Another expedition!

I remember two years ago at this time, I rejected Google and joined Grab with great enthusiasm. I didn't expect to leave in less than a year. After a year of rest, my unwillingness to give up made me choose to go out and fight again.

Unwilling

When I joined Capital One last year, I planned to work there for a few years, but unexpectedly, after just over six months, I wanted to leave. It wasn't exactly voluntary, nor was it forced; I just had a feeling—this wasn't where I belonged. It had nothing to do with salary or position; it was only about my self-worth and sense of place. A person's career is only a decade or so long, and being able to quickly identify a mismatch and make changes isn't a bad thing.

I'm so glad I stepped out of that situation these past two years, experiencing different companies and cities. It also gave me a clearer understanding of the industry and my own place in it. Although Grab hurt me deeply, and I even thought returning to my previous, more comfortable retirement life would have been better, I couldn't suppress my inner resentment after less than a year. Perhaps my previous experience was just a coincidence; how could I let a single coincidence destroy my dreams?

I often ask myself if I still believe in my abilities. The complexity of the world can only be understood through experience. The more I experience, the more insignificant I feel. It's not that I no longer believe in my abilities, but that I no longer believe I can solve such complex problems on my own. As I become stronger, I see more and more, and my understanding of the world surpasses the growth of my abilities, which makes me lose all confidence.

Life's journey is filled with many frightening things, but the most regrettable is losing confidence. In our teens, we are energetic and adventurous, lacking experience. But once we gain social experience, we hesitate, knowing the difficulties yet lacking the courage to move forward. Compared to when we were fresh graduates, lacking experience and being looked down upon, now that we possess the necessary qualifications, why are we afraid, losing all our fighting spirit?

Shopify

Like many others, I wasn't very familiar with this company; I only came across them by chance. As I recall, I was in the early stages of preparing for interviews, trying to get some practice with a few companies, so I casually applied to a few on LinkedIn, Shopify being one of them. I always thought it was a website building service company, like WordPress.

Interestingly, their first interview with me included an online assignment, which is my least favorite format. After ignoring it for two weeks, I received a reminder and finally took the time to complete it. My impression of them completely changed after the interview. Their interviewer was incredibly nice, almost unbelievably so. The interview felt stress-free, more like making friends and discussing technical issues. Even after the interview, we always seemed to want to continue the discussion. I also learned a lot about the company from the interviewer. Shopify is now the second-largest e-commerce platform, surpassing eBay in 2019. Unlike Amazon, which is number one, they primarily serve merchants, operating in a different market segment. They've come a long way in serving merchants; building e-commerce websites is just a small part of their business, encompassing inventory management, logistics, and payment systems.

The positive interview experience, efficient technical communication, and the information each interviewer shared about the company and their pride in it sparked my interest. One round of the interview process was called a "life story," where a non-technical person would talk to you. Before the interview, I read many comments about this round, and many felt it was meaningless and nonsensical. However, I exceptionally enjoyed this round—not all companies are willing to spend time understanding your past, your thoughts, and your experiences. Sharing these things allowed the company to better understand me and also allowed me to showcase aspects beyond my job skills, which is precisely my strength. From building websites in my spare time during junior high school, pursuing my dream of playing football, to establishing student council and platforms for studying in the US, there's so much I can talk about and showcase—from how I started writing websites using open-source programming, to doing freelance development, to deciding to study computer science in the US, to reflecting on career plateaus, and why I chose the manager path. Although I often write articles sharing my experiences, no one or company has ever discussed these things with me before, which was incredibly reassuring.

The subsequent interviews went very smoothly. I barely prepared, but I passed them all. I think I got all strong hires on the onsite interview and was offered a great package. At that time, I also had offers from Apple, Microsoft, and other companies. If it weren't for the influence of big companies, I would have firmly chosen Shopify. Isn't this exactly what I've been saying: use the interview to showcase the company to the candidate and attract them? Some friends might say that this is just a way to compete for talent with top companies, which is true. But after interviewing with so many companies, most of the interviewers I encountered were "deadpan" types. This was the first time I'd encountered a situation where all the interviewers were so nice.

If I were a 20-year-old player who considered myself capable, would I rather go to Real Madrid as a substitute and help them win the championship, or would I rather work hard at a promising small club and climb the ladder step by step to eventually win the championship? It seems that I have always preferred the latter.

postscript

Just like two years ago, I regret turning down a top company. I don't know what tomorrow holds, but I'm willing to try again and believe in myself once more.

Wish me luck.