By Christopher Khoo Chong Han
What are the similarities between
Bill Gates and Steve Jobs? , they are innovators, computer geniuses and
entrepreneurs. A young man from Penang, named Yoong Keat Wei, 24, has already
been following the footsteps of these two amazing entrepreneurs. At such a
young age, he already has a small computer company of his own.
It all started when Yoong first gain
interest towards computers when he was just a young lad. He was fascinated by
what the computer can do, specifically creative things, like videography and
computer gaming that drew his interest towards it. When asked who is his source
of inspiration was, he said he doesn’t have anyone specific, because what
inspired him to learn is of his curiosity, constantly crave for learning new
things about the computer.
During his teenage years, Yoong
stated that computer gaming was the most exciting thing to him personally when
he was learning about computing. He played games like FIFA, Half – Life, Counter
Strike and many more, mostly require installation skills.
Surprisingly, with such knowledge in
computing at a young age, Yoong does not have any formal training before, he
learned by slowly discovering about how computers works, but most of the time
he was self-taught. His brother also played a significance role in developing
his computer skills, teaching him whatever he knew about computer.
As time passes, people grow and learn
to hold more important responsibilities in life, thus some might not even have
time to work on their interest, but not for Yoong, he says the idea of learning
helps him to strive on for his interest even in the midst of some many
responsibilities.
Yoong
Keat Wei (picture), happily sharing his life-long computing experience.
One thing we can see in today’s
society is the ever-changing, advancement of technology, when asked about how
he keep up with the modern technology, Yoong shared that reading new on
technology helps him to understand what is going in the technology world, tech
sites like engadget, techcrunch, and etc. helps him as well. He also attends
technology seminars as well logging on to websites like TED and also surround
himself with friends that share the same interest to help increase his
knowledge. Reading news is not only his source of update, he loves to
experiment with the latest technology, most recently Apple’s iOS6, which is the
operating system for all iDevice, e.g. iPhones and iPads.
Learning computer at a young age gave
him much advantage, it has help him to become more efficient with his work
today, specifically in video production. His knowledge in computing also helped
him to establish connections with people, because he constantly involves
himself in producing video for different clubs and societies in the university.
By his work, people recognized his talent and often seek his advice in
computing.
Back in Penang, he has started a
company of his own, it started by an idea of becoming a computer entrepreneur.
As soon as he got his first job from a friend, he saw the potential opportunity
and without any hesitation, he registered to start his company in September
2010. The name of his company, Weavary, he chose that name based on the word,
weave, which means, connecting to make something. He believes technology is a
form of communication, connecting people.
His company provides services of
software development, mobile apps and also web design. He mainly focuses on wen
design, because he does not have enough man power for software development
services and mobile app services. When asked how his company is performing, he
said that his company is making a fair amount of profit. But due to busy
schedules, he turned down some offers.
Surprisingly, he never really
mentioned his company to his parents; he added that his parents’ wish is for
him to have a stable job in the future.
At such a young age, he has already
achieved more than the youths of his age, but he chose to further his studies
in computer science, to gain more knowledge for the benefit of himself and his
company in the future. Besides learning about computers, he has also learned
management; he said by organizing events, e.g. UTAR Ball, FICT Prom Night, FBF
Night, PC Fair, Christmas Night and etc., he
learned how important management is to any company, regardless of size,
thus giving him another advantage. Besides learning, he is here to build
connections with people, for his company’s future undertakings. He currently
holds in diploma in computer science and is currently pursuing a bachelor’s
degree in computer science in Tunku Abdul Rahman University.
In the future, he strongly believes
that his company will be an established company, even though it has its
uncertainties, and he will never give up and will continue work hard to achieve
his desire goal. He added “no matter what we pursue in life, we must dare to
face failure”, he also advices us to be humble in whatever we do, because no
man in the world knows everything. Self-evaluation is also important, he says,
“Learning to evaluate yourself, identifying mistakes and correcting them, helps
to build a better character”.
