Meet the Need Of the Times

Iwas born in Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, in 1956, and when I started working in the 1970s, being a jack of all trades was not an option. Like most of my peers who worked in factories, I got most of my knowledge and skills from working, under the guidance of a mentor, i.e., an experienced senior colleague. My dream at the time was to become one of the best in the machinery sector I was engaged in. To this end, I worked hard and spent extra time in learning more knowledge and practicing more.

Before long, this focus on my profession rewarded me with an invaluable experience of my life. In the summer of 1984, thanks to the expertise I had obtained, I was chosen by Zhejiang Province’s Department of Water Resources to join an expert team for a water conservancy mission to Senegal. The program was to build an anti-salt dam in Bignona to prevent the inflow of seawater from the Atlantic Ocean to the Casamance River, so that residents along the river can have fresh water for daily use and irrigation.

I was responsible for the maintenance of machinery for

It is OK to be either versatile or focused on one thing. The important thing is that you need to get yourself ready to meet the need of the times.

the project, and my expertise proved to be a big help when problems arose. In one case, I renovated the air filtration system of the equipment, so that they wear less quickly in the heavy dust at the construction site. I also had the chance to lead a team of local apprentices and developed genuine friendship with them.

After returning to China, I went through several job changes and no longer worked with machinery. With the development of technology, especially the Internet, I have had easy access to more types of knowledge. By learning from the Internet, I have gradually become a “jack of all trades.” I have dabbled in automobiles, photography, travel and cooking.

I’ve also learned about what young people are concerned with and fond of, so that I can keep up with the times and maintain passionate for life.

Based on my experience, it is OK to be either versatile or focused on one thing. The important thing is that you need to get yourself ready to meet the need of the times.