Leo Chan: How I Found My Fit at ComputerTalk

Once you’re in, you also have the opportunity to transfer to other functions within the company. If you’re not completely satisfied with your current role or want to explore new challenges, at ComputerTalk, you’re encouraged to take advantage of internal opportunities and grow your career in a direction that aligns with your goals and interests. 

My journey at ComputerTalk started during my co-op term at the University of Toronto, studying Computer Science. I applied to the Application Quality Assurance team through my university’s job portal and was accepted. This role focused on testing custom applications developed for clients. Testing the custom applications required the creation of test plans based on design specifications and executing them on the deployed applications. 

Landing my first job post-university 

Once I graduated and was looking for full-time job opportunities, I decided to try finding a position at ComputerTalk. I was most interested in joining the Engineering team, but at the time, the only open developer position was on the Application Development team, so I applied and got the position. I was excited to start, as this was my first full-time position, and doing well was important.  

In this position, I developed custom applications based on clients’ requirements. Each project could start from the same template but vary widely – from small variations to net new integrations that required research and the development of new skills. Along with client-specific projects, there was some work involved in developing packaged applications, was some work involved in utility and easier deployment. I learned a lot being part of the AD team, which set me up for success to progress further. 

Trying something new 

After a couple of years of being an Application Developer, an opening in the Product Engineering team became available. After expressing my interest in the position to our People Function team and going through the internal transfer process, I was offered the role. Since joining the Engineering team, my focus has been on the web development aspect of our products, and working on backlog items, and managing bugs. 

All three of my positions had different roles to fill and challenges to face, each focusing on different aspects of software application development and testing. All three of my positions had different responsibilities and challenges, each highlighting unique aspects of software application development and testing. For example, the team environments varied significantly between the Application Quality Assurance/Development teams and the Engineering team. In QA and Development, the work was mostly client project-based, where each project involved collaborating with team members from different departments, often with no overlap. In contrast, the Engineering team focused more on internal product work, where I collaborated closely with the same team members on ongoing projects. 

The value of internal growth 

Staying with ComputerTalk has allowed me to experience different environments with different types of work, which gives different perspectives on how the company grows and what types of changes are made. Learning different processes also gives a better understanding of challenges and how to overcome them. 

If you’re ready to grow your career in a dynamic environment, explore our careers page to find a role that’s right for you!