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by Seven Peaks on Feb 1, 2022 11:26:00 AM
A story by Giorgio Desideri – Tech Lead (Cloud Solutions) at Seven Peaks Software
About Giorgio Desideri
Giorgio has worked in IT since 2006; covering all the roles from System Engineer / Administrator until Project Manager, step through Development, Software Architecture, Integration, and Admin roles.
He is also a Certified cloud architect for AWS and Azure.
Introduction
“Tutto mondo e’ paese” in Italian means “all the world is the same town”. This expression, said by Giorgio, explains that each country can be different – but everyone has the same roots & consciousness, regardless of nationality.
Giorgio traveled 5,889 miles from Rome to Bangkok having spent a total of 9 years in Thailand. Since then, he has worked professionally in software development while also adopting a child to start a family and settle down here – proving that working in Thailand was a new & joyful way of life for him; and not just a job abroad.
In this article, we will walk you through his journey – going from Italy to Thailand – to an accomplished software engineer, public speaker, and a family man.
An unexpected journey
“Before my wife and I traveled to Thailand, we read a few books about Thailand and how they described this country famously as the ‘land of smiles’.
The book is called Working Thais Guide Managing To Thailand that describes all 13 types of smiles when interacting with people from the Kingdom of Thailand.
I would even say that some types of smiles are very similar to what we used back in Rome, my home city.
Here, however, people tend to smile a lot, as you will be sure to see smiles wherever you go.
For instance, when I first arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport, I was taking my luggage from a baggage carousel, then, Thai local travelers took the luggage next to me and just smiled at me without reason.
I kept seeing smiley faces the whole way, even until I reached my hotel.”
The rainbow after the storm
Giorgio stated that It was a destiny to bring him here – as everything is about good timing and coincidence.
“Back in 2008, there was an economic crisis, known as the bankruptcy of the Lehman Brothers.
This bankruptcy created a huge disaster for the whole world economy, especially in Italy, as this crisis was effective around 2011-2012.
Thus, at the end of 2012, I tried to find a job outside Italy. I sent my resume to several countries to companies, both inside and outside of Europe.
One day, I had an interview with one Scottish company’s HR representative; named James. One day later, there was a different Thai company who called me, but I was confused with the Scottish company because their HR rep’s name was also James.
Thus, I did an interview again thinking this is a Scottish company, until they sent me a contract and told me welcome to Thailand!
For me, no matter how far it is, I felt pleasantly surprised.”
Giorgio did not show any regret for his decision to move abroad to work in Thailand. His wife is also a traveler, thus, they were already prepared and ready to move to Thailand for the new chapter of their lives.
Establishing a new life overseas
Since 2013, Giorgio has been on Thai soil – traveling, working, and settling down in this part of the world.
“Thailand is already my home. As I mentioned earlier that Tutto mondo e’ paese means ‘all the world is a town’. Like a town, not big as a city, all people share the same culture and the same norms, so I don’t have reasons to go back [to Italy].
What I find here in Thailand is the same that I find in Italy.”
He agreed that something might be different, but the core concept of living is the same, as he further quoted:
“The language and some behaviors are different, of course, they are 8,700+ kilometers (about 5,400 miles) away from each other in terms of distance.
But, overall they are still similar, you go to the market to buy the food, people in the market behave the same as in Rome, my children behave in the same way as me – when I was a kid in Rome.”
Having a spent over 8 years working in Thailand, Giorgio shares his insights of transitioning from working in a larger corporation to a newer, modern startup:
“I spent five years here, working in a different kind of company from a startup to an enterprise company.
I find Seven Peaks as a good place to work from the technical side because I can use the experience that I gained from all the past years.”
He added that his key to success for working with Thai people is to understand their culture, while never forgetting who you are.
“When working overseas, it’s important to learn different cultures and understand different behaviors in order to adapt to them.
As a foreign citizen here, it can be challenging settling into a new country, but once you establish yourself among the locals, you start to see different perspectives on people and on the world around you.”
Life at Seven Peaks Software
Seven Peaks proved to be a good fit for Giorgio as a unique, modern, and multicultural working environment which suited his working style; even more than his previous experiences.
At work, there are two major challenges to look out for – Giorgio explains his concept of living in a new environment with the following metaphor:
“[When serving clients, it’s important to meet their requests in a professional manner]. You know something, but the project or customers wanted the same things in different ways. Thus, you need to keep updating yourself, and be creative about all the possible ways of doing the same stuff. Software development, just like cleaning your dishes, has many ways and solutions.”
A modern working environment
A flat company is a company with little hierarchical order. A vertical company is one of high hierarchical order. Giorgio explains further:
“Multiculturalism is the horizontal and not vertical management, and the freedom or the opportunity that seven peaks give to you. The opportunity that you can work on your projects and still While working, I suggest you exceed others expectations from you and maintain consistency in your work each day.
In this way, you will be able to extend your knowledge and be able to try new things that you have never done before. You will see how much you evolve since the day you started.”
At Seven Peaks Software, we adopt a modern approach to work, where everyone is encouraged to share ideas among peers regardless of job title.
Family
Giorgio has successfully settled down with his wife and two adopted children from Thailand as one big family. He expressed with us that we are happy and grateful to have both of them. He stated that his family lifestyle in Thailand is pretty much alike in Italy.
“The activity here is similar to doing anywhere. You go to the market to buy food and ingredients, and take care of your children. To take care of your children, you need to understand the children’s characteristics and behaviors while growing up.” – Giorgio suggested.
Seven Peaks offers their employees flexible hours – helping Giorgio and others maintain a healthy work life balance to spend valuable time with family, travel on the weekends, and work comfortably at the office on weekdays.
What to know before moving to Thailand
To conclude, Giorgio has wrapped-up the following important points for those who wish to join him in the same path of re-locating and working in Thailand:
“Honestly I didn’t have any kind of issues before moving to Thailand, and I’m very happy here. I would have some difficulty regarding language barriers. However, I started to learn how to speak and write in Thai because, for me, if I don’t write – I cannot speak either.
You should read the guide on how to get a work permit for Thailand, so you can start to prepare yourself before arriving in Thailand.”
Therefore, Giorgio suggests you start to read about the culture, start learning about manners, and research about the lifestyle of locals in Thailand before embarking on your great journey ahead.
Interested in the software development & UX/UI design services that Seven Peaks Software has to offer? Visit our Services page with more information.