Careers

I did not set out to work in piping from the beginning. Elon Musk, whom I have long respected, once said that digital work such as coding may be replaced quickly by AI, while physical work such as piping and welding will remain valuable much longer. That really stayed with me. Semiconductor piping in particular requires millimeter-level precision, so I saw it as one of the hardest areas to automate away. I am not a piping technician myself, but I thought that if I worked in management support at a company full of these specialists, I could build a stable career even in the AI era.

The pay. I had applied to several other industries and had offers from some of them too, including construction, banking, and IT. Honestly, I did not expect compensation in the semiconductor industry to be this high. Overall, it feels about 25-30% higher. When I tell my friends, they are all surprised.

At the beginning of every year, we receive what people often call the thirteenth-month salary, the performance bonus. Each time, I feel that the company and I are growing together. Before this, I worked in industries unrelated to semiconductors, including construction, banking, IT, and medical. I received bonuses there too, but they were about one-third of what I receive now. Those companies had other benefits such as in-house cafes, but personally I do not think any benefit beats being rewarded well financially.

Yes, and it was really unexpected. Work can be repetitive by nature. At my previous job, I sometimes felt stuck in a routine, doing things mechanically, and I also worried about falling behind in the AI era. At BAEKSAN, the company provides AI-related training and creates an environment where we can actually try building things with AI. Thanks to that, I reduced a task that used to take one mechanical hour every day to about ten minutes using AI. For reference, I am not a developer. The company also values experience with AI-assisted coding, whether you are a developer or not. That feels very different from other companies.

When you work in this industry for more than 15 years, you go through many companies. BAEKSAN is definitely different. First of all, it is a primary Samsung Electronics partner. That means the foundation is solid. As long as semiconductor lines continue to operate, the work will not disappear. The company is also growing every year.

I worked at another piping company for about six years. The clear difference after coming to BAEKSAN is that I can communicate directly with the client and participate from the design drawing stage. Because we are a primary partner, I can see the whole project, so the level of technical growth is different. I am also very satisfied with the treatment.

When preparing for the interview, I mostly listed Excel and Word certifications on my resume, but in the interview they actually asked whether I had used AI before. I had happened to build a simple automation tool by myself using AI-assisted coding, so I talked about that, and the response was positive. After joining, I learned that the company values AI-assisted coding experience more than basic tools like Excel or Word. My tip for applicants is to make sure you highlight any experience where you used AI to build something yourself.