Meet Ben Cheung (he/him), SWE @ Veeva Systems (at time of interview) & Coinbase, and Sponsorship Coordinator (2020–2021), HackCamp Coordinator (2021–2022), Engagement Director (2022–2023).
In the third installment of our nwPlus Alumni Spotlights, Ben speaks to his experiences transferring into tech with a second Bachelor’s degree, how he founded the Tech Career Change community, and the perspectives that his numerous roles at nwPlus have given him.
Note: responses have been edited for length and clarity.
Name: Ben Cheung (he/him)
Role: Software Engineer @ Veeva Systems (at time of interview), Software Engineer @ Coinbase
Previous Roles in nwPlus: Sponsorship Coordinator (2020–2021), HackCamp Coordinator (2021–2022), Engagement Director (2022–2023)
In two or three sentences, can you briefly tell us about your career journey, beginning at university?
I took a very non-traditional career journey into computer science. I first did a biochemistry degree at the University of Windsor, pursuing med school, then transferred to UBC for my second bachelor’s degree in computer science (as part of the BCS program).
What’s a piece of advice you have for those on the fence about making the jump from a non-technical field to tech?
A lot of people have asked me this question — how do I transfer to tech, and what kind of advice would you give to someone who is thinking of making the jump to tech? My number one piece of advice is to make sure you do your research. Reach out to those who have done this journey already and join communities that are specifically meant to support this kind of transition. Having a support group is incredibly important in making sure the journey is smooth.
What’s your biggest piece of advice to get in a success mindset and not be discouraged by rejections?
Due to the economic downturn and layoffs, it’s incredibly hard to find a first new grad job or internship position. It’s really easy to get discouraged, but it’s important to not equate your self worth to the results of interviews, offers, or rejections. Your personality is not tied to your career.
Remember that it’s like a game — if you fail, forget about it, reflect on what you did wrong, and learn for next time.
As long as you know you did your best, that’s something to be proud of.
Can you tell us about Tech Career Change and what led you to found it?
Tech Career Change is a community for those who are interested in making a career transition into tech, e.g. a second degree, bootcamper, self-learner, curious learners, etc. It was created because we were missing a community specifically for tech career changers (like myself) who need more resources and to find a guide to make the transition smoother, as it is a very tough, life-changing decision.
What is one piece of advice you would give to your younger university self or someone aspiring to become a software engineer?
One piece of advice I would give to my younger self would be to network. In my previous chemistry degree, I focused mostly on academics and didn’t really understand the significance of networking. I felt like I had missed many opportunities to network with professors and fellow classmates, so I wasn’t able to gain experience and perspective from other people.
Software engineering is very much a ‘team sport’; collaboration is essential, as is clear communication.
Being able to reach out, be bold, ask questions, meet new people, form new connections, and communicate openly with other people will allow you to form friendships, mentorship opportunities and get the help you need. Remember that tech is for everyone, and you have nothing to lose — so reach out and connect with people!
Tell us about your favorite memory with nwPlus.
My favourite memory with nwPlus would be organizing nwHacks, nwPlus’ largest hackathon in Western Canada. It was an incredibly rewarding experience to build and organize this opportunity for aspiring software engineers and hackers to pick up new skills, network, and meet new sponsors and friends. Being able to offer that opportunity is incredibly rewarding and those would definitely be the best memories that I cherish at nwPlus.
What role did hackathons play in your career journey?
Hackathons have played a very important role in my journey three times. The first would be as a mentor — being able to give back to the community and help others debug on technology that they aren’t familiar with is very rewarding. Another perspective as a participant in 10+ hackathons so far is that the time-based nature of hackathons forces you to pick up new skills, form teams with new people, work on cool projects, and interact with sponsors. Finally, as an organizer, it’s very rewarding to build these spaces for hackers to engage with and experience — so if you haven’t yet, go join a hackathon!
What is one skill you learned from a previous role in nwPlus that transferred to your career journey?
As a sponsorship coordinator, I learned how to not be afraid of reaching out and to build a thicker skin.
Part of networking is that you have to seize opportunities — you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take, so send that email, send that connection request on LinkedIn, and schedule that coffee chat.
Once you start, you’ll be more confident in doing it again in the future.
Describe your experience in nwPlus in 3 words or phrases. Feel free to be creative with your answer!
- Ambitious — the nwPlus team always pushes boundaries every year. In addition to the three hackathons we run yearly, we’ve added numerous workshop series that bring more to the table for those who are looking to prepare for the next hackathon.
- High energy — nwPlus is incredibly high-energy. There’s lots of very passionate people who are willing to make the best hackathon possible, which also ties into the nwPlus mission.
- Organized — sometimes alumni like me will look at nwPlus and think, “Wow, it’s operating like a startup!” It makes sense why these hackathons are so successful because of how strictly organized it is, how people are focused on their own role, and how they contribute to these massive projects.
Where can everyone learn more about what you are working on or connect with you online?
I’m happy to connect — feel free to reach out on LinkedIn!
LinkedIn: Ben Cheung
Join Tech Career Change here: https://discord.gg/96rkQyC5rX & view their website for resources!
Stay tuned for our final installment in this four-part series, coming next week! Check out our Instagram and TikTok @nwplusubc for a short-form video format of this interview.
Written by Jennifer Shui and edited by Victoria Lim
