Hey guys, are you "Yang Kang" now, or are you still being a "sneaky person"?
I am still a "little Yang person," while SS is being a "sneaky person" and a "shepherd," so the responsibility for meals and hygiene at home has been handed over to her, and I mainly focus on eating and self-isolation.
Now let's talk about the choices I made at the end of 2022 in my work and life, and I'll share some of my insights.
1 Job Change#
Transitioning from iOS to backend.
The reason for this change was that I casually mentioned in an Opening meeting, "Are there any opportunities for job changes in the department?" Our HRBP remembered this and later confirmed my intention and reasons for the job change. My response at the time was something like, "If there's an opportunity, I want to try more," and "I feel like the backend has stronger control"...
A few weeks later, there happened to be backend vacancies in other teams in the department, and then HRBP reached out to me again, implying that I needed to make a decision.
I then scheduled a meeting with the person in charge over there to understand the specifics, and the talking points were roughly:
- Team situation: organizational structure, team style, mentor situation.
- Market situation: online status, expected profitability.
- Work content: current tasks, challenges faced, expectations for me.
(However, looking back, I didn't proactively introduce myself much, so I must do that next time.)
In addition to understanding the work situation from the backend lead and confirming the impact on compensation with HRBP, I also consulted my leader, seniors, and backend colleagues, not to get specific answers from them, but to understand if there were any aspects I hadn't considered.
I once saw a passage that said: "Our problems generally fall into two categories. One category is technical problems, which have clear answers, like driving a car or building a house; the other category is adaptive problems, which do not have clear answers, such as choosing a romantic partner, questions about personal career transitions, or even issues like buying a house or investing in stocks. When facing adaptive problems, we shouldn't expect ourselves to provide direct usable answers for others; being able to listen, to stand from an objective perspective, and to ask valuable questions is already quite good. When we raise adaptive problems, the same applies to our expectations of others."
The questions I asked were actually adaptive problems, and I received some valuable questions in return:
- If you transition to the backend, what might lead to regrets due to unmet expectations?
- If you transition to the backend, what do you think you will lose?
- Frontend focuses on users, backend focuses on business and technology, which do you prefer to deal with?
- Are you someone who enjoys taking risks in life?
I can't fully answer these questions either, but while I'm young, I might as well try more and make more mistakes. Additionally, this job change isn't a 180-degree turn; the company hasn't changed, the department hasn't changed, and the field hasn't changed, so the risks are still manageable.
Alright, if one day you also have a need for a job change, I hope this sharing can serve as a reference: First, understand job transfer opportunities from HRBP; if there are opportunities, then communicate with both your current leader and the person in charge of the target position to confirm your intention. During this process, you can consult anyone who might be able to help, but don't expect to get clear answers.
2 Moving#
Moved from a large single room with commuting times of 40 minutes and 60 minutes to a one-bedroom apartment with commuting times of 20 minutes and 30 minutes.
Due to SS's long commuting time and our different schedules, along with the significant drop in rent caused by the end of the year and the pandemic, we recently moved (which also created conditions for SS to isolate me).
As a programmer, this move exposed me to many industries I usually don't understand (and of course, I also encountered many viruses, so now I'm positive [Doge]). Although we do different jobs, I can feel their genuine passion for their work, which brings a subtle sense of emotion. For example, the agent who seems very good at bargaining and arranges housing sources the night before, the Unicom employee who promptly comes to handle card applications if clients apply before 10 PM, and the broadband installation personnel who patiently explained the difference between the optical modem and router due to my slight confusion...
Here are a few tips about moving:
- Book the movers in advance and start packing early. Don't overestimate how much stuff you have; start tidying up a few days in advance, or else giving yourself just one day to finish can be quite a workload and tiring. Additionally, I thought the "small move" package would be enough, but it turned out we needed to switch to the "medium move" package and ended up moving twice.
- Buy boxes and woven bags in advance. The moving company won't let you put loose items; it's hard to move and can easily be overlooked. However, the boxes and woven bags provided by the moving company are not cost-effective; for instance, I spent 50 yuan on 2 woven bags, and both ended up with holes after the move.
- Rest well. Moving is physically and mentally demanding; you need to categorize items, and once you arrive at the new home, everything needs to be put back in place.
- Others: Clean the new house in advance, change the lock cylinder, set up broadband, report to the community, and report to property management.
PS#
Recently, I discovered a Mac App—AltTab, which allows us to switch software while restoring the Windows experience. Personally, I think it’s a bit more convenient for finding multiple browser windows.
Alright, Merry Christmas, everyone! Even if you're positive, remember to take good care of yourself for a month!