By REICO WONG

IT IS a wonder how adaptable some individuals can be when pushed into environments they are not used to - and one such person is Trend Micro's Oscar Chang.

Currently the chief development officer of the Internet-security company's Global Research and Development division and executive vice-president for the Asia-Pacific, he was sent to Utah, in the United States, on his first day of work as a software engineer.

He stayed there for three years, before he was posted to South Korea for another 11/2 years.

Since then, Mr Chang, who was trained in computer science and information engineering, has also worked in Germany, Japan, the Philippines and China in various positions, including sales and marketing, and technical support.

"I feel like I've changed quite a few jobs already, even though I've just been with this one company," said the 47-year-old with a laugh.

"I'm always kept busy and (because) things keep changing, I always have new things to learn and am never bored."

Still, he admitted that it has not been easy coping with so many changes. He pointed to his stint in South Korea as one of his biggest challenges thus far.

Not only did he have to switch roles - from a software engineer to a salesman - he also had to deal with the cultural and language barrier.

He ate the same few dishes every day, as he could not understand the menu, which was mostly in Korean.

He also had to make adjustments to changes in his job scope.

"Instead of having people come to me and ask for my expertise, I had to go out to approach people and persuade them to buy my (company's) software. It was really a big change in attitude and mentality for me then," said Mr Chang.

He also had to make the effort to learn and appreciate the different lifestyle of South Koreans who typically do not speak much English.

"There are many misconceptions about Koreans, but they are not what they seem on the surface," he said. "You have to interact more with them, and you'll find that they are very warm and loud when they gather."