My work experience since graduation, written for reference by some friends who are feeling lost.

Thread Content

This post was last edited by Lost in Thoughts on 2013-10-15 at 15:33. Introduction — Seeing many graduates struggling to find work, I’ve written down my own work experience for everyone’s reference. It’s not that I’m particularly successful now; I’m still just a humble technician. It’s kind of a way for me to reflect on my own progress! The language organization isn’t very good; please forgive me! I graduated in 2008; I’m from the countryside and completed an associate degree in mechanical manufacturing. During my three years of college, I spent most of my time playing video games, especially CS and the Warcraft series. Before graduating, I attended my school’s job fair, submitted less than 10 resumes, and was eventually given a trial period at one company. At that time, the company had less than 20 employees in total, including office staff, and was engaged in the processing and manufacturing of non-ferrous metals; today, the number of employees is around 120. Our group of 7 people from the school started working at the company by doing the most basic tasks, such as grinding, polishing, pickling, and performing auxiliary tasks related to welding protection. Since I arrived at the company, I have been working on polishing, protecting, and pickling. At first, I didn’t know the tricks for protection; the light from TIG welding hurt my eyes so much that I had tears flowing while sleeping at night, and my eyes couldn’t tolerate any light during the day – it was very painful. But after getting used to it, it no longer mattered. I started grinding, day after day; I often worked overtime at night as well. I used grinders ranging from the smallest to the largest size, and by the time I got up the next day, my right fingers were so bent that I couldn’t straighten them – I had to force them back into place myself. It felt like my hands no longer belonged to me. The polished welds and the surface of the product are all black. This kind of work continued for over half a year. I thought about giving up at some point, but in the end I persisted, because I had to support myself; I couldn’t keep asking my parents for help. Around April 2008, I was fortunate to go on a business trip with the company’s experts for on-site installation, which lasted for a month. But I still can’t understand single-line diagrams or flowcharts; my role is only to cut the materials and handle the welds. While waiting for the materials to arrive, I looked at the single-line diagrams and flowcharts, and gradually an outline of the device took shape. By comparing them with the actual device, I learned how to read single-line diagrams and flowcharts. I have gained a basic understanding of pipeline drawings. PS: At that time, the supervisor asked me to get a flange; I didn’t know which one to choose, so he handed me a flange and said, \"Take one with the same markings as this one...\" In August 2008, based on my first business trip experience, the company gave me the pipeline installation drawings for a certain site and assigned me as the technician for that project. It was 3 months until they left. Back then, it was the first time I held a thick stack of drawings: floor plans, pipe routing diagrams, comprehensive material lists for pipes, pipe rack schedules, general layout plans, technical specifications, and so on. At that time, I wasn’t able to make full use of those drawings; I could only look at the pipe routing diagrams and tell the experienced workers how a particular pipeline ran, what was inside it, and how it was connected – it was quite silly of me. Back then, I didn’t even know what SO meant for flanges, even when customers showed me the material lists and asked me. In the end, the project could not be completed on schedule, so the company had no choice but to hire specialized installers from outside to help, and the project was finally finished. From this project, I finally understood the purpose of the complete set of drawings, and I also went through the pressure testing. Laid the groundwork for the next project. PS: While looking at the blueprints, I watch how they arrange the pipes, just to ensure proper protection. In 2009, there were also various small business trips for installation and maintenance work. I think it was in May 2009; I finally led a team for on-site installation work on a small renovation project. It was my first time leading such an installation task, and I had mixed feelings about it. It took 2 weeks; including the overtime hours during those 2 weeks, it can be said that it took 3 weeks in total to complete the work. Thinking about it now, give me a week and I’ll definitely take care of him! Many problems arose along the way, with repeated rework... I was completely exhausted at that time. I won’t go into details. In September 2009, I went on another business trip to install something on-site at a company. It’s similar to the project from 2008; I acted as a technician, but this time it’s different from before as I arranged the drawings very reasonably. I communicate with the client to address any issues related to unreasonable designs in the pipeline drawings, and to discuss various suggestions. But during the installation process, an issue arose: the lead technician suffered a foot fracture as a result of an accident and had to return home to recover. I took on all the responsibilities, handling everything from the blueprints to the actual installation work as well as various administrative tasks. During the day I was involved in piping work, and at night I would go back to sort through the blueprints and prepare for the next day’s work. In the last month, I usually went to bed around 12 o’clock. And that’s how it goes, until the task is completed in the end. Those who have experienced this know all the hardships involved! This project will last 2 months! After returning, considering my past experience, the company assigned me another project abroad, to be manufactured and installed in our company before being shipped overseas. From submitting the drawings to final delivery. Now, the process is also mentioned in between. Originally, I was only responsible for the technical aspects of this project; I didn’t need to get involved in the installation itself. However, some issues arose during that period – the main personnel responsible for installation resigned for certain reasons, so I had to take charge of the installation myself (there weren’t many people in the company who could do it at that time). The completion of this project was delayed from the end of 2009 until August 2010 before it could finally be delivered. Thanks to this project, I have gained a lot of management experience as well as an understanding of the requirements for projects abroad. After the overseas project was completed, I submitted my resignation letter to the company, stating that the pressure was the reason. The so-called pressure finally overwhelmed me! Then it took me one and a half months to get my driver’s license, after which I went to the construction site to work as a pipefitter; we were working on carbon steel storage tanks there, and the sun was extremely harsh at that time! No urine is produced no matter how much water is drunk. And then, for some reason, I ended up back where I started, just doing technical work – drawing up project plans and developing manufacturing processes, without actually getting involved in the installation process... That’s more or less what happened. Perhaps some people will ask if you’ve succeeded? ——I don’t have any; I’m just gradually gaining experience, aiming to deliver quality work over time. What I want to tell everyone is that there is no such thing as good or bad jobs; what matters is whether you can seize opportunities and persevere. In my opinion, the most important thing in work is perseverance! It’s not true that your role is fixed once you’re in it; you need to strive for opportunities, be able to tolerate loneliness, and be prepared to endure hardships. Confusion and stress are always present; if you can overcome them, you succeed, otherwise you fail. After graduating from university, we are like infants in society – we have to learn everything, and various pressures may arise; in other words, there are many opportunities available. Joining work — Confusion — Stress — Finding one’s place — Perseverance — Success! I think any job follows this principle the same way. What you need is to adapt to society, rather than complaining about it. Another point is whether you can see your future career path while working; it’s also important to know if the company offers a platform that suits you. If not, try to learn as much as possible before changing jobs. Don’t rush into making a switch, because if you do so in haste and end up moving to another job without having learned anything, you will still fail in the end! It’s a vicious cycle! Only by learning, by mastering it, by putting in effort, and by working hard can you succeed!