In the first ten days of September, I came to Shanghai alone. I learned some HTML and CSS at home before coming to Shanghai. In order to save money, I couldn't afford a seat ticket and only bought a standing ticket. So I traveled from the remote southwest to Shanghai, a distance of over 2000 kilometers, which took about 32 hours.

First of all, I had no relatives or friends here, so I quickly found a very cheap hotel to rest, and then I urgently looked for a very cheap house that was as close to the city center as possible. Then I quickly applied for jobs on websites like 58, Ganji, and Lagou. And everything was done.

Every day, I went to an internet cafe to watch tutorials and created a simple webpage. And just like that, a simple week passed, and I managed to create two different pages that were compatible with various mainstream browsers, including IE6-IE9, Firefox, Chrome, and 360.

I went for an interview at the first company, located in Songjiang. The interviewer first handed me a handwritten resume and then asked me to introduce myself.

"So, what is your purpose of coming to Shanghai from such a far place? What is your family situation? What is your situation in Shanghai? Why do you want to work in this field?" I answered all the questions.

Then we got into the main part of the interview. They asked me about what is a fluid layout and the differences between various mainstream browsers. I answered all the questions.

"What is your educational background?" they asked.

I replied, "According to the job posting I saw on a certain website, the educational requirement is not specified. I am a self-taught person and couldn't afford training classes."

Then they asked me if I brought any of my works with me. I took out a Tsinghua University USB flash drive from my pocket and handed it over.

"Is this the only one?" they asked.

"Yes," I replied.

After finishing the interview, they asked me about my salary expectation. I said since it was my first time in Shanghai and I didn't have much knowledge about the cost of living here, I needed some time to think. I mentioned that the monthly rent would be around 800 yuan, the daily transportation cost would be 12 yuan, and the monthly meal expenses would be around 900 yuan. Adding the monthly phone bill and other miscellaneous expenses, it would be around 200 yuan. So, I suggested a salary of around 3000 yuan.

"You were born in 1991, right?" they confirmed.

They asked about my previous experiences. I explained everything from farming, chopping wood, and herding cows to my current situation. The conversation ended there, and they handed me their business card (a project manager at a certain company) and informed me that I would be notified in three days.

I went for an interview at the second company, located in Xujiahui. As usual, I handed them my resume and introduced myself. Then they asked why I chose this industry. I answered that I chose it for the potential of earning money.

"There are many industries with potential, why did you choose this one?" they asked.

"You can only know if you are suitable for this industry by actually doing it," I replied.

They asked if I brought any of my works with me. I said yes and they looked at them again.

"What are your thoughts on the internet industry?" they asked.

"I personally understand that the internet industry started to develop after 1998 and has been in a golden stage of rapid development for more than 10 years since 2000. If the past 10 years were the golden stage, then now is the real beginning," I answered.

They asked how long it took me to create the two works. I said three nights and one day.

"How did you learn?" they asked.

"I taught myself," I replied.

"What are your salary expectations?" they asked.

"3000 yuan would be fine," I replied.

"Do you have any questions?" they asked.

"Is there a chance for me to join the company?" I asked. "Currently, I cannot answer that. Let me discuss with the HR department and get back to you after two days," they replied.

I went for an interview at the third company, located in Baoshan. This time, there was no need for self-introduction. I handed them my resume and answered their questions. They asked similar questions as the previous two companies. In the end, they mentioned that the job posting offered a salary range of 4000-12000 yuan, but since I was a beginner, they asked about my salary expectations. I said that considering my current situation, I didn't meet the company's requirements. Taking into account the cost of living in Shanghai and the industry's situation, I suggested a salary of 3000 yuan. They said, "Okay, I can offer you 4000 yuan. Hardly anyone would hire you with your situation. Have you applied to other companies before?" I replied, "Yes, I have applied to two other companies." The interviewer said, "Seeing your experiences, they are almost the same as mine. I am the architect and project leader in the technical department of this company. Work well with me. When can you start? You can start now." (Wow, I found a job! My supervisor is one year older than me. Did I get lucky or did I do something good in the past? How should I proceed from here?)

PS: This article is a repost. Please don't ask if Xiao Z is still in Shanghai.