October 25, 2023

I flew to Texas today to take part in a hardware repair competition hosted by Samsung. It tests the aptitudes of device knowledge, diagnostic intelligence, and repair tool and fixture usage from fifteen technicians around the USA, selected by Samsung (SEA). This competition can be for various departments, such as the Home Appliance division, to their Mobile Experience division, covering devices like smartphones and watches.

Information about this specific event can be found on the Samsung Newsroom website.

2023 MX Repair Competition

In this image, North is depicted with a gray blazer.

I had only a night's rest before the competition, which started the next day. When that day came, I met the other finalists who flew in from all over the country; some within Samsung's own repair facilities, and some with business partners via uBreakiFix. While most of us were first-time contestants, there were a number of returning finalists from years past who were already sharing new repair experiences, how the industry has shifted, and the new challenges that the sector faces. Meeting with people who also possess the technical knowledge and passion in your daily work environment is already an unique experience, but it doesn't compare to entering the building of the company behind it all, where it seems like its own society of enthusiasts for technology and preservation alike, seeing people from all walks of the world collaborate for a common purpose which benefits users around the globe. One thing that got to me were the amount of foreign nationals who have consolidated into these headquarters, which makes for an ecosystem where everyone is treated equally as important.

Given the existence of Samsung Town in South Korea, it only makes sense that their subsidiary headquarters also aim to emulate this exact feeling.

I didn't receive the crowning placement, but I did have a great experience learning and using some new tools that I haven't had access to at my job. Watching the methods and techniques others used reminded me that there's still room for creativity in this sector. The competition went relatively smoothly, and was finished in about two and a half hours. We were also granted access to tour the rest of the Samsung Legacy HQ building afterward, and it ended with a celebratory night out with Samsung MX management and other finalists. I am looking forward to the possibility of returning as a finalist next year.

Other

I explored a limited amount and walked to a few towns over, just for the experience. Since we weren't able to take any personal transportation of course, I was only able to go where my feet took me. I actually didn't hate Dallas or Plano. I could see myself living there in the future, especially with job opportunities with Texas Instruments and Samsung being present. It was a suburban area; thankfully not metropolitan, but also not stereotypically rural like many places here in Florida.