All It Takes Is One Yes: Kobe’s Journey from the Philippines to Canada

The Canadian tech market is tough right now. Kobe will be the first one to tell you that — and he’s living proof that getting through it is still possible.

A front-end engineer with seven years of experience in the Philippines, Kobe had already worked with remote teams across the UK, Japan, Africa, and the United States before he ever set foot in Canada. He knew how to collaborate across time zones and cultures. He was technically solid. By most measures, he was ready.

But ready doesn’t always mean it’s easy.

The Reality of Breaking Into the Canadian Market

When Kobe started his search, he quickly realized the scale of the competition. It wasn’t just about standing out among local candidates. Developers from all over the world are targeting the same North American roles — senior engineers, principal engineers, staff engineers — all applying to the same postings at the same time.

“A lot of the fresh graduates, a lot of the people born and raised in Canada, they have to work really hard to compete with the market of senior engineers coming into North America,” Kobe explains. “It’s a very difficult market.”

What helped him cut through the noise was narrowing his search to companies that were actually open to hiring and relocating international talent — not just tolerating it, but actively looking for it. That’s the filter he found through VanHack, a platform built specifically to connect skilled international tech workers with employers who want them.

“VanHack highlights the companies that really favor foreign skilled workers,” he says. “That’s what I liked about it.”

More Than a Job Search

For Kobe, this wasn’t just a career move. Most of his family had already relocated to Canada years earlier — some had their permanent residency, one had already become a citizen. He had stayed behind in the Philippines to wrap up loose ends, but the plan was always to follow.

VanHack gave him a way to make that happen with a job offer already in hand.

“I wanted to immigrate to Canada for a better life and for a better experience in my career,” he says. “VanHack allowed me to find work here and be with my family.”

What Actually Got Him the Role

When asked what made him stand out during the hiring process, Kobe points to two things.

The first is technical range — a wide command of front-end languages and a background in building and scaling front-end architecture. That’s table stakes at his level.

The second is harder to put on a resume.

“The person who hired me — we just connected on a very deep level. We vibed,” he says. “As important as it is to be professionally skilled and confident in your ability to do the job, it’s important to work well with a team. To bounce off ideas with no friction, no resistance.”

He’s quick to acknowledge that this kind of fit isn’t something you can manufacture. But you can show up open to it — and that openness, he believes, is what got him through the door.

“A lot of people can be trained. A lot of people are willing to learn. They just need to be given a chance.”

One Year In

Kobe is approaching his one-year work anniversary, and the list of things that have changed is significant. He has his own apartment in Canada — his first space that is truly his own. He completed a college certification in Vancouver. At work, he has taken on more responsibility and found his rhythm with the team after an initial adjustment period.

That adjustment, he notes, was real. Moving from a remote, Asia-based work culture into a North American team dynamic took time. But he leaned on something he learned growing up in the Philippines, a country with enormous cultural diversity.

“Just having an open-mindness to a lot of things,” he says. “Everyone has different sets of cultures, practices, and beliefs. Just being willing to hear, listen, and understand where people come from — and giving that same courtesy back.”

The One Piece of Advice He’d Give

For developers still in the middle of the search — grinding through applications, waiting for responses, questioning whether it’s worth it — Kobe keeps it simple.

“Don’t ever give up. All it takes is one yes, and that changes your life forever. Just keep believing that you will find the right fit.”

One year ago, Kobe was waiting for his yes. Now he’s home.

If you’re a tech professional exploring international opportunities, you can create a profile at vanhack.com/signup.