The experience of a graduate who graduated many years ago

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I am 39 years old this year. I graduated from graduate school at the age of 25 and have been working for 14 years. Looking back, I would say I took quite a few detours, and I have gained some experience and lessons from them. Now I run a small company, and the money I earn is just enough to support my family. Looking at these newly graduated students, they are also confused about their future prospects. I’d like to share my thoughts in an effort to stimulate discussion; my knowledge is limited to science and engineering fields, as I’m not familiar with the humanities, and I don’t have any friends who specialize in those areas. 　　I graduated from graduate school in 1991, and at that time there was only one option: to stay in a state-owned enterprise in Beijing and obtain a Beijing residence permit, which was the best choice. In the following 2 to 3 years, once the residence status was settled, there were four possible paths: 1) Join large domestic companies, such as Huawei; 2) Start one’s own company and engage in product development ； 　　3. Work for foreign companies, such as Ericsson and Nokia. 4. Start one’s own company and engage in business ； 　　5. Moving to Canada I think the first thing is to figure out what suits me best Work in technology or in business. 　　To work in technology, you need to be interested in it. I counted them: out of the 30 or so people in our graduate class, only about 3 or 4 were actually suitable for working in technical roles. Of these, one person is still working at Huawei, while the other three have immigrated to Canada. These four people are doing well; the one who was at Huawei has also moved to Canada. He stayed at Huawei for 6 years, and his total earnings from bonuses and salary there were around 300,000. In addition, he had shares in Huawei, and in a few years, once those shares go public, they could be worth 1 to 2 million. If I had joined Huawei right after graduation, the figure would definitely not be this one now. 　　If you want to work in technology, the best option is to join large companies, especially those in China such as Huawei and ZTE; they are definitely the first choice as you can learn a lot there. Although Huawei is under pressure, young people should not be afraid of hard work. If one has to keep striving even in old age, that’s when it’s truly exhausting. 　　In foreign companies, I think their main roles are technical support and sales, but it’s not possible to learn much in terms of technology there. Of course, this is not a generalization; I’m referring to companies like Ericsson and Nokia – actual research and development does not take place in China there, and the opportunities to learn are not as many as at Huawei. As for ZTE, I’m not very familiar with it, but I guess it’s pretty good too. 　　It is considered traditional that everyone should have a special skill or talent of their own; this way, no matter where they go, they can make a living, and even do so fairly well. 　　Any technology needs to be applied in a certain industry, and the larger the market for that industry, the better, of course ； To delve deep into a particular field and become an absolute expert is the choice for those who pursue a technical career path. Don’t jump from one thing to another; in China, even in the smallest industries, if you delve deep into them, it’s possible to generate significant profits. When graduate students first finish school, many of them get involved in product development – they just decide on their own that a certain product has a market potential and then go ahead and develop it on their own. It seems that none of my classmates who are involved in product development have been successful. Why is that? Insufficient resources. 　　1. Money: Fresh graduates simply don’t have any money ； Having no money also means that the things you develop are all small-scale products ； Moreover, it can only be handled by a few people themselves; research and development, production, and sales are all done by one or a few individuals. With no prior experience, everything has to be started from scratch. 　　2. Networking: In any industry, to get in, one needs strong networking skills; otherwise, who will use your products or services? Who would dare to use your things? 　　As far as I can see, in my class, there’s only one person who is still working on developing products. To be honest, up to now he doesn’t own a car or a house; his situation is pretty poor. Leaving aside those who go abroad now, those working in foreign companies or at Huawei earn annual salaries of several hundred thousand yuan at the very least, along with various benefits. But what’s the point even if a product is developed successfully? That’s it then, but in those previous years, there was no accumulation of money at all; it was like working for nothing. 　　Among my classmates in the graduate program in automation, there are only 2 people who are able to make a decent living by developing their own products. It shows that this path isn’t easy to walk on. 　　Next is working for a foreign company. Two of my classmates – one went to Ericsson, and the other first worked at Ericsson and then at Nokia – are both doing well. Later, at Nokia, he used the connections he had made there – namely those key figures in the telecommunications industry – to start his own company, and he made quite a lot of money. 　　The greatest advantage of working for a foreign company is that, in addition to learning standardized management practices, it also adds value to your career. Once you’re at a foreign company, it should be easy to move on to another foreign company in the same industry. And foreign companies offer high salaries. 　　When starting one’s own company and engaging in business, 3 to 4 people initially took this path, but only one of them became wealthy; the others later went to work for foreign companies. To do business, one needs a certain amount of talent as well as opportunities. One must have a naked desire for money and a business acumen. Later, we classmates talked among ourselves and said that even if we gave ourselves this opportunity, we might not be able to do it well. Moreover, the product that that classmate was optimistic about at the time (acting as an agent for a Taiwanese product) wasn’t seen as promising by any of us, which shows that the truth still lies in the hands of a few people. 　　Later on, many of my classmates emigrated to Canada. 　　Moving to Canada is still a good option for those with technical skills, but it’s best to do so as early as possible – after gaining a few years of experience in that field, one should head abroad right away. In 1996, less than 10 people left; now they’re all doing well, having bought houses and cars. If it’s too late, it will be difficult to learn a new language. Moreover, if one can get by fairly well at home, there’s no need to go abroad. 　　As for me, I first spent 4 years working at a state-owned research institute, then worked at a company for 6 years. In 2002, I started my own business. Now I manage to make enough to cover my basic needs; I have a house and a car, as well as some savings, though not much. I also have a lovely daughter. Looking back on these past decade or so, there are some experiences and lessons. 1. One should have a career plan. First, one needs to figure out what is suitable for them to do – whether it’s engaging in business or working in technology, and stick with that path to the end ； Of course, if you develop technical skills, you can switch careers later as well ； 　　2. To work in technology means to excel and delve deeply into it, becoming an expert in that particular area of technology within the industry ； It’s best to go to large companies in the domestic market, as that will allow you to learn everything comprehensively and provide you with opportunities for training ； If it’s not possible to join a large company, start by working at a smaller one to gain skills, and then look for an opportunity to move to a larger company to acquire more advanced expertise. Never try to develop products on your own; if you do, wait until you are familiar with this industry first. 　　3. Actively seek opportunities. Actively seek opportunities for learning and improvement. For example, in the field of technology, one needs to practice more and learn more* in order to improve their skills. Any skill can be learned as long as there is a chance to study it* ； Without the opportunity, even a genius cannot learn this skill. Liu Chuanzhi said that Yang Yuanqing was the kind of person who \"cried and pleaded for progress\", in reality, he was just trying to secure his own opportunities ； Of course, this strong desire for progress is also something that leaders value. By taking the lead in every step and accumulating over 10 years, you will have more opportunities than others. 　　4. Build personal credibility. From the first day of your career, you must act in accordance with the principle of integrity. To achieve that, when people mention your name, they should say that this guy is pretty decent and does a good job. 　　5. Pay attention to making use of resources. If you have wealthy relatives, successful elders, or friends, you can make full use of these opportunities to achieve a smoother path forward. 　　6. Pay attention to the continuous accumulation of wealth. To achieve freedom in life, wealth is very important. Otherwise, one will always be at the mercy of others and have to consider their feelings at all times. People are all snobs. In future family life and career, it is important to accumulate money; without it, one can never start one’s own business or gain more opportunities ； Wealth must be accumulated year by year in order to enjoy a happy family life. It is impossible to have a happy family without money. 　　7. Pay attention to building a network of contacts. In the end, a career relies on social connections and resources. Be sure to get to know people in your industry and make friends with them; eventually, they will become a help to your career. 　　8. Seek the help of influential people. Find a big boss to help you and gain their approval. Think about it: for a big cake, just a small piece is enough; for a small cake, even if you give it all to you, you still won’t be full. 　　9. Listen more to the advice of successful predecessors and friends. Be careful to pay less attention to the opinions of older family members, especially those who are already retired; their understanding of society remains from a long time ago, while society has changed greatly since then. Most importantly, elders sometimes force you to do certain things, but they are not responsible for the consequences. Only you can be responsible for yourself.