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9 March 2022
For Kung-Wan (Wilson) Lin, a technician in Taiwan – a career in the offshore wind was also about satiating his curiosity, and since then there is no looking back.
For Kung-Wan (Wilson) Lin his first steps into the offshore wind industry were out of sheer curiosity and sure make an interesting story about a smooth transfer of skills. An English graduate, with no technical educational background, today works at one of the world’s leading offshore wind companies, assisting the development of a large-scale offshore wind farms.
Having a yen for learning
For most people, the ideal route to a vocation is via education. For Wilson, he learned his skills on the job. At his sales job, Wilson worked with a trading company selling auto control components and gained knowledge about machinery, “This is how I was initiated into the technical world. After selling equipment I also understood a lot about how they work.” Wilson then decided to quit this sales job and took a job as a technician in Japan. “A part of my duty was to assemble and repair LCD producing units, but I was also an interpreter, which meant I learnt a lot more with my language skills,” he elaborates. After his stint in Japan, Wilson chose to head back home to Taiwan and become a part of the growing wind industry. After accruing all the training and certifications necessary he was set to play his part, “The wind industry in Taiwan is booming, and the timing was just right for me to head back home and gain more technical know-how,” he says.
Safety first
Wilson works with two teams of technicians in Taiwan. His 12-hour shift starts with making a log for the day for the maintenance and inspection of the offshore wind turbines. “What I love the most about this job is the flexibility, it’s not a standard office job. We have a varied range of work and assist in activities such as cargo lifting and personnel transportation. I also need to keep a tab on the weather because it’s often erratic, and we must change our schedules accordingly.” Communication and teamwork are key, and Wilson learns this on his job every single day, “Though we are working in Taiwan, we have an international team, and we mostly use English to talk to each other when we are in an international group. You can’t call 911 offshore and we are reliant on our teammates to stay safe,” he shares.
Take your shot
Ask him if he misses his office sales job and he laughs, “I’m not an office worker anymore and this gives me so much flexibility. Last year, I had a baby boy and it’s a new stage of life for me. For this period, I spoke to my supervisors, and I was working from home to coordinate, and manage tasks as we still have technicians on the vessel. So, I was tracking the progress and tasks from my computer at home,” he says. In Taiwan, people often shy away from contract jobs due to cultural norms, but Wilson believes that you must push your way forward and always have the hunger to learn more. When Atlas approached Wilson for this role, he knew that he had to give it a try, “It was my shot to chart a new career route and the process was so seamless because of Atlas – they coordinated everything well and it felt secure. My father ran a furniture factory for many years and is now retired. He never really told us to take one career direction, but we were always encouraged to stay curious. I would say if you get a chance, try, and explore the offshore wind sector. Don’t hesitate, and just start with a trial. The most important thing as a technician is to have a sound technical background so I would suggest that people try related career paths like machinery and mechanical vocations,” he asserts.
For the future, Wilson aspires to continue gaining more knowledge every day and stay inquisitive, “The wind industry is about more than wind turbines, they are just a small part of this beautiful technical world. There is so much more to discover, and the next stage of my career will be where I learn different things within the sector.”
Atlas Professionals opened their Taiwan office in 2020 and since then have been playing an integral role in cultivating local contacts and assisting companies with their workforce needs. For latest vacancies in Taiwan, click here.
