About learning

At the end of 2010, when he was about to graduate, Tao Jing had many options before him. He could stay in school, start a business, join politics, or work at Alibaba, but in the end he chose to go abroad "out of the blue". He said that his idea at the time was very simple. He probably thought going abroad would look more "powerful".

However, due to the extremely tight application time, he started to prepare at the beginning of 2011. The completely unfamiliar TOEFL and GRE made him wake up early and work late every day. Fortunately, he had good foundation and luck. In the end, he successfully applied to the school. Although it was not the dream school in his mind, going abroad was finalized anyway.

The school I went to was George Washington University (hereinafter referred to as GWU), majoring in computer science.

GWU's computer science is not particularly strong in the United States, but in DC, the University of Maryland's CS ranks first, and GWU's can rank second.Moreover, GWU’s strength in computing lies in security. Mainly because it is located next to the White House, security has always been the focus. Many people from the Ministry of National Security come to GWU to attend classes at night.Moreover, the school also has some security cooperation projects with the White House, which is a good opportunity for local students to participate in some projects of the Department of Defense. However, international students are generally unable to participate due to identity issues. Secondly, Tao Jing emphasized that another feature of GWU’s CS major is that there are many girls. This is related to GWU’s school history. It has always been very friendly to girls. Basically, CS girls account for 40%-50%. This may be a bit different from CS majors in other schools~

He found the course not difficult, and Tao Jing completed the course at the end of 2013 and graduated ahead of schedule.

About work

After graduation, my thoughts are mainly based on the projects I am taking on. When looking for a job, my desire for "free time" may be higher than "money". In the end, he stayed at a company in DC. He remembers that he was involved in a project about floating tolls on highways based on time periods.

He said that as time passed by year by year, he suddenly found that he had gradually become a "social person". He could not protect himself with his student status, nor could he package himself with the glory and awards of his student days. He felt that he had suddenly reached an age where he was "out of touch" and could neither get up nor get down.I can no longer use my previous glory, and I can't use my abilities and passion in the workplace.It was as if his "skills" had been blocked, which he couldn't accept.

Time soon came to 2017, and this was Tao Jing’s first turning point in the United States.

At that time, he was playing in the "Jiaotong University United" as a foreign aid of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and he knew some people from time to time.Among them is the director of Oracle, the world's top software company.Later, I switched jobs to Oracle through him.

Tao Jing said that American software companies, especially the top ones, are different from the domestic situation. They are not so hard and not so high-pressure. He made a lot of money and lived a comfortable life, but he was not taken seriously. After all, in a large company with many talents, it is really difficult for you to exert a lot of energy, so Tao Jing gradually lived a life of "exquisite paddling" in his words.

But a comfort zone is a circle where you feel uncomfortable after staying there for a long time.

In 2019, due to work, Tao Jing went to many places, including Sanfan, Denver, New York, and Boston in the United States, as well as other countries such as Japan, Spain, etc. The more he traveled, the more ideas he had. Coupled with the emptiness in his heart, Tao Jing officially put it on the agenda to resign and find another job.He said that his goal once was "how to realize self-worth through entrepreneurship", but now his goal is "how to prove one's value in the industry."

His working experience at Oracle gave him the "condescending" capital. He could actively choose to work in almost any country or region in the world. After more than a month of preparation, the offer came as scheduled.

Among these offers, there was Google, which he had always dreamed of. He was extremely excited to receive an offer from Google, but he knew very well that the offer came at the wrong time. He said that now he wants to go somewhere where he can exert his energy, be valued, and prove himself, and a company called Grab made him feel sincere.

Tao Jing said that he actually does not define himself as an engineer, but rather focuses on products. He is a person who is eager to face the public and the market. Technology is only an auxiliary skill for him. His leadership and speech skills cannot be fully utilized in a purely technical position. This is a direction in which he is slowly transforming and what he is looking for. The position at Grab allows him to see this possibility.

Grab has not yet gone public, and its influence is not as good as Google's. But this time, Tao Jing chose Grab instead of another Oracle.

About studying abroad life

I have been in the United States for almost 10 years. From campus to society, from student to "social person", it is natural to talk about the issues of integration and discrimination.

Tao Jing said that he didn't realize it when he was a student, but in society, there will be obvious barriers caused by race.

Regarding integration, he said that it is always the weak who integrate with the strong.He does not feel that he has to forcibly integrate into their culture, because he said that if we want to talk about culture and civilization, China is much better than them. There are very few regions in the world whose historical civilization can be compared with China. The strength of the Americas is that the civil wars in the past hundred years have not affected their homeland. In 12th grade, students might still discuss integrating into the United States, but now very few do.

He said that we can all live our own lives. If you like, you can go and they will come.

Regarding discrimination, he said that the weak will pay more attention to the issue of discrimination.The strong or quasi-strong will think about how to increase their influence, so that the other party has no choice but to care about your existence.In the United States, compared to other races, Chinese people rarely shout out loud that they are discriminated against. Many times, although we know that we are being discriminated against, we rarely mention it because we know that we are stronger than them.

About advice

After studying and working in the United States for these years, what I want to say to everyone is this:You must know why you are going abroad, and you must understand your position.

He said that international students are divided into several categories: those with good conditions, studying abroad is an important experience for them; those with particularly good grades may pursue academic pursuits; a large number of students are not very clear about their future, which is very fatal. If you don’t know why you went abroad and what you want to do in the future, you can try to go out and experience the diversity of the world, which will bring many unexpected answers.

For example, if you study abroad just to find a job, then you will be rushing to work from the first day of studying abroad, and you must do your best to accumulate the resources around you to find a job; if you study abroad just to brush up your resume and return to work in your country, then you will have to find ways to return to your country more often and keep in touch with friends back home, because if you study abroad for three to five years, you will easily lose touch with your country.

He gave an example. Just the day before the interview, Tao Jing was invited back to Beijing to attend a technology summit. He said that the biggest difference between domestic conferences and foreign conferences was the reaction of the audience.

He said that we guest speakers would sit in our seats during the break, but few people came to communicate with us.When attending a similar conference in the United States, students or other social figures would line up to communicate with the guests during the break. Some simply introduced themselves and handed over their business cards, while others asked if there were any positions or internships suitable for them. When he observed this meeting, many people were chatting with their friends during breaks. He said, then why are you here? The conference is live or recorded online, so why come to the venue in person? The speeches of these people are not so precise.

He said that there is a 90% chance of asking.

postscript

To achieve oneself in greatness, or to create greatness, Tao Jing said that he would choose the latter regardless of his own ability., he has always adhered to the belief of "I would rather be a chicken head than a phoenix tail". Fortunately, it has not changed after so many years.

He said that you should be bolder and bolder at all times. You only live once and any choice you make is correct. Don't get hung up on right or wrong, but actively look for the road to your goal.

Text | Xixi

Video | Niki

文中观点均代表嘉宾本人

The article is an original biography of overseas students and may not be reproduced without permission.

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