Due to his diligently studious nature, he was promoted two years later to the position of photojournalist, thereby becoming the first Taiwanese photojournalist to work in central Taiwan during the Japanese occupation. These achievements did not, however, leave Ch'en Keng-pin prone to an attitude of self-satisfaction.
陳耿彬在國校畢業後便輟學開始工作了。他在一家樂器行做了兩年的童工，十四歲那年，被介紹到台中市唯一的報社﹘ ﹘台灣新聞社寫真部服務，由於幼年時期養成的自立耐勞的習性，加上這段時間的勤勉好學，兩年之後便被升任為攝影記者，成為日據時代中部台籍攝影記者第一人。