(Photo by Vanessa Sig)
In certain stages of our life, we make hefty decisions such as picking the right profession, dumping a relationship, where you live, who do you marry, resigning a good job, having a child or not, and many others. Few of them are of my age’s concern. Yet, having been around for two decades, I have gone through similar experiences of my average age. As we mature, we learn to consider for externalities when we make a decision. One of these decisions that bother us is whether or not to pursue our dream or not.
Strange. Why would anyone not pursue after his own heart?
There are times when we work towards something seemingly hopeless, and sometimes ultimately doomed. At this time, your parents, friends and mate toss at you their disagreements with phrases such as “Stupid!” and the deadly “Be mature and realistic”, unless you succeeded. With such a supportive group and people whose total knowledge and lifespan exceeds that of you, and presumbly with good will, how could you go against them and not defy your heart?
The platitude is that you should never give up. However, we do not live in the pleasure of idealogy. Which then, the reality follows : If many of our loved ones warns us to withdraw, we best take heed. Gotcha! Now you have just gone against your heart. But what if you truly desires it from the roots of your heart? You will then regret over not having done it. Worse, you found out that you should have done it. You come back to the same decision a decade later, and realized you stagnated a decade. Now the guilt comes to haunt you. Not them. Yup. The guilt haunts YOU, not those who convinced you to go astray the path.
How long will the guilt haunt you? Depends, maybe not for life, but it is already painful if the guilt haunts you for half a decade. Now, if picking a profession is quite a difficult thing for non-mainstream choices such as being a software developer in Hong Kong, or be a Biochemist in Macau, or want to work as an author, or be frank and admit to your sexual orientation, and many others. You really have strong reasons to not follow your heart. But if they turn out to be your heart truest call, this can haunt you for ages.
The following is a boring story about me. When I made the decision to come to Shanghai, I effectively and consciously gave up a lot of things I concern in Hong Kong and Macau. It was not just the salary that was significantly different, but think about the guilt that you cannot look after your sick mother, or unable to participate in your friends event, as well as leaving your mate, and living alone sometimes questioning in despair, and much more. Even until this moment, I am still on my journey to pursue my dream – a desire that sprouted deep inside my heart – but it can end up in disaster or just wrong. Security, and computers, and it is just not the best place in Hong Kong, and I cruelly made a decision. Banks fire administrators and programmers only to leave their banks for hackers to take advantage. True, I can still get a life in Hong Kong, but it is just not the right place to start. Hong Kong is a large city. Unfortunately, it is not tailored for information security. Now I am in Shanghai, because I am after my heart’s calling, I do not cry at the Sunday nights prior to work. You might have heard work must be boring, but I discovered in my life otherwise it is quite worth anticipating. After one year, I discovered another team which I should have been in is actually much more fruitful in career development, and I am sure I am almost considered stupid and foolish to join a team that bears dimmer future, relatively. However, I know in some sense that getting promoted quicker in that team will just bring upon another detour of a year or two, and which will just bring me back to the security team I am in now – the starting position I was in a year ago. Note, I am not satisfied yet.
“Be mature” is a very severely abused term the people around us placed upon us to coerce us to do things they see unfit, much as critics phrasing “how unprofessional” to experts but without substantial and concrete evidence. The people around teach us to be “mature” to not be selfish and not “act just in your own best interests”. Yet, in some case, I believe we should be solely responsible for our own life. We cannot just live up to what others expect of us.
It is true that externalities must be considered, such as divorcing and hence neglecting your kids. At some stage, you will be tied with so much weight that you can no longer move freely. If you know that you cannot walk on your own legs six months later, what will you do? It is highly unlikely you will experience a miracle, but you might. However, for me, I assume no miracles, and I will walk as much as I want to before I cannot. I do not want to cry in my wheelchair moaning : I should have walked much more frantically before I cannot walk.
“If you suddenly found yourself living as an ape, you could accept the life of an ape and devote yourself to eating bananas all day and try to be a good ape, or you could attempt to become more than an ape and evolve into a human. Once you did that, all your ape goals and accomplishments would seem utterly meaningless compared to your new human capabilities.” If you feel wrong to be an ape, get a change.
If you believe you do not deserve crying in your laps, once in a while questioning whether or not you are doing the right thing, you should bear in mind you should follow what your heart desires. Did you wonder why you must live upon the judgement of the others, and feel so unhappy when the others do not approve of you, and thus making your day? If you want to get rid of such harsh feelings, get out of the path others have set for you.
Live a life after your own heart.
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Man in Central – 創意大爆炸
Steven Pavlina – The Meaning of Life: How Shall We Live?
唔少人都覺得讀電腦既人就等於識整機，仲要係咩機都識整。唔識呀？「咁渣架」！不過我都講過，呢個係誤會，識得整機只係我地誤打誤撞學曉既技能，好多進修課程同大學都唔係教整機，正如識煮餸通常會幾識食一樣，不過無一定架嘛。
咁軟件設計工程師做啲咩既呢？
要明白我地要做啲咩，就要明白我地啲拍檔係做緊咩。通常開發一個程式，會有三大要職：
１．編程員 (Developer)
２．測試人員 (Tester)
３．項目經理 (Program Manager)
測試人員主要係睇下啲功能有無爛到，工作係咪正常，同咪要千方百計整爛個程式，希望將問題搵出來，唔好比啲客見到就唔好，家醜不外傳嘛！編程員最憎佢地因為佢地就係嗰啲專門「斷六親」、「篤背脊」、等事，而最緊要係佢地會指出編程員做錯野。不過無咗佢地，個程式有返咁上下大，都好大機會爛到七彩。
項目經理唔係管人，佢地係管細節同做決定。譬如說，個 MSN 啲人名太長時，究竟係就咁 “Far Away From” 定係 “Far Away From…”，定仰或係 “Far Away From >” 有個箭嘴、再click一下會有全名出來；呢啲咁奇怪既決定，同埋同啲客仔打交道，都係佢地做晒。或者咁講，編程員同測試人員唔做既野，就係佢地食晒落肚架喇！
編程員，就係大家覺得最多聽到既，其實係軟件設計工程師既其中一項重要工作。佢地每日對住啲 0xc00000fd 同 *p++ = *t++ 呢堆野。嘩！一睇就知變態野。當然，除咗呢啲之外，程式既結構同問題，都係我地落手落腳（即係泥水工人！）去做，而渣fit呢樣野，通常我地唔夠啲項目經理惡：佢地最鍾意話：「個大客話 xxx！」
呢一編野係我寫既，去睇下少少喇。
…
你肯定未睇，睇一睇幾眼就得架喇；唔睇你唔明我下面講咩架。
…
好喇，係咪唔知我寫咩呢？正常，明既話你就肯定係做呢行，明既話而唔係做呢行，睇怕你都係入錯行！呢啲就係我地平時見到有個程式炒咗之後，要做既一件事。都幾恐怖架！除咗呢啲之外，對於一個程式點可以做到支持到一日幾百萬人咁，都係我地既工作，即係好似 Google Search 同 Live Search，唔簡單架。順帶一提，通常小企既開發工程小隊，通常會認為最好有齋以上三個職位，先至健全既！
大家又對啲瘋狂編程員又多咗暸解喇！
You ask : With a day job, how can I travel and experience more?
As a day-job worker, I work in an office in general, and has to work extensively over-time occasionally, how could I sneak out?
It is not easy. My annual leaves are very limited. But since I really love travelling, there are still tricks to employ.
Try your neighborhood first
I have visited a few places over this year, but a few only – Beijing (北京), HangZhou (杭州), JiangXi (江西). Also playing in different places in and near Shanghai (上海), such as Yangcheng Lake (陽澄湖), ZhuJiaJiao(朱家角), and HuangShan(黃山). They are all close to Shanghai in some sense.
A weekend has two days
My trips were mostly done over the weekend, or plus a day more for HuangShan. It is exhausting, but you can also take a splurge.
Be efficient
I am only free in Beijing for a day and a night. But I made it to the SiMaTai (司馬台) section of Great Wall (萬里長城) and TianAnMen (天安門), and of course the food & beverage of WangFuJian (王府井) and HouHai (後海). I even have had theBeijing roast ducks! Yummy! Be efficient, and this goes the same for everything.
Go again
As you have guessed, one day and a night is not enough for Beijing. I didn’t make it into the Forbidden City (故宮) or see the raise of the China flag. Therefore, I will have to go to Beijing again.
Work during Travel
Seriously. We are in the Internet Age. Being based in Shanghai, I am now in Macau at my very own room connecting to my own desktop in office – working. Maybe you can find a job where you can work outside of office. Like Christine Gilbert said, travelling around the world does not mean quitting your job now. Of course, not all jobs work this way, but you can certainly try.
For some of us, we have only a few days to travel over the year. However, maybe the rest of you actually have a choice to sneak out.
明天週末，依然上班。我放棄休息時間，頹廢一夜，K房片刻，巧遇啓蒙老師，竟然有另一番體會，或許我要重新考慮一下自己的未來。激勵他人，我倒是做過不少，被人間接提點至此，實在是難得。
這一夜歡躍歌聲，也許影響我一生未來。
有甚麼原因會令一個人離開了一家公司想再入內工作?
除了錢，似乎是工作自身了。
我就認識朋友在香港入了 H 公司而往後轉職，在對付了一些似乎是不惑高齡的 Cobol 語言（注：是一門沒人再會用的東西， 極不人性。) 就完全對香港的環境絕望。說出來，也不會有人為他出頭。我說過，香港不是 I.T. 人的覓食地域，大部份努力皆是徒然的，他走得快，可能是明智抉擇。
把公司的暑期工當作賤價工人差使，向來不是好計策，除了是不想他再回來，才會想把他用盡至極虐待至死，原因是若果人材因此而得到一個印象是：「嘩！不是吧，每天都要這樣子？三個月就夠了！轉職了轉職了！一輩子還可以的嗎？！」那他一定給打死也不會願意吃回頭草。以前一直有留意，似乎不少外資公司都有不成文規矩，絕不會虧待暑期工，為甚麼呢？
社會呀社會，沒可能是沒利益在內的。想呀想。
若然閣下是在美國中國英國的名牌大學的學生，討價還價的籌碼可就不一樣了，若果給了苦差，大可以向大學學系或教授直接訴苦，在教授感到「甚麼！我的頂尖學生竟然給派去幹這等苦差？！當我是甚麼？我怎樣可以向其他人炫耀？！」後，一於來個同歸於盡：不再介紹學生來貴公司，留他們做研究更好。既然不能得失教授，似乎公司也很識趣地按排盡可能有趣有難度的給學生做，以免做得不開心，不止損失了一位人材，還失去了人材的水源。
站在校方角度，教授不但可以炫耀自己學生做過甚麼有難度有意義有名氣的工作，而且又能在每年的開放日大大隻字寫在顯眼的地方，把那些不懂世故的準大學生和不懂行情的父母騙進來，人材的水源之路由此開拓。
站在公司角度，每年為了不能失去一堆名流大學而竭盡所能地按排有趣的工作，好讓這些暑期工感到好受，若是人材，就可以再招覽到手。聘請人招請了人材，等於為老闆找到人材，讓自己又多一個功勞，作為理由可以升職，更重要的是招覽新人有助推行水漲船高之利，令自己可以一升再升。
站在學生角度，可以享受過程，更可以滿足自己的自尊心，做了些有意義的事情，最重要是寫在履歷表而不失禮人的經驗，為未來打開更美好的前途。他們感到的是不知為甚麼名牌大學總是能有點保障可以進駐名牌公司，而且工作不會很無聊的。在聽了全職的師兄說某公司很刻薄員工後，是否應該進這家公司就算了？
最後，結果是「刀切豆腐三邊滑，一家便宜三家著」。
Hong Kong is well-known for conveying an important message : money! And you must have it not for living comfortably, but living humanely.
Hong Kong is a city well-known for its poor respect and compensation to I.T. personnel, unless you are the exceptional and lucky few who made it to the investment banks. Otherwise, you are probably in demise. Can we go elsewhere?
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Historically, artists cluster to Florence 500 years ago, Shanghai businessmen cluster to Hong Kong at the early 20th century. Until the contemporary, I.T. personnel goes to Silicon Valley, and still a lot of business personnel goes to Hong Kong. Apparently, a lot of people are leaving their hometowns for opportunities, and Hong Kong is considered one of the place of opportunities. This can be testified by its foreign investments and international reputation and fame, and also its cultural diversity that sprouted over the century.
It is common for mainlanders in China to move to Beijing and Shanghai from afar, living their homeland, to look for opportunities. Now, if foreigners have come to Hong Kong for opportunities and mainlanders moved to Bejing and Shanghai for opportunities, apply the same case to local I.T. personnel, why they do not explore elsewhere out of Hong Kong?
Put aside family matters. Let’s talk about the two main incentives for a job : money and fun. Without money, and if you have none originally, however fun, it will not be attractive. Without fun, the capable people who got the money will not even consider the job. However, being a year in Shanghai I can tell you that there are fun jobs in Shanghai and Beijing. So, we will rule out the problem of fun.
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Money, the root of all evil.
Apparently, money matters. The average monthly salary in China of an I.T. undergraduate of a local firm is only about CNY $3000~$4000, which is the same as a decade ago. The rest is mathematics. It is then obvious why Hong Kong I.T. personnel would most likely refuse to go to China, because the compensation is inhumane to their standards. If you were to pick between a job of HKD $12000 and CNY $4000, which would you pick?
Think deeply. Tax in China is higher than that in Hong Kong, and then you have to rent a house and all the daily consumptions and such. Lastly, add to the fact some friends of yours doing a similar job in Hong Kong earning a triple of your monthly salary, and he might still stick to his home and save the daily consumptions, and then also pay less of the tax though he gets a better salary. Lastly, bonus information for you, the living standards in Shanghai surpasses than of Hong Kong. Will you still pick the job in China?
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Over the other facet of the planet, we have United Kingdom and United States, which are both good places for I.T. personnel to hang out at. Yet, both of them do not offer easy entry. Both of them require the employer to demonstrate that the applicant for the job is not available in their country, and even companies such as Microsoft and Google that big are not exempted from the rules.
Moreover, getting a job in other cities and countries is not just a click to submit resume and the employer saying okay. From the perspective of the employer, why hire a foreigner for all the hassle and could even introduce communication problems? You certainly must have a strong reason to justify yourself.
Now, remember you are a fresh undergraduate or just a few years of experience. If you have some really outstanding special abilities, that works. But that seems unlikely for most people. Remember, this is only one of those tough obstacles to hurdle over.
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Now, you are left with very few choices : Build your own company, strive to get into some investment bank, or pray for the luck so you get escorted to the foreign lands. For the first, it is definitely not easy. For the second, this is our primary assumption you cannot get into one, right? Lastly, this is hoping you got into a company who can sent you afar, if not into China.
Can we go elsewhere? Yes, but certainly not as easy as suggested, due to differences in compensation and the entry bar for the prospective countries. And if this path is such a difficult one, it is most likely barred from the commoners, and even above average.
It is not just that you want to go elsewhere, then you can get out. Heard of a spelling P-R-I-S-O-N?
English