Conversation with US Software Engineer / YouTuber 'HackBear' Terry Chen

Terry Chen pivoted his way to become a sofware engineer, standing halfway through completing his degree in management engineering. It started with side projects at university which got him into coding and programming, and eventually, he decided to pursue software engineering as his profession. To shift gear in the middle like that, it means filling a huge learning curve through trial and error and experiencing tons of interview failures, etc., Looking back on this transformation journey, his greatest learning is that it will pay off if you are persevering, working hard towards your goal.
Terry has always been a risk-taking person but he also calculates risks. He encouraged people to do make changes but always have a backup plan. Terry suggests, to pursue something different, you can try something new on the side as opposed to making the leap blindly. Passion- pursuit journey is not about making one big major decision but taking small steps which are building towards that end goal.
He consistently elevated his skill as a Software Engineer and landed a job offer in a big Tech company. However, he chose to work in a start-up instead of a big corporate. He values potential growth in start-ups and the opportunity of taking on more responsibilities. At his early career stage, he put the pedal to the metal in his career pursuit as he still got more energy and capacity . In a long run, working in a start-up also prepares him ( Entrepreneurship mindset, process-building skill, etc.,) for running his own business one day which is his end goal.
He is also running his YouTube Channel’ Hack Bear’ which quickly drives traffic with 144k followers in around one and half years. He has been always holding his initial mind of running this Channel which is to deliver valuable content and educational information. His followers significantly benefit from his content (his genuine and generous sharing of industry insights, career advice, interview skills, investment, etc.,) which serves as a constant drive for him to create more high-quality content. He also shared his investment strategies and asset allocation portfolio out of personal interest without any intention of teaching people how to invest. The goal is to inspire people to reflect on how to build a dynamic relationship with money/ wealth. Financial literacy should be addressed and financial management skills should be learned to build Safety Net and protection to everyone’s life.
His definition of financial freedom is to not work for money one day and pursue his true passion (running a business or full-time Youtuber, etc.,) From bottom of my heart, I want people like him (who carry that DNA of helping others) achieve financial freedom soon so he will leverage his resources and influence to make true impacts on people around him.
He hustles a lot, consistently pushing limits and exploring new possibilities which eventually lead to his end goal. I see those seemingly opposite traits perfectly work in harmony on this young driven man. He is risky taking but also down-to-earth; He is creative but executed. I believe a person like Terry will reach all his personal goals as well as fulfilling the big mission of making this world better! In the end, I hope he will continue carrying on that bit of sense of humour throughout his entire life, which not only adds charismatics into his content but also helps him to go through all life hurdles!
Thanks for listening to my Podcast, See you next time!
Connect Terry on YouTube : hackbear.tv Instagram : master.terry.chen

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