Gap year, my gain
Key content
At the moment when I decided to take a year off from my studies, I experienced an unprecedented anxiety. Fortunately, the experiences of gap year have brought me many important growths. In this blog, I will share three important experiences, as well as valuable insights about life and work that I have learned from them.
things that happened this year
In the two months before deciding to take a gap year, it was the most anxious time. Not only did I have to spend a year exploring an unknown industry, but I also had to leave my comfort zone and classmates, and take another path in life, which inevitably made me a little panicked. Therefore, I talked to many people about the gap year in these two months, prepared for the worst mentally, and looked for my first job. In June 2022, I came to Shanghai to start an internship in product design. This year, what impressed me the most was a conversation, a role model, and an unpleasent experience.
one conversation
Before my official internship, my first internship referrer, Mr. A, invited me to dinner. Mr. A had struggled overseas and founded a company after returning to China, becoming a business elite. I have forgotten what we ate or the environment was like, but our conversation keeps echoing in my mind. The internship was approaching and I was facing unknown challenges. My eyes revealed confusion and anxiety. Mr. A keenly noticed my emotions and shared his story with me:
Mr. A was among the early group of people who went overseas from China. He majored in engineering management in college. Because he needed to pay tuition and living expenses, he actively sought various job opportunities, thereby accumulating some connections. When he was about to graduate, he faced various choices: should he continue to engage in engineering management, or explore other industries? If he chose to continue in engineering, then returning to China might be a better choice, because if he decided to stay in the United States, the lack of resources to engage in engineering work could be quite difficult; on the other hand, if he chose to change his career, he is uncertain which path to choose.
During his period of confusion, a friend he had met at a previous job extended a helping hand to him. The friend's company planned to expand into the Chinese market and needed someone to take charge. The primary business of this company was electronic components, which was quite different from Mr. A's area of expertise. Mr. A replied, “I have no idea of your industry.” His friend replied, "That's okay, you come first, try different positions, and see what you can do.” So, Mr. A joined the company in this way and eventually became the person in charge of the Chinese market. Later, Mr. A returned to China, used his connections and resources, entered the medical industry, and founded a company related to medical hardware equipment.
“In fact, it is difficult for most people’s lives to go according to plan. When I was in college, I never thought that as an engineering student, I would end up starting a medical company. So there is no need to be anxious about the future, focus on doing well in the present, and the answers for the future will naturally come.”
If it weren't for Mr. A's hard work and dedication during his internship, his friend might not have been deeply impressed by him. If it weren't for his persistence and effort in various positions, he might not have been promoted to the position of market manager. If it weren't for his determination when expanding the Chinese market, he might not have been able to smoothly return to China and enter a new field to start his own business.
It may be difficult for most of us to overcome the uncertainty of fate through planning. What we can do is to fully dedicate ourselves to the present. It might be the best way to combat anxiety.
One role model
During my first internship, my colleagues took great care of me and I was not assigned many tasks, which made me a bit slack. However, about a month after my internship, Mr. B joined our company. As the product director, he was responsible for adjusting the company's business model and making team collaboration more agile. In his first week on the job, Mr. B arranged a one-on-one meeting with me (since our team was dispersed and there were fewer people in Shanghai, I had the opportunity to communicate with him directly). I can't recall exactly what we discussed. He asked me a lot of questions. I felt very clumsy in my answers because I was too slack. In order to make myself appear less ignorant, I asked him a question in return: “What qualities should a good product manager have?”
“I personally think the most important quality is kindness.”
I can't remember exactly how he explained the meaning of “kindness” to me. Nevertheless, I still take 'kindness' as the most important thing in my work and remind myself of it all the time. Of course, after the meeting, I realized that I had not fully adjusted to the working state, so I actively sought advice from my colleagues and took some time after work to study related courses to make up for the gaps in my skills.
I have interned in many places, met different people, and experienced different work philosophies and corporate cultures. I always consider kindness as the bottom line of work, and over time, I gradually understand why kindness is the most important quality. Mr. B might want to convey that we need to continuously assess whether our behavior is just, adhere to independent values and judgment, and not be easily swayed by external factors. We need to focus on ourselves and stick to the path we approve of. The value of hard work is not in the amount of work done or the urgency of the time, but in whether it is worth putting your heart into it. This principle applies to any profession.
It's worth mentioning that Mr. B's level of self-discipline is impressive. He has never been late and I have never seen him leave work before 7 PM (the company requires work to end at 5 PM). He has a wide range of leisure hobbies, and spends a fixed amount of time every week doing what he likes. I know I can't reach his level of self-discipline, but I did learn a good habit from him: reading.
ONE setback
My second internship was at an Internet company I had long admired. At the beginning, I was a bit nervous because I didn't have clear expectations about the workflow, content, and team atmosphere of the Internet. Therefore, after joining the company, I actively supplemented my relevant knowledge every day. In my spare time, I use my lunch break and after-work hours to repeatedly read historical documents and materials to adapt to the new environment. Unfortunately, the effort was not enough. I faced three challenges: doubts from my mentor, colleagues, and unreasonable work arrangements.
Despite these challenges, I went through a process of self-doubt, seeking answers, and actively solving problems. In order to catch up with the report the next day, I would stay up until 3 or 4 in the morning. To understand the design principles, I would read a lot of articles and optimize my plan during my commute. During this time, I was under tremendous pressure because I wanted recognition from the team. Unfortunately, I couldn't find satisfaction from this job, so I decided to leave quickly. But when I left, I became more calm and open than before. I significantly improved my skills under pressure and gained a deeper understanding of team dynamics, work habits, product design, etc. But most importantly, this experience taught me to objectively examine the environment and actively adjust to chaos and unease. This experience helped pave the way for my next successful internship.
Conclusion
Thanks to my previous experience, I became more cautious and sharp when choosing teams and business types. I was fortunate to join a larger platform, meet a better team, and receive guidance from excellent mentors and leaders. If I were to rank the internship experience of this gap year, the last internship would probably be the most important. Since this internship is not over yet, I will share more information at a later time. The key gains I have made so far are as follows:
Being fully immersed in current life and work is the most effective way to combat anxiety.
In work, prioritize kindness, maintain independent values and judgment.
In a chaotic and uneasy environment, remind yourself to get out of the situation, actively adjust yourself, and take the initiative to make changes.
I hope every gap student could enjoy their wonderful gap year.
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