From France to Seoul: The Journey of Our Business Developer, Elodie Szablewski

Tell us more about yourself.

Elodie: I am a French/Polish mechanical engineer who dropped my stable office life to move to South Korea and live the challenging life I always dreamed of! Now I am back to the office life, but I still cultivate tons of passion and extra-professional activities. I probably suffer from hyperactivity. ??

How did you end up in Korea??

Elodie: While on a business trip in my former job, I stumbled upon a forum from Study in Korea introducing the Korean government scholarship program. Without much thought, I applied, and it turned out that I had been selected! I quit my job and within a few months, I became a Korean resident. After one year of Korean language studies in Daejeon, I completed an MBA program at Yonsei University and now I have restarted my career at Seoul Robotics. ^^

As a foreigner in Korea, could you share your experience of what life is like living there??

Elodie: Living as a foreigner in a country dramatically opposed to the one I come from is my assurance to never be bored - It’s a bunch of fun! Just walking in the streets and observing the world makes me learn new things everyday. The challenge of adapting to a new culture, speaking the language, and understanding the people is a limitless adventure. Speaking specifically of Korea, I found a comfort I couldn't find in any other country, a sense of security and order that comes with responsibilities, which I am happy to comply with.

Can you explain your roles and responsibilities in Seoul Robotics??

Elodie: I am working in Business Development for the ATI team, which is in charge of the autonomous driving through infrastructure solution in the company. As a small-size team, I get to touch on all aspects of the business and work on projects with clients all around the world. It is particularly fulfilling as it is an absolute innovative solution that presents a lot of challenges and unfamiliar aspects that makes this development very exciting!

What inspired you to join Seoul Robotics, and what do you hope to achieve while working here??

Elodie: The real reason that eventually made me consider joining is seeing a team picture on Linkedin. I thought “That looks like a cool company”. I have had different working experiences before, and I knew that what matters to me the most is my colleagues ?

As a foreigner, what are some of the challenges you've faced while living and working in Korea??

Elodie: Korean working culture and French working culture are drastically different. I can’t hide that I have been influenced by the French way, and I am an extreme example - I say what I want to say, I disagree if I want to disagree, and I am not afraid to speak my mind. I actually think it is necessary to progress. In Korea, there is no need to explain - you better not be like me! I admit I have faced very frustrating situations sometimes because of this, but now I am actually glad I get to experience it. I acknowledge that I am very satisfied with how the country is functioning as a whole, and that the Korean approach must have played a big role in it: respect elders, listen to your superiors, and just do your job without discussion. So, it is very challenging to adapt, but I want to understand what makes this all so successful in the end. Fighting to me!

What are your future goals and aspirations in your career, and how do you plan to accomplish them?

Elodie: I want to gradually return to more technical activities. Doing business is fun; it takes me out of the office, allows me to meet people, and I love it. However, deep down, nothing fulfills me more than creation and hands-on work. Although it was not my major in school, I love programming and ultimately want to help the development team. Seoul Robotics sets aside a training budget for employees, and I am using it to take technical courses related to my product so I can gain useful knowledge to optimize my performance. These two jobs are very complementary; who can better sell a product than the person who worked on it?

What have you discovered about yourself as a result of your experience at Seoul Robotics, and how has it influenced your personal and professional growth?

Elodie: I worked in my home country, and now I work abroad. There is a huge gap between how I perceived my skills back then and how I perceive them now. Now, I get to meet so many more people from different backgrounds in a very international and multicultural organization. If in France, I thought I had achieved 80% of what I could learn, it suddenly dropped below 50% now that my standards have raised here. For example, I am particularly impressed by my director's communication skills; it makes me realize the room for improvement I have. Back in France, I thought I was killing it in English, but now, comparing myself to some of my colleagues, I feel like I can't align two proper sentences anymore! This environment is a great motivator in so many aspects!