enough experience under your belt to be seen as an experienced candidate, not as someone who's just finished their education.

    Edit: I'd also add that an CCNA won't count for much, personally a couple years of good experience would be much more compelling. A CCNP is okay, a CCIE is good. And unless you have a load of experience already, any certification with the name "Microsoft" in front of it would be taken with a grain of salt. You've seen the MS exam brain dumps already, right?
    i am not a uni grad, I received most of my training from a polytechnic

  9. #9

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    Have you been back to Hong Kong much since moving, especially in winter when the pollution is high? As someone who had asthma when I was a kid and it went away as I grew up, I thought that was it... Until I moved to hk. Air quality is one major reason I'm planning to leave.


  10. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by MerMer:
    Have you been back to Hong Kong much since moving, especially in winter when the pollution is high? As someone who had asthma when I was a kid and it went away as I grew up, I thought that was it... Until I moved to hk. Air quality is one major reason I'm planning to leave.
    Depends where you live, Kowloon is not recommended for asthmatics, that was told to me by my aunt’s family doctor. I was told by my aunt’s family doctor that the New Territories has better air quality than Kowloon, in regards to having ever been back to Hong Kong since moving, I usually visit my relatives every 1 or 2 years

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