Table of Content
In the Backdrop
So I’ve been in the workforce for 10+ years, since I graduated from college. Well, I did take a little break for around 6 months to prepare for the GRE exam and come to the US. But they are not break, let alone vacation or reset. The preparation and Master program were intense, and I didn’t have time nor energy to step back and analyze my situations.
However, during that time, I finally got the chance to read the 鸟哥的Linux私房菜 online book that I had been wanting to read for years. It was so satisfying to finally have the time for it. And that’s when I realized how much I love Linux. Doing all that research and learning that I yearned for years was a great experience. I miss it.
It’s been 8+ years since I first started my journey in the US. While I’m proud of how far I’ve come in terms of my English, financial stability, and overall professional skills. I have to admit, I’m not completely satisfied with where I am.
I’ve had the opportunity to work for various companies in different industries, from being an iOS engineer to handling Backend and Devops tasks. But in a hindsight, they were more or less arbitrary, my career trajectory is not well designed, and I hope going forward it could be more consistent and intentional. ✊
Career Path
I’ve loved every role, but the last couple of years, I’ve been itching to dive into the world of Bitcoin, crypto, Finance/DeFi and cyber security. Time for a new adventure! Actually there have been a couple of opportunities, but I don’t have the needed skills, which it’s a shame. 🤷
I often kick myself for not making important decisions sooner. Take my recent switching to Backend job position, for example. I had the feeling I would love it, even though it’s quite challenging. And guess what? I was right. I enjoy it so much that I have never thought about going back, but it took me a solid 5 years of self-doubting, yearning and hesitating before I took the plunge.
I’ve never been a go-getter, instead I kept wondering when the best opportunity, but during all that time, I wasn’t even preparing for it. Duh!! 😦
Why didn’t I just brush up on my Backend skills in my free time? Well, to be honest, I have quite some other interests that keep me busy.
And also, I’m not the type of person who can lock him/her self in a room for hours and forget about the world, I’m quite modest by nature, also that could be just an excuse.
Making a big career change requires a lot of hard work and dedication, and I don’t think I could handle that while juggling a full-time job. I could keep wondering “what if” for years and end up regretting it.
Life & Relationship
As I’m getting older, I started yearning for a settled life with a stable relationship. However, I don’t see it happening in the US for me anytime soon. It’s no secret that Asian men, especially immigrants, face challenges in the dating scene here. But that’s a whole other topic.
Being single definitely has its perks. I’ve had plenty time to entertain myself, and I have learned a lot about who I am and what I look for. I’ve found peace and contentment in my own company, which I believe is crucial. But I’m ready for a change.
I’m open to exploring new places where I might have better luck. I’ve already embraced the nomadic lifestyle after all.
New Opportunities
I aspire to be a global citizen, appreciating both American and Asian cultures. It is only natural for me to desire to live in various Asian countries (besides China) before settling down in any country(most probably US).
Southeast Asia is a vibrant region with a large population, yet it is not as developed as other parts of the world. This presents a plethora of opportunities, in my opinion. With China’s remarkable economic growth over the past 30 years, and its recent slowdown, it is likely that many opportunities will arise in the southern region.
At the very least, I could establish a software development team there to take advantage of the lower labor costs.
Also I’m very interested in algorithmic trading, especially for crypto, I have been trading/investing in stock market for years, I really enjoy it, there are so much technical analysis skills that I need to learn and holding me back right now, I can see myself being a quant one day and proud of it.
However, I have to admit there are so much for me to learn in terms of technical analysis skills, which is holding me back. Nevertheless, I can see my passion towards it, and the huge opportunity, I can become a successful quant in future and that would be so much fun.
In the end, tie the loose ends
Aside from all of those serious matters, I have a long list of books that I would like to finish reading, as well as numerous tools (Vim, Beancount, Sparrow, Anki, LLM etc) that I would like to spend sometime with, my all time favorite thing is tinkering on productive tools.
I’m also tired of being a consumer. I yearn to actively participate in projects and make a meaningful contribution. The concept of building in public is intriguing and I am eager to embark on this journey. I’m ready for it! ✊