As unbelievable as it feels, it has already been two years since I joined my current company. I work as a technical support engineer at a global firm, with my office based in Tokyo.
Time tends to pass quickly when daily routines become predictable and filled with fewer surprises.
Fortunately, that hasn’t been the case for me.
While I’ve certainly developed some routines, my role has continuously evolved — whether in scope, ways of working, or stakeholder expectations. Without exaggeration, every week feels like a new challenge.
Not all of these changes have been easy. Some were exciting, while others were difficult, disrupting my expectations of the role and my day-to-day work.
However, I’ve learned that it’s better to take action than to sit and complain. If the situation isn’t ideal, either work to change it or make the decision to leave. Ultimately, staying is always a choice, and as long as I’ve chosen to remain on this path, I should embrace that choice with professionalism.
I like to call it the Zen mindset because it encourages acceptance of the present moment while also promoting proactive change. It’s about maintaining inner calm, no matter the challenges, and focusing on what can be controlled to create a better outcome.
As I mark this key milestone in my career, I want to take a step back and reflect on the journey so far — highlighting three defining events that have shaped my experience.
1.
What I Did: Learning to Manage Incidents in Payments
Before joining the company, I had little idea about how payments work — let alone the extensive efforts required to ensure their security. I soon realized that maintaining a secure platform for merchants is a continuous and rigorous process.
Incident management is one of the most critical skills that every employee, regardless of role or position, must have in a payments company. Throughout my time here, I have encountered multiple incidents where I had to quickly assess their impact on our platform and report the event and its implications to the relevant stakeholders.
What I Learned
- Anticipating Issues, Not Just Solving Them
As a technical support engineer, handling daily technical cases has helped me recognize which configurations might cause future payment issues and at what scale. This foresight allows me to proactively reach out to stakeholders — such as Account Managers — giving them as much advance notice as possible to prepare. I learned that effective reporting is not just about escalation but about informing the right people at the right time. - Being Proactive, Not Reactive
Rather than waiting for issues to arise, I’ve learned to anticipate the next questions from merchants and offer proactive support, such as scheduling calls before problems escalate. - Seeing the Bigger Picture
My role doesn’t operate in isolation — every action I take impacts other teams. Through incident management, I have developed a broader perspective on how my work fits into the larger system, reinforcing the importance of cross-functional collaboration.
2.
What I Did: Resolving Over 2,000 Technical Issues
Tracking the exact number of cases I’ve resolved since day one is difficult, as the company switched its system in my first year. However, I take pride in having helped merchants — both Japanese and non-Japanese — resolve over 2,000 technical issues so far.
Through handling a wide range of topics, I have developed expertise in wallet payment methods, including Apple Pay, Google Pay, and PayPal. These payment methods are not only widely used globally but are also gaining increasingly significant traction in Japan.
What I Learned
- Anticipating Merchant Needs
Beyond providing precise technical resolutions, I learned to anticipate merchants’ next questions and proactively address them in my initial response. This approach not only shortens resolution time but also helps educate merchants on growth opportunities they may not have recognized. When done successfully, this elevates our relationship with merchants to the next level. - Consistency Over Momentary Highs
The company valued not just the volume of my contributions but also the consistency of my performance. I realized that being a reliable team player comes from maintaining steady contributions rather than excelling only in short bursts of high performance.
3.
What I Did: Adapting to a Regional Approach
One of the most significant shifts I experienced at the company was the transition toward a localization strategy for the Japanese market. When I first joined, my role was global — I was performing the same responsibilities as my counterparts in Singapore, Europe, and the U.S.
However, Japan soon became a key focus market for the company. To drive growth, the company pivoted toward a more localized approach, tailoring its offerings to better address the unique needs of Japanese merchants. While the full impact of this shift will take years to materialize, it has already required me to refine my knowledge and skillset to better serve the local market.
Unlike other regions, where teams are often structured around specialists, our small team in Japan had to function as generalists, ensuring operational resilience and eliminating single points of failure. This necessity shaped my role into one that was both broad and deeply attuned to the specific demands of the Japanese market.
What I Learned
- The Importance of Self-Positioning
I gained a deeper understanding of how to position myself — both in relation to my colleagues in other regions and within the competitive landscape of Japan’s payments industry. - Defining Success in Japan
Success in Japan takes on a localized meaning, influenced by market dynamics, business culture, and merchant expectations. Understanding these nuances was and will continue to be crucial to aligning our strategies with what truly drives growth in this market.
The company has a culture of celebrating employees’ work anniversaries. Unlike most Japanese firms, where tenure is measured in much longer increments, two years here marks the transition from being just another employee to becoming one of the “oldies.” Newcomers shed their “newbie” status in just half a year — or even sooner.
Now that I’ve joined the oldies crowd, or as I like to call it, the “cool crowd,” I want to keep in mind what I can do to ensure that each anniversary is not just a milestone but a reflection of meaningful progress.
Cheers to the journey that has brought me this far — and to the road ahead.