5 Minutes With... Maverick Kiang, ACS Professional Year Student Member

14th October 2020

Highlights

This week we interviewed ACS Professional Year Student Member Maverick Kiang.
Currently working as a developer at INHAABIT, Kiang has been a student of Computer Science at Monash University.
He constantly works on side projects liek developing games which keep him motivated to learn the latest in tech and apply them.

A bit about Maverick

Being in love with the wonders of technology his whole life, Marverick has chosen to further pursue his passion by studying Computer Science with Monash University. Throughout this course, he has equipped himself with a wide variety of skills such as Programming Paradigm, Parallel Computing, Algorithms and Data Structure.

As a curious individual, Marverick has exposed himself to key interest areas including but not limited to Mobile Development, Artificial Intelligence and Project Management. Currently, he is a developer at INHAABIT – Augmented Reality, where he develops cross-platform mobile web apps for clients looking to get their business into the Augmented Reality niche.

Marverick also enjoys developing games during his free time and would love to make it as a potential side hustle in the future.

1. What do you enjoy most about working in the tech industry?

What a time to be alive! It is an era of technological revolution, and while working forefront in the tech industry we get exposure to all these beautiful concepts and inventions. Not only that, if you are ever curious enough, there are unlimited resources online for you to learn.

Also, since the technology industry is so vast that it overlaps with every other industry, every time we learn or solve a certain challenge, we gain insights and knowledge that could surely be applied on other side hustle or hobbies. It is like killing two birds with one stone.

2. What is the key piece of advice you would give someone interested in making the move to the ICT Industry

Being in the ICT industry, you have to be constantly keeping up with its advancing technology. Ask yourself, are you afraid of constant change? If you are not, then learn new technology stack when you get the chance. Learn as much as you can, the industry tends to move and change directions all the time. You will need to change your technology stack several times throughout your career. So, do not put yourself in a bind by going all-in on some technology that you just so happen to be using today.

3. Tech changes fast. How do you keep your skills up-to-date?

I had always set some time aside to build up a potential side hustle or develop a game as a hobby. Both projects would be a playground for me to use and research the latest technology stacks, failure is more likely to happen, but it would be a safe space for me to make any large margin of error. Hence, learning faster by getting my hands dirty. Not to mention, it is much more enjoyable as well.

Another easy way for me to keep up with the latest trends is to subscribe to ‘Information Age’ and educational channels that summarises academia papers in a short video.

4. Who is your tech mentor or a leader that inspires you and why?

My mentors Jordan and Jason Yim from INHAABIT. I look up to them for what they have achieved and also mentoring me to who I am today. They are digital disruptors who provides the Australian retail sector an opportunity to implement a business model with an AR solution. Now they had even started providing this AR solutions to various other industries and it is only growing by the day. Hearing, learning and now growing together with their story and company’s mindset has made a significant impact in my career. Certainly, a priceless experience thanks to my mentors.

5. How has ACS membership supported your career journey in tech?

ACS has allowed me easy access to improve and support my professional lifelong learning experience through conferences, offline meetings and free webinars. A recent experience was the Reimagination 2019 conference. Every panel was thought-provoking and had inspire ideas and provide visions for my career that I could not have without the help of these successful individuals.

Another key functionality that I liked from ACS was their MYSFIA assessment program. It is a great program that has helped me refer and understand fully about my current SFIA skills, planning my career path had never been easier. I would constantly have a clearly defined goal and it has helped me speed up my thought process on developing a lifelong learning career.

Finally, ACS has provided me proper guidance and direction to grow into a professional on account of insightful comments from a dedicated tutor and having connected with other IT professionals in relevant forums.

"5 Minutes With..." is a series of articles showcasing exceptional ACS Members and their amazing, innovative, and game changing stories. Representing over 48,000 tech professionals across Australia, our Members work across industry, government, research, and education organisations and each edition highlights the role they are playing in making Australia a world leader in technology talent, fostering innovation, and creating new forms of value.