【My Story】I go further and further on the path of chemistry

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I moved further and further away from the field of chemistry. In November 2011, I entered a chemical company as an intern after graduating from school; my first experience there was introductory training, during which I had no real understanding of chemistry. After the 15-day training, we were assigned to various workshops. “It has a smell, it’s very noisy, but the workshop is just as it looks on TV...” That was my first impression. A mentor was assigned to me, I got to know my colleagues, and I became familiar with the layout of the factory. And then, I started my routine of working shifts, learning new skills, conducting inspections, and operating the equipment... At that time, WeChat hadn’t been widely used yet; after work, I would go around the dormitory area with cash to buy some food and drinks, and then either go to sleep or stay on standby. That’s how three years passed... Since my major was in petrochemical engineering, the company assigned me to the southern plant to learn about other manufacturing processes, and yet another year passed in a blur. Once it’s completed, the new project will be set up, and then I’ll start learning about the new project. The process packages purchased were all in English, and with only a junior college education, my English skills were far from sufficient. I had no choice but to study secretly; once the company found out, it initiated a campaign to promote English learning. The entire project took almost two years to get off the ground, and I spent those two years learning as well. The practical experience I gained in previous years was combined with what I learned during those two years. It wasn’t until about five years after 2011 that I finally understood what chemical engineering actually entailed and how the common equipment worked. With the new workshop starting operations, I went from a newcomer to a veteran employee; during that time I met my girlfriend, bought a house, and got married... It was another few years of alternating day and night, and this period caused me to gradually lose touch with my friends and started to develop depression. After analyzing myself, I realized that through all these years of experience, aside from chemistry, I don’t know anything else; as a result, I had no choice but to continue working in the field of chemistry. It was from this point that I truly regarded chemical engineering as my career and began to actively improve myself. In 2020, I stepped out of that comfort zone, went to another company, and embarked on a new journey. During that time, I obtained a bachelor’s degree, expanded my experience in the field of chemical engineering, participated in one plant operation to ensure its stable functioning, and trained key personnel at various levels within the plant. Over the course of two full years, I realized how lacking my knowledge was in the field of chemistry, and how inexperienced I was in terms of management. In 2022, I went to a company renowned for its strict management and took on the role of workshop supervisor. From project construction, design, procurement, installation... it is only when the tasks and responsibilities fall on one’s own shoulders that one realizes just how naive all the work done before was, and how superficial the knowledge possessed was. Over three years, through experiments, design work, process development, instrumentation, and equipment-related tasks, I have seen overall improvements in my skills. This experience has made me more humble and cautious, driving me to be more careful and meticulous... By 2025, I am now someone who attracts the attention of headhunters. I continue to move further along my career in the chemical industry; I remain committed to learning and improving, expanding my knowledge base, and regularly seeking out useful information from various sources. I hope that one day, when I look back on myself, I will be able to thank the person who worked hard back then, and thank Haichuan for giving me the opportunity to keep a record of it.