Yang, who holds a master's degree in civil engineering from National Taiwan University, started his career with a private company and became an associate technical specialist with the Kaohsiung County Government in 1986. He grew familiar with local affairs through numerous visits to towns and villages. His experience in politics as a parliamentarian at both the local and the national levels turned out to be valuable political capital for him.
台大土木工程研究所畢業的他曾於民間公司任職，民國 75 年起擔任高雄縣政府薦任技士，遍走縣內各鄉里，他對於地方事務的熟稔加上後來議會和立法院的問政經驗，都是寶貴政治資產。