Asked how she\u2019s sustained a decades-long career at one employer in a constantly evolving field like tech, Beibei Guo says the answer is that she\u2019s always been on the lookout for new challenges.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’ve been lucky enough to always work on different things, even though it’s the same field,\u201d she says. Building experience and working on great projects opens the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cI established this cycle of professional reward and satisfaction fairly early on in the process,\u201d she says. \u201dSo although I\u2019ve been in the same field a long time, even in the same technology, I always get to do something different. And I\u2019ve felt stimulated.\u201d<\/p>\n
The variety itself becomes valuable. \u201cOnce you accumulate your track record and \u2018professional wealth\u2019, opportunities do come to you,\u201d Guo says. \u201cSomeone recently asked me \u2018How come you get all the interesting projects?\u2019 I almost wear that as a badge of honour.\u201d<\/p>\n
“Someone recently asked me \u2018How come you get all the interesting projects?\u2019 I almost wear that as a badge of honour.”
\nTrajectory and height<\/p>\n
Holding the title of Distinguished Engineer at CommBank, Guo says the deep experience gained from multiple industry and technology cycles has its own unique value.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere’s heaps of IT lessons associated with going through cycles and knowing what failure as well as success looks like,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
After an early career working with Oracle databases, Guo has now been at CommBank for more than 20 years. \u201cI learned early on the value of understanding that the context of the data far outweighs the medium,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s also the way that you structure and look after the data. So, what is it for? How critical it is? What are the consequences if someone else gets it? That sets you up for an engineering-style response,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Owning the trajectory<\/p>\n
Guo says that wealth of experience also means she can take stewardship of IT \u201ctrajectory\u201d. <\/p>\n
More than the achievements of any individual project – which she describes as the \u201cheight\u201d of the engineering and IT advancement arc – trajectory is the stuff that sticks and makes a significant difference long term.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the \u2018get ahead\u2019 is the height, the ‘stay ahead\u2019 is the trajectory,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Guo says her contribution is the \u201cstay ahead bit, making it hold\u201d.<\/p>\n
People with other leading edge skills are better placed to deliver the height, she says. But for real long-term success, \u201cwe need both\u201d.<\/p>\n
Engineering better careers<\/p>\n
Guo describes herself as an \u201caccidental leader\u201d. <\/p>\n
She says she was never interested in leadership roles for their own sake but came to see that taking on leadership was sometimes the way to get to the outcome she wanted. \u201cSo, I’m an accidental leader, if you will,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Her knack for snaring interesting work means she\u2019s also ideally placed to help boost the careers of others. \u201cWhen I can, I try to bring as many people along on the journey,\u201d says Guo, who also acts as a sponsor in CommBank\u2019s EmpowerHer leadership advocacy program<\/a>.<\/p>\n In keeping with her love of helping careers develop, Guo says the thing that excites her most about tech right now is AI\u2019s ability to rapidly transform skills, knowledge and understanding.<\/p>\n