Some thoughts on the current situation - help me recommend a few cities by the way

I returned to VA due to the epidemic and stayed at home for more than a year. Recently, I have been restless and started to look for new opportunities. However, this time is different from the smooth sailing before. I encountered some obstacles, but I also made new discoveries and experiences, and I have new thoughts about my future.

Enthusiasm fades

After jumping to C1 last year, I found that my enthusiasm for work was getting less and less. The main reason was that the things I was doing were not very interesting. I had been working on developing new products/businesses before, but it was very uncomfortable to suddenly switch to a stable company/team. Although it is good to have a good job and provide for retirement, I always feel that I can still struggle a little.

Most of the colleagues around me are not from the technical industry, and they don't have a good chemistry. This feeling of being bored and not having any companions made me want to leave. After all, seeing the days at a glance doesn't suit my personality very well.

Although I'm thinking of leaving, my current job is pretty good, both in terms of salary and WLB, so I'm not that passionate about finding a new job. This has led to this strange state of affairs.

And, what kind of job should I look for?

Encountered obstacles overseas and disdain at home

To find a job, you must first position yourself.

I am quite special. I can take a salary cut but cannot be demoted. I was lucky last year and jumped to the senior manager level. Although I am not a first-tier technology company, I still have industry value. But this brought some resistance to my next job. My peers in medium-sized companies seemed to have little motivation, and my peers in first-tier technology companies needed some resources.

So I set several feasible goals for myself:

• Director of a medium-sized company - skip one level
• Engineering manager of a first-line technology company - do something and beautify the experience
• Domestic equivalent or skipped-level positions - return to China to start things

At the beginning, I originally positioned myself to look for a director job, which is what I am most motivated about, but after searching around, I found that there was no one that met the requirements. Most companies at this level tend to look at the number of years of experience. The more, the better. I have no advantage in this regard.

After that, I set my sights on working as a manager in a front-line technology company and working in China, but after interviewing around, I found that it was completely different from finding a job as an SDE.

overseas ceiling

Let’s talk about overseas first. Overseas companies’ requirements for managers are all based on fate. The questions are not particularly difficult, but they are very complicated, especially BQ. In the past, there was no need to prepare at all. Now most of the time is spent on BQ, because coding and system design are actually the same as before, and they are even simpler than interviewing senior engineers. BQ, on the other hand, asks very detailed questions. Even if you finish answering, it all depends on how much the interviewer likes you. There were several times when you answered well but were rejected, and there were also times when the answers were not very good, but you were accepted.

The higher you go, the more it feels like you are looking for a partner. I have even encountered interviewers who directly doubted your ability. The experience was not very good. But it is true that at my age, I am indeed a little younger for my level, but this does not mean that I can't do it. But sadly, many times ability is no longer the focus of their examination. I can also understand why so many Americans prefer to work for small companies or do their own work, rather than working for large companies. After all, no one likes to be doubted. There are many people who have worked for 5-10 years and are very capable, but they are stuck by their working years, which is very boring.

Maybe this is also the so-called ceiling. The higher you go, the more additional inspection points you have. These inspection points are beyond your control, and why go up? Life is already very nourishing, but you still have to bear a lot of responsibilities as you move up the ladder.

Domestic disdain

Domestic interviews are even more magical. Not only will your work experience and years of experience be questioned, but you will also be demoted or rejected based on some weird reasons. Let me give you two examples:

I met one person who did not have a technical interview round, but in the end he rejected me because of lack of technical ability. ┓( ´∀` )┏

But what I encounter most often is asking when you were born and wondering why you can be a senior manager at your age. In fact, it's quite strange - I suspect that people who are young can do well, but I don't want anyone over 35 years old. I don't want anyone who is a genius or mediocre. So what do you hope for?

In fact, it is due to the saturation of the labor force and the role of publicity in the past two years that everyone has realized that those working overseas, especially those working in the United States, are just like that, and some are even inferior to their domestic peers. In fact, I partially support this view. After all, the workload and pressure in China are several times that here, and it can temper people more. But even so, they should be treated equally, and neither looking up nor looking down should happen.

Although I have told interviewers and HR back home that a salary cut is completely OK and I will not refuse an offer because of my salary, I cannot accept a demotion and a salary cut. I want to do a career when I return to China. I don’t know much about the country. How can I do things without a level? After working so hard overseas to reach this level, it won’t force me to go back to China, right?

What to do in the future

Therefore, we hit a wall at home and were blocked overseas. What to do? After thinking about it, it might be better to wait for opportunities and wait for opportunities. In fact, many opportunities depend on fate. I also believe that there are companies that recruit talents in an eclectic way, but the information is limited, so I may not be able to meet them. However, it is advisable to exchange time for opportunities.

In addition, a better idea recently came up: find a fully remote job, move to a country/city you like, enjoy life, occasionally go to the office for meetings and travel, and go to a country for two months every year. I am still looking forward to it. The prerequisite for this line is that I temporarily surrender and focus from career to life. Although I feel a little unwilling to do so, I think no matter which company I go to, I will encounter all kinds of strange and uncontrollable things as I go up. The slope of getting ahead in the company is extremely steep, so it is better to wait for a good opportunity to do something on my own.

So, do you have any recommended countries and cities? The requirements are as follows:

1. The climate conditions are good, neither too cold nor too hot
2. Simple people, well educated
3. There is an airport nearby and good schools.
4. The house price is not high and there are not too many people (preferably some Chinese, but not many)
5. There is football culture and ski resorts.