The first half of this year seems to have been characterized by mass layoffs in the global tech industry. IT professionals, who used to glide steadily through waves of job reductions, are now exposed to dismissal and hiring freezes just like their collegues in other areas of the workforce. Regardless of their previous work experience or level of expertise, many programmers are struggling to find a new career path due to the continuous pressures of work, family, and the looming recession around the world.
In this article, we invited a veteran in the IT industry, Mr. Shi Haifeng, to speak about his twenty years with Chinese tech giants and the highs and lows he has experienced. We hope Shi's story, which provides a fascinating glimpse into the golden age of Internet development in China, can inspire technical professionals to survive mass layoffs and achieve personal and professional success in this uncertain time.
Mr. Shi Haifeng, former CTO of the SME business of Beike Finance
1. A quantitative to qualitative shift in career advancement
In 2001, as a graduate of Beijing University of Chemical Technology with a degree in computer science, Shi Haifeng began his career with Digital China, working on telecom software integration projects. In the first phase of his career, he quickly understood the overall process and execution of enterprise-level IT projects, which led him to change his role from software engineer to project manager.
Following his transformation, Shi joined AsiaInfo and then the CRM project team of Beijing Mobile, where he continued working in the telecom industry and grew up rapidly in a high-intensity work environment. His global perspective broadened during the seven years, and he became a team leader with extensive experience designing the architecture for iterative enterprise-level large-scale systems. These two experiences paved the way for him to make a career change in the future.
In 2012, Shi joined Dangdang, one of China's first e-commerce companies and a dominant player in the book retailing industry, as an architect and was later promoted to the general manager of its architecture department. He was involved in several large projects across multiple product lines, redesigned the entire technical architecture, and laid the foundation for the company's platform. Furthermore, he has contributed to the open-sourcing of three projects: DubboX, Sharding-JDBC, and Elastic-Job. During these years, he gained a deeper understanding of the architecture of Internet companies and learned how to facilitate the transformation of technology stacks and promote internal upgrades of a B2C platform.
With Dangdang's architecture department becoming widely recognized, Shi altered his path. In 2016, when O2O development was at its peak, the takeaway industry in China became a "red ocean market." Shi left Dangdang to work at Ele.me, a leading online food delivery service and was in charge of the product development of the entire Beijing R&D center. At this point, he began to think more about team management and how to effectively implement O2O mobile Internet systems to encourage business innovation and product iteration.
Since Shi had never ventured into the world of fintech before, he selected Beike Finance in 2018 as the next stop to continue his career path by leading the B2B sector construction.
The new area required Shi to gain an in-depth understanding of the industry's knowledge and logic to integrate business needs and product design, resulting in a leap from zero to one.
Shi has been at almost every critical point in China's Internet development throughout his career. As someone who has worked in such a wide range of industries, he has a broad range of techniques that enable him to quickly find his niche and apply these skills in a new environment.
In his experience, change is always accompanied by something that remains constant. The exciting thing about the businesses he has been working on, whether B2B or B2C, is that they all revolve around ordering over e-commerce platforms, and most are related to online purchase transactions. Thus, regardless of the industry in which he operates, his experience as an architect continues to accumulate, and this is what he considers to be the "unchanging" aspect of his work.
For technicians in a confusing period, Shi recommends using personal strengths to create a competitive edge when choosing a job. A person joining a new environment must adjust, learn new skills, and strive to gain influence.
In his advice to technicians, Shi offers three points:
1. Take the time to understand your company's business. Identify the core of the business, the customers, the pain points the business solves, and the new opportunities it offers;
2. Technology matters. Keep in mind when implementing the technology: how to gain an advantage, how to make the technology more powerful;
3. Gain an understanding of the evolution of the industry. Make sure you read industry reports and trend forecasts and pay attention to your competitors. It is only when you have a comprehensive understanding of all aspects of your field that you will be able to gain a sense of confidence. Focusing exclusively on coding will leave an individual more or less behind.
For an individual to advance in their career, Shi emphasizes that the transformation is not derived simply from attending training sessions or obtaining certifications but rather from "whether their experience and thinking have reached this level."
According to Shi, the career development of each individual may undergo some changes based on their personal experiences and expertise.
He suggested that individuals who have not been involved in big projects learn for themselves or start with open source projects to gain technical skills; otherwise, they will have difficulty becoming product experts.
A job that involves the design and implementation, as well as the history and future of a product, is more likely to lead to a career as an architect.
"As your experience grows, you should always attach great importance to skills that you possess." Whether it is from your strengths or your interests, you must consider how it will affect the future. Once you are clear about how the future will shape up, the next step is to seek a position within the market that will enable you to reach that level. " Shi said.
2. What is it like to be an architect?
Architecture is one of the more distinctive tags associated with Shi's career. Whether you plan to pursue a full-time job as an architect or not, developing the ability to think architecturally is a valuable skill for technical professionals. Building an architectural mind is also conducive to creating a technical vision, which will enable you to progress further in your career.
Shi Haifeng believes that the first step in architectural thinking should be the ability to abstract and summarize so that we can grasp a complex system and then simplify it, describing it clearly with a simple diagram or in plain language.
It is critical to remember that architecture is a system, meaning there is no single solution. Different perspectives on architecture will result in different interpretations and designs.
Shi Haifeng gave the following analogy to illustrate his argument: "At the beginning, you own a bike, then you upgrade it to a motorcycle, then you upgrade it further to a car. This process may involve a substantial design change. Converting a bicycle into a truck may not be realistic, but there may be some similarities between the two processes. Thus, when designing an architecture, we consider whether the assets can be easily scaled and reused for future needs. The architecture is well designed if they can do so."
A measure of architectural design success or failure is often difficult to determine since business scenarios are constantly changing, and architectural design requires trade-offs within limited resources to achieve fairly clear requirements goals.
In other words, the process of judging an architectural design is inherently dynamic. The design may seem appropriate at this moment, but as the business scenario changes, the conclusion will need to be revised. While the original design may not be incorrect, substantial changes will still be required. The possibility also exists that you did not have your design well-considered at the beginning, but overall, it is an ongoing process that involves iteration.
Business objectives should be the cornerstone of the architecture, and this must be taken into account during the implementation phase. In addition, we should be attentive to the trend of future business changes rather than solely focusing on how fancy the technology we use is since this has no bearing on the value of the business.
3.How to adjust to a new role as a team leader?
Shi Haifeng was once asked by a colleague, "What is the difference between a manager and a director?" and he came up with the following answer:
Managers are responsible for a specific part of the project, whereas directors coordinate the entire technical implementation process. The process involves all aspects of the product development cycle, from discovering needs to going into production and deploying the products in a stable environment. Technical directors are expected to lead teams and create a group of individuals unfazed by difficulties.
With his experience as a front-line software engineer and technical leader, Shi Haifeng has a deep understanding of this issue. The first step towards successful implementation is adjusting the mindset; otherwise, bottlenecks will likely arise. "Previously, you were doing the work alone, but now you are responsible for leading the group and ensuring that others perform the task with the same level of quality as you do. This is different."
As Shi suggests, the first step is to provide sufficient support and trust your team;
Second, as a leader, you must cultivate an altruistic approach to achieve the team and the company's goals;
Third, when responding to the needs of the operations team, you should take a holistic view of their situation and provide them with appropriate recommendations or solutions from a technical point of view;
Finally, create a collaborative and win-win environment based on appropriate communication, mutual understanding, and timely support.
Shi provided a further explanation by using four typical scenarios.
- Scenario 1:
Planning an activity for team building, such as a day trip. "There are certain things that you may not notice when you are not a team leader, such as how to arrange accommodations, plan an itinerary, or purchase insurance and emergency medication, but after assuming leadership, you must be able to consider all aspects." said Shi.
- Scenario 2:
Assisting the team in solving urgent problems. The situation is not uncommon in which the product must go into production by the end of the week, and the technical team will need at least one month to complete the process. As a leader of the IT team, you should not simply reject this demand and state that your team is not capable of meeting it since to do so puts you in the position of saying that you are not business-oriented or customer-focused.
Perhaps a better solution is to consider what can be accomplished within five days and whether it can be traded off in order to accomplish the most core and critical functions. In the unlikely event that the deadline cannot be met, you may come to negotiate a compromise solution or proposal with other departments.
It would not be wise to let other departments wait another two weeks, as this may give the impression that the technology team is dragging its feet. If the business development fails, the technology department may have to take the blame.
- Scenario 3:
When subordinates fail to meet the standards, in such a situation, a newly appointed leader may choose to accomplish the task themselves. To some extent, it is acceptable because you lead the team and rush to the front lines. However, this is not always the best solution. As Shi recommends, you should assign tasks in a way that allows your teammates to grow. Taking on the role of team leader does not necessarily require that you possess the most advanced technical knowledge in the team. As a leader, you must go beyond yourself to take your team to another level.
- Scenario 4:
Ensure that there are no misunderstandings when communicating across departments. Lack of communication often results in misunderstandings and negatively affects a person's mood and productivity. The good news is that if you experience the pain of poor communication once, you will learn what to focus on in your subsequent communication and try to express yourself clearly. The process might involve some emotional discussions, but this is also essemtial to personal growth. Professionalism does not only refer to excellent technical skills but also how well you handle people, which is a soft skill.
IT leaders should position themselves as "technology vendors" when dealing with other departments. It is critical to convince your audience (colleagues) that you are doing a positive thing for them. People may not appreciate being repeatedly informed that they do not understand or respect your tech design, which may result in a loss for both parties.
With the global situation undergoing profound changes and the COVID-19 pandemic adding to the stress, our world faces more and more challenges and risks, creating an environment of uncertainty. Taking a closer look at China, technology is at the forefront of development, but the benefits of the Internet industry appear to have reached their peak, and layoffs by large companies have become more frequent since this year. Shi Haifeng also expressed his views on this issue.
As technology is constantly evolving, some individuals believe technicians are particularly susceptible to falling behind; however, Shi Haifeng does not hold this view. "We can all experience a sense of crisis, but for technological innovations, it is not necessary to stay abreast of the most recent advances all the time." Shi stated.
4. Keep up with the trend of times
As Shi said, "One cannot be proficient in everything, but technical individuals must choose a career path they are passionate about." You must understand what changes have occurred in the industry and combine that knowledge with the current business environment to make more appropriate decisions regarding the selection of technological models. A technician's core value is the ability to apply technology in the proper scenario and use technology to make a small contribution to the world in which we live. "The advancement and development of technology is a gift to us, not a burden."
Thus, Shi believes that technicians should maintain a positive attitude despite the uncertainity in the Internet industry. In times of hardship, it is critical to remain calm and patient.
First, you should develop strong technical skills. You could slow down your pace and avoid trying something new so quickly. Analyze, evaluate, and implement new ideas in light of lessons learned in the past. While the global tech industry is currently experiencing a cooling down, it also presents excellent opportunities for programmers to invest in the long term. Choose an industry you are enthusiastic about, prepare a bit from the ground up, and strive to improve yourself continuously. This will make you stronger when the next wave of layoffs arrives.
In Shi Haifeng's view, mass layoffs of tech giants are a global phenomenon. The Internet bubble in 2000 and the financial crisis in 2008 have taught us that future contingencies (such as the COVID-19 pandemic and regional conflicts) cannot be predicted. One advantage for technicians is that technology is not typically associated with a specific industry, so your technical expertise can be widely applied when you want to change jobs .
Currently, digitization is still needed in several industries, and there is a high demand for cost reduction and efficiency improvements. New business models will also provide new growth opportunities. Whatever the economic conditions are, technology, like capital, will flow to those sectors, creating value. When you follow the trend, you will eventually gain a foothold in the labor market.
A narrow focus on job search may also exacerbate the anxiety caused by layoffs, as he pointed out. In the past, many IT professionals might have thought of working for a tech giant as their ultimate goal. In recent months, this goal may be challenging to achieve, since the size of recruiting at tech behemoths has decreased greatly.
However, big companies are still hiring from universities, so talented graduates can still land well-paid jobs. Further, despite the hiring freeze affecting these companies, it does not mean there is no possibility of expanding hiring in the future. A practical approach to this issue is to keep a flexible perspective.
With a career path that spans telecom, e-commerce, mobile apps, and fintech, Shi's decision to select a job illustrates how he can keep up with the trend. As he said, "It is a kind of luck that we have not been eliminated from the industry, and you can still find your own value at each stage of your career."
As he sees it, China's Internet development presents both opportunities and challenges. The timing and the choice may be more important than efforts. In a booming industry, you might be able to generate more value.
There may be some individuals who believe that eternal environments influence these choices. However, individuals must make their own predictions and take the initiative to analyze, examine, and identify more promising fields before joining them.
The interview concluded with Shi saying, "Whatever your background, once you begin working in a particular industry, you should leverage your career path, expertise, and experience to continually monitor technology trends and establish yourself as a trendsetter of the era."
