• A Career in Tech without Formal IT Education: Myth or Reality?


    At JurisTech, one of our core company culture is ‘Growing Heroes.’ Which stands for unlocking an individual’s hidden potential and helping them become the best versions of themselves.

    Prospective Juris candidates must pass some IQ tests and a logic test. People who have a high aptitude for logic, turn out to be great resources once we train them up a bit.  Most of our Professional Services (PS) Engineers and even a significant portion of our software developers don’t come from a computer science background. A lot of our PS engineers (aka business analysts) come from a wide array of fields: finance, biochemistry, marketing, petroleum engineering, geo physics and even aircraft maintenance!

    Despite coming from a myriad of different backgrounds, all these folks have one thing in common. They are passionate about what they do.  Their common trait of pursuing excellence is transforming Juris into a world-class work place. As our entrance test challenges their in-depth critical thinking abilities and logic handling, the resulting workplace culture is full of high achievers and excellence pursuers.

    When it comes to hiring Professional Services Engineers (PS) you don’t need to come from a technical background. As long as you’re a naturally inquisitive person who enjoys solving complex riddles, you’re going to fit right in!

    Our PS Engineers don’t need to master any programming languages; however, we do equip them with some basic skills during their initial 7-day training phase at the Heroes Training Academy (HTA). That way, when they have to make minor changes or some custom configurations, they can do it on their own, without having to bother software developers for every tiny change/customisation.

    A typical day for a professional services engineer is hectic but rewarding. According to Lucas Yang, a senior PS, there is no such thing as a ‘typical day’ in his field of work.


    ‘It’s a whirlwind rollercoaster ride. What my typical day is going to look like depends on what phase of the project I am in right now. Currently, my team is going through the development phase of the project. So, a normal day for me is basically spent doing testing and configurations. I delegate tasks to my team members using a Kanban board [Juris adopts the Agile approach ?], a workflow visualization tool that enables you to optimize the flow of your work. I use the board to keep track of the overall progress we’re making and identify what tasks are stuck. The whole thing is a team effort where all members work together like parts of a well-oiled machine. Sometimes, clients come over to our office  for closer collaborations and “desk check” (again another Agile terminology). As issues are raised, me and the team brainstorm together to come up with most efficient solutions for meeting client requirements and have them executed as soon as possible.

    I am constantly in touch with clients to make sure that most of their requirements are met in the early phases of the project. It is easier that way, rather than finding out you have glitches after deployment,’ says Lucas.

    Kenneth Chow, one of our newest recruits who recently graduated from engineering school with a specialization in aircraft maintenance, says more or less the same thing.

    ‘One of the core skills of a PS, other than the ability to think critically, is to be able to communicate well. I employ design thinking to figure out what clients really want and focus on solutions rather than the problem. My typical day involves being in touch with the client, analyzing problems from their perspective and figuring out ways to fulfill their requirements and resolve their issues in the early phases of a project. It’s best to get obstacles and glitches out of the way before the project is deployed, and its my job to make sure that they do,’ says Kenneth Chow.

    Both Kenneth Chow and Lucas Yang come from non-technical backgrounds. Lucas studied Geo Physics and Kenneth studied aircraft maintenance. Yet, both of these individuals are making valuable contributions to the team. But they weren’t always this skilled at what they do.

    ‘For me, the learning curve was very very steep. I had zero experience in software prior to JurisTech. However, the training program was useful, and I had seniors to guide me whenever I stumbled. 7 months down the road, I am skilled enough to help out other newbies who look absolutely clueless. Just like I did half a year ago,’ says Kenneth.

    So, is the journey worth it?

    ‘The working hours are hectic, I won’t lie. But the journey is definitely worth it. As a PS you learn to develop grace under pressure and stay calm in the face of the storm. Once you successfully deploy a project, often within a ridiculously short deadline, there’s no other feeling in this world that can match it.’ says Lucas.

    By | 2020-03-29T01:36:30+00:00 1st June, 2018|Careers|

    About the Author:

    Athira Harizan is part of the Administrative Team, but every now and then she will be loaned to the Marketing Team to produce her materials. Her main focus is handling internal communications in Juris Technologies.