Background: Mr. K and the author, Xiaoz, were classmates in primary and middle school and also good friends. Currently, they have been working as Java developers for 2 years. This article shares Mr. K's journey from working on construction sites to working in the IT industry.

Failed College Entrance Exam

During high school, Mr. K was obsessed with games and spent most of his time in internet cafes, resulting in poor academic performance. In June 2012, he took the college entrance exam, but his scores were not ideal, as expected. He didn't plan to continue his education, so he followed his father to a construction site in Xi'an.

Arriving at the Construction Site

The first time Mr. K arrived at the construction site, he found it quite fresh. He would leave home at dawn and return at nightfall. Besides eating, sleeping, and working, there was no other entertainment. He started to feel bored and exhausted. He was still young and didn't know where his path was or what he really wanted to do. It seemed like life had lost its meaning.

The construction sites were not fixed. Once one project was completed, they would move on to the next one, constantly traveling around. Mr. K wanted to escape from the construction site, but due to family and personal reasons, he had to grit his teeth and continue living this way. After a year on the construction site, he finally made up his mind to return to Chengdu.

Returning to Chengdu

After returning to Chengdu, Mr. K took a break for 2 months before thinking about finding a job. Due to his limited education and skills, he wasn't sure what kind of job he could find.

During this period, he worked as a telemarketer, making various sales calls. The company tried to brainwash and motivate him, but he only lasted for 3 days.

He continued to search for a job and saw a job posting with low requirements and decent salary. After receiving a phone call and going for an interview, he realized that it was actually a training institution that required payment for training. Unexpectedly, this turned out to be a turning point.

After listening to the introduction, Mr. K felt excited and determined to learn a new skill. He shared his thoughts with his family, but most of them didn't understand and strongly opposed it. He ended up having a big argument with his mother and moved out to share an apartment with friends (7 people in a three-bedroom apartment).

He was determined to see through his decision, even if no one understood his thoughts. However, the practical problem he faced was that he had no source of income and had to pay high training fees. Fortunately, the training institution helped him obtain a loan for studying, which gave him some breathing room. And so, he embarked on the path of becoming a programmer.

He had classes three days a week and had to study and consolidate his learning on the side. He also had to find more part-time jobs to support his rent and living expenses. To be honest, life was quite difficult during this time.

Entering the IT Industry

After half a year of juggling part-time jobs, attending classes, and repaying his loan, in June 2014, Mr. K got a job as a Java developer in a company recommended by his school.

As a newcomer, he didn't know anything and had difficulty fitting into the project. There was so much to learn, but he persevered and solved most of the problems through online searches and consulting with experienced colleagues.

Small companies have their advantages, and big companies have their grandeur. When we first start working, we realize what a great opportunity it is to learn and earn a salary at the same time. We don't have high demands.

The IT industry is known for its long working hours, and combined with limited abilities, there were many things Mr. K had to figure out on his own. It was common for him to arrive home around 22:00 (the most memorable time was when he stayed overnight at the office to meet a project deadline), and he often had to work on weekends as well.

During this period of intense overtime work, Mr. K grew a lot. However, he couldn't bear the long hours of overtime work for a long time. He told his boss that he wanted to resign, but his boss tried to persuade him to stay and even offered a salary increase. Tempted by the raise, Mr. K decided to continue working.

Although he received a pay raise, it was barely enough to repay his bank loan and cover basic living expenses. His pockets were empty every month. With his continuous efforts and the support and help of his friends, he finally paid off his loan and could finally breathe a sigh of relief. He could now say that he didn't want to work overtime anymore, that he quit. He made the decision to resign from the company (ironically, he later returned to the same company and is currently employed there). (To be continued)