Learning from the Masters of Samsung, Part 2: Youngmin Shin

Not everyone deserves the title of ‘Master.’ You need to be eminently skilled and knowledgeable in a certain field. It is a title of honor that never comes easily, especially at Samsung. There are, however, masters working at Samsung Electronics who have committed their entire lives to honing their skills in one area. So we decided to learn from their insights, and we would like to invite you to join us for part 2 of the ‘Learning from the Masters of Samsung’ series.

Today, we would like to introduce you to Master Youngmin Shin from the SoC (System on Chip) Processor Development Team.

Lesson #1: Be Confident

Anyone who hears Shin speak will be spellbound. With his tenacity and energy,; it is obvious that he is a confident individual.  . Since 1987, when he joined Samsung Electronics, his natural confidence allowed him to pursue a career that can be summarized as explorative; he never stopped charting new territory in what he does.
“I am currently designing an ARM CPU that can work with our process. A CPU is the brain of mobile application processors (herein referred to as mobile APs). The performance of a device depends heavily on the mobile’s AP, so I am putting my best effort into it. This work requires me to understand the latest generation of CPU as well as all relevant processes; you and the whole project will fall behind otherwise.”

He knows that he and his team members cannot always agree on everything. But they know he is an ardent boss who loves his job. His passion is contagious, even to his senior colleagues.

▲Master Youngmin Shin from the SoC Processor Development Team

“We can all be proud of Samsung’s semi-conductor business. It really deserves our pride. Our determination to achieve set goals under any circumstances is rooted in that pride. For example, if a CPU project led by Youngmin Shin is delayed for some reason, or the performance is substandard and the product competitiveness is compromised because of the mobile AP, it is the last thing I expect to hear. However, when a mobile AP, which the team has worked on together, is launched in the market and gets good reviews, it still makes me and my team extremely happy and proud.”

Lesson #2: Be Team-Oriented

As he looks back on the past 27 years at Samsung Electronics, every single day was such a challenge that needed to be overcome, said Shin. But it has made him stronger than ever; now, the past is a precious memory.

“I believe it was around 2002 when the only thing we were concerned about was research and development, which typically spanned about three or four years. That meant that there was no guarantee that the project would turn into a business, but we believed in our projects and kept preparing for the future. Then when we finally launched the business, we faced yet another challenge. We didn’t anticipate R&D to be totally different from building a business! We were just life-long engineers who had to change everything to survive in the market. We first had to adapt to the fast changing consumer needs and modify and upgrade products over and over.

“In 2008, I organized a team of 26 engineers to better respond to clients’ requests and flew to a partner’s R&D center, which was located in Texas, US. We literally had no one but each other to count on and dedicated all of our time to R&D. And after about a year there we developed a strong bond. That bond was the sole reason we completed the program. We look back on those days and laugh but it was really difficult for us back then.

Lesson #3: Be Patient

Even though he jokes about how he lost most of his hair because of the tough projects he has been involved in, it was apparent that Master Shin loves his work as an engineer. He went on to say that he feels happy when he surprises the world with a product that everyone thought would be impossible.

He tells the team members to remember the proverb: ‘Great talents mature late’, when they feel they have hit a snag. As the proverb implies, he firmly believes that anyone who has talent and dedication will turn his/her potential into reality.

▲Master Youngmin Shin from the SoC Processor Development Team

“My tip to my team members is to become an expert in their job and broaden their perspectives to deepen their understanding of the related fields. As an experienced engineer, I know that I can share my insight and experience to my juniors, especially to those that are about to undertake a new project. It is important for them to know that to develop a product under your name, you have to have an innate capability to complete it, as well as the confidence to carry it out. Stay awake and set high standards, and you will have your talent recognized someday. It may sound easy but it’s not.”

Master Youngmin Shin tries to encourage his teammates to keep up the good work with his confident voice. He never stopped rising up to the challenge and sharpened his skills to become what he is today. As he has been shared inspiration from his senior engineers, he wants to pass on the lessons he learned from them to his team members.

Before we close today’s episode, we’d like to share with you a short quotation from Master Youngmin Shin:

“Stay awake. Your capability will be the guiding light and a milestone in this fast changing world.”