From Self-Taught to Employed: My Journey as a Web Developer in Shanghai

In early September, I traveled alone to Shanghai. After learning some HTML and CSS at home, I bought a standing ticket to save money, enduring a 32-hour journey of over 2,000 kilometers from the distant Southwest to Shanghai.

First, I had no relatives or friends here. I immediately found a very cheap hotel to catch up on sleep, then quickly secured a cheap apartment near the city center. Next, I submitted resumes on 58.com, Ganji, and Lagou.com. With that done, I moved on.

Every day, I went to an internet cafe to watch tutorials and built a simple webpage. In just a simple week, I created two different pages that were fully compatible with IE6 through IE9, Firefox 3.6 and above, Chrome, and 360 browsers.

I went to my first interview at a company in Songjiang. I handed the interviewer my self-written resume and introduced myself.

Interview Questions:

• What is your purpose for coming all the way to Shanghai?
• What is your family situation?
• What is your situation in Shanghai?
• Why do you want to work in this industry?
• What is a fluid layout?
• What are the differences between mainstream browsers?
• What is your educational background?
• I saw your job posting on a certain website saying no degree is required.
• Are you self-taught or did you attend training?
• I am a poor child with no money for training courses.
• Did you bring your portfolio?
• I pulled out a Tsinghua Unisplendour USB drive from my pocket.
• Just these two projects?
• Yes. After reviewing:
• What is your expected salary?
• I said I am new to Shanghai and didn't know the costs. Rent is 800 RMB/month, round-trip commute is 12 RMB/day (22 days = 264 RMB), food is 30 RMB/day (900 RMB/month), and phone bills plus miscellaneous expenses are 200 RMB. So, I asked for around 3,000 RMB.
• You were born in 1991? Yes.
• What have you done before?
• I recounted everything from farming, chopping wood, and herding cows to the present.
• The interview concluded, and the interviewer handed me a business card (Project Manager at a certain company), saying, "We will notify you in three days."

I went to my second interview at a company in Xujiahui. As usual, I handed over my resume and introduced myself. When asked why I chose this industry, I answered, "For the money."

Interview Questions:

• There are many profitable industries; why did you choose this one?
• You only know if you are cut out for this by doing it.
• Did you bring your portfolio? Yes, they reviewed it again.
• What is your opinion on the internet industry?
• Based on my understanding, the internet industry started after 1998. From 2000 to now, it has been in a golden stage of high-speed development. If the past decade was the golden stage, then the real beginning is now.
• How long did it take you to make these two projects?
• Three all-nighters and one day.
• How did you learn?
• Self-taught.
• What are your salary requirements?
• Around 3,000 RMB is fine.
• Do you have any questions?
• Do I have a chance to join?
• I cannot answer that yet. Let me check with HR, and I will get back to you in two days.

I went to my third interview at a company in Baoshan. This time, no self-introduction was needed; I just handed over my resume and answered questions. The previous two companies had asked various things. The job posting here offered 4K-12K, but since I am a beginner, I was asked about my salary expectations. I said that given my current situation, I do not fully meet the company's requirements. Considering Shanghai's cost of living and the industry situation, I asked for 3,000 RMB, just hoping for a chance to join.

The interviewer replied, "I will offer you 4K. Almost no one would hire someone with your background. How many companies have you applied to?"

"Two," I answered.

"Your experience is almost exactly like mine. I am the architect and project lead of the technical department here, and I will be your direct supervisor. Work hard for me. When can you start? You can start right now."

(Yoshi, I found a job! The leader was born in 1990, just one year older than me. Did I get lucky, or did I do something good in a past life? How should I proceed on this path?)

PS: This article is a repost. Please do not ask Xiao Z if I am still in Shanghai.