In high school, his test marks in several areas were grossly uneven, resulting in a less-than-perfect college admission exam score; nevertheless, his gloom was quickly dispelled after entering university.
As graduation approached, he turned down an interview offer from a tech giant, and his decision to work instead of pursuing a master's degree was previously a source of his regrets.
Nevertheless, he excelled brightly at his first company.
When everything appeared to be on the right track, he resigned to join a medical device business, where he progressively transitioned from technician to manager.
This is not a story about a brilliant genius who effortlessly gains power and vanquishes many enemies along the way; rather, it is a journey of a technician who strives so hard to advance his career and also contributes to the betterment of society.
It all started with love
Xu Ding, a 32-year-old R & D director in a medical company who was born in Jiangsu province and now lives in Beijing, said with a smile that he is also "a post-90s, but the oldest one".
With IT talent since his childhood, it's natural to see Xu Ding spend over ten years in this industry afterward. As a child, Xu Ding was good at making things and was keen on robots and rockets. While in school, he often received high grades in the subjects of mathematics, physics, and chemistry and also won a few awards in Mathematical Olympiad competitions. Entering high school, Xu Ding was addicted to reading computer magazines like NoHack and would "practice" programming in his spare time by following the tutorial cases therein. Besides, he had acquired a rich knowledge of computing by attending amateur classes.
Only with love and passion can we achieve our goals. "I was learning the C language while my classmates were reading novels, and later I was able to write complete codes on paper with my pen." Xu Ding recalls.
In 2008, the province where Xu Ding was about to take the national college entrance examinations announced plans to reform the testing patterns, which seemed to be unsuitable for a student like Xu Ding, who was so into science subjects but lacked advantages in other courses. Ultimately, Xu Ding lost his edge in the exams and didn't receive a perfect result as he expected, which means that his dream of getting into a top university and becoming a physicist was shattered. He finally chose Changchun University of Science and Technology to study software engineering, where Xu Ding's strengths soon came into play as his old interest now became his major.
As early as in his freshman year, Xu Ding, with outstanding programming skills, had been introduced by his teacher to work in a lab where postgraduate students worked on projects, and it gave him a great opportunity to grow rapidly in tech skills. In 2010, when group-buying enterprises in China were booming, Xu Ding followed the trend with some upperclassmen to start a local group-buying platform in Changchun. Looking back, Xu Ding still felt the excitement, although the whole venture lasted only about six months, and the salary was not much. This experience gave him a leap in his thinking and vision that entrepreneurship is a giant gate where technology and methodology are a door-knocker. He was eager to know what the R&D management process of a large company was like, and he started to think more about how to seize opportunities, optimize resources and processes, and thus create value even under limited conditions.
Crossroad: Regrets are the true life
Many of us may have all experienced the days when we thought, "We are the king of the world." Especially for people with certain talents in specific fields, the expansion of confidence can easily shield people from seeing bigger pictures. Xu Ding said he was one of them for some time.
When he worked in the lab, Xu Ding found that many seniors' programming skills were not that good. "In many cases, I need to explain my thinking methods and help them fix bugs, and sometimes they would copy my codes." With more situations like that, he inevitably began to have a very narrow view that postgraduate students are indifferent and there's no need to study for a master's degree at all.
Reviewing this option years later, Xu Ding was extremely remorseful when he described that thought as "childish and ridiculous." "There will always be someone better than you" is a very realistic but often ignored theorem. Giving up studying for a master's degree then became a deep regret for Xu Ding, and he didn't get its remedy until 2017, when he got his master's degree in engineering from Tsinghua University.
Evidently, no one could have an omniscient perspective to direct the way while standing at a cross. For Xu Ding, it seemed that he made more than one "mistaken" decision on employment choices when he was about to graduate. In 2012, while Xu Ding was doing an internship in Beijing, he received a call from Taobao (Alibaba), giving him an opportunity to do an interview. Having heard a few rumors that "Taobao was brainwashing its employees and forcing them to stand upside down," he turned down the opportunity from the future Chinese online retail giant without thinking too much. After this rejection, Xu Ding entered a totally different career trajectory, one that was far away from those Chinese internet companies.
Xu Ding's first job after graduation was in an e-government company. Like many rookies, he was bursting with ambition and energy back then.
"That company did not provide high salaries, but all other aspects were extraordinary. Some of the experiences and skills I learned at that time still benefit me to this day. " Although the work was intense and working overtime was a norm, he did not feel bitter and was willing to work as hard as he could. This endeavor soon paid off, as Xu Ding completed a significant project and stood out among his contemporaries. His ability was also recognized by his leaders, and he nearly won all the company's internal awards in the following three years when he started to generate a clear view of the R&D management of a large company that gave preliminary answers to those unsolved questions generated from his previous startup experience in the university.
By 2015, when his company started to issue equity incentives to employees, Xu Ding unsurprisingly appeared on the first roster of incentives.
Settling down and starting again
Xu Ding was never interested in stocks, but he began to care about the daily volatility of stocks after receiving those incentives, not to mention there was a rare bull market in China in 2015. He said it was like "opening Pandora's Box," as his mind was largely filled with the ups and downs of the stock market. Also this year, Xu Ding was assigned by the headquarters to solve a technical problem in its subsidiary, but he did not realize that this task would become the trigger of Xu Ding's career change.
"Initially, it was just a two-month temporary assignment. After the tech issue had been solved, the head of the subsidiary was so excited that he wanted me to stay. He drew up such a bright future and even called the group leaders in person to ask for me. So I stayed."
But Xu Ding was so young that he took the boss' words as true so easily, which led him to a dilemma not long afterward. Soon, Xu Ding found that his boss's vision was too vague to make it come true, and he could achieve nothing from it but waste time. What's worse, he could not convince himself to return to the headquarters as it would make the previous leave become a joke. In addition, Xu Ding's physical conditions were not that good, and he needed to have surgery, so he ultimately chose to resign after weighing up the pros and cons.
Having experienced some tribulations in the workplace, Xu Ding had a clearer view when looking for a new job. First, it must be a high-tech enterprise or with other similar qualifications that could offer him a residence permit or even a permanent residence permit in Beijing, as it's essential to live here.
Second, there must be potential space for growth. Even going to an industry giant, he would prefer to choose a department with booming business and opportunities to grow with the team.
Third, the values of work must be considered. As work is a lifelong matter, we must find something that can ensure its long-term recognition.
Fourth, salaries. Although he does not expect to be super rich by working, the salaries should at least support him to solve the basic living problems in the stressful environment in Beijing.
In the end, he chose a medical device company, which is the one he is currently working for. When it comes to the reasons for working here for seven years, Xu Ding gave the below answer.
On the one hand, this company is a leading one in the industry, though lacking in the software business, which Xu Ding is good at and would give him space to make a difference; on the other hand, unlike the Internet industry, the working rhythm of medical device manufacturing R & D is not that quick, which means that there is not much working overtime. Therefore, Xu Ding believes that this kind of work intensity is more suitable for him, especially taking into account his physical conditions.
This year is the watershed of Xu Ding's career, as the once young rookie has now become a mature, calm, and experienced expert.
Perseverance in your job is essential to high recognition
In Xu Ding's view, the medical device industry has very distinctive attributes. First, employees have a strong sense of social values; second, the R & D period is long and cannot be achieved overnight; furthermore, the regulatory system is very strict for this industry and requires high compliance.
Soon after he arrived at the company, Xu Ding experienced something new, such as going into the operating room to observe and investigate the use of products. The long surgery process made Xu Ding deeply appreciate the hard work of medical workers and the agonizing pain of patients. When he witnessed the patient's significant turnaround after using their products, he was deeply moved, and the emotion was even stronger as the patient's family thanked him incessantly after he came out of the operating room. With high recognition for the job, Xu Ding has the motivation to go forward.
Xu Ding's work has also been adjusted as the company's business develops. Initially, the core business was for devices, and he was mainly responsible for the hardware products of the upper computer development. Later, with the rise of Internet medical services, traditional enterprises also began to embrace the Internet, and Xu Ding started to work on the company's accumulated communication technology engineering, using technical approaches to improve the reliability of communication that reshaped the original near-field communication products into a remote communication platform. This transformation has ultimately opened a new world for the company to develop in the patient service business.
Xu Ding mentioned that the challenge for the IT department is that, although there are many similar products in the market, you cannot just follow their pattern 100 percent as the best solution. That requires you to take your company's own characteristics into account. In addition, the medical industry cannot support you to validate your demands by burning money on trials and tests like the Internet industry. The demand for technical architecture is high as it requires both low costs and flexibility to cope with sudden and high concurrent traffic.
Today, Xu Ding leads a programming team to develop mobile products for the company. With the remote service platform at its core, a distinctive remote consultation system is established. The product focuses on niche areas and does not do general family medicine. The user volume is small but has a high degree of engagement.
Looking back at the seven-year track record, Xu Ding said, "It seems that my persistence was correct. As the company's business has become better, and I have grown from a frontline IT engineer to a supervisor. " He is certain that even if he started over, he would make the same choice.
"Making the right choices is more significant than working hard." Xu Ding sincerely believes that "Choosing the right job and working with an outstanding team and exceptional leaders should override your endeavors." For most people, work is a lifetime thing. Only if you fully recognize the job will you persevere with it. Choosing a job should be as serious as choosing a partner, and you should be in no rush when making up your mind. In the event of making a wrong choice, don't just escape but have a deep review and strive to avoid making the same ones in the future. It is not recommended to switch jobs from one to another so frequently or resign from your current position without finding a new one.
The leap of a novice in technical management
Xu Ding, from a frontline IT engineer to a manager, said he could not find a good balance for a long time. Because "many technical managers either assign tasks to team members without participating at all or prefer to take it all over to the last detail." Xu Ding feels that the key factor is confidence to make this transition, meaning not only trusting your subordinates' ability but also believing in your own influence on your team.
"It would take too much energy for a technical manager to care for every detail. Qualified managers do not need to practice in person, but learn to find a problem and then solve it by utilizing external forces. It's hard for newly promoted managers to adapt to the trend and realize it in practice, but there are no shortcuts. If you cannot find the balance, working overtime and doing the task yourself one more time is not a bad idea, as you could obtain first-hand information which could be used to convince your team members. " Xu said.
In terms of team management and member selection, Xu Ding believes that "we must work with like-minds"; otherwise, there will be irreconcilable conflicts.
In the first half of 2021, Xu Ding's team recruited more members to meet the needs of development, which incurred some conflicts on projects between the new employees and the old ones. The two parties lacked efficient communication and blamed each other for many issues. By the time Xu Ding received feedback from a project manager, the conflict had been lingering for a long time. His conclusion after speaking with both parties was that the problem was mostly due to the newcomers having more freedom, who, due to their personalities and previous work habits, were unwilling to compromise when conflict occurred. It wasn't a big deal, but it caused animosity.
Xu Ding had a deep reflection after he resolved the problem. In this case, new employees were trusted and empowered but might lack self-restraint. While for staff who have worked in the company for a very long time, Xu Ding might not communicate with them in time or well understand their concerns. What he learned from this case is that the promotion and empowerment of talents should be gradual, and qualities beyond technical skills should also be considered a deciding factor that will enable the whole team to work with people who share the same values.
As a programmer, if you do not want to do it all your life, then transforming into a technical manager could be a suitable option. Xu Ding is still exploring the road, and his next five-year goal is to summarize a set of software technology management and architecture evolution systems that will work for traditional enterprises and SMEs.
Not long before this interview, Xu Ding's company launched its first allotment of shares. Once again, Xu Ding's name remains on the list, but he is much more composed than he was seven years ago. "The future is still fraught with uncertainty, and all fluctuations are due to external forces." Xu Ding stated that there is no better way to get in on the ground floor than to consistently improve and sustain our competitiveness.
From the Journalist
Looking back, Xu Ding was much like any coder who had too much confidence at a young age but subsequently unwittingly plunged into the pit. He could have regrets and occasional twists and turns, but his life growth curve is usually upward. There can be misunderstanding, but not loss. There can be resistance, but no wrath. Today, the "not very young" programmer declared with strong confidence: "I am not worried about the 35-year-old crisis at all."
We are living in a world where gathering, separation, success, and failure are inescapable components of existence. The key is that once we hit our midlife and look back, we can have no regrets that we didn't waste our precious youth.
As Romain Rolland once said, "There is only one true heroism in the world: to see the world as it is and to love it." Xu Ding lives with love, passion, and hope throughout his middle age. May we reach middle age without "crisis".
