Closing Remarks, Continuous Improvement is no Trivial Achievement #
Have you ever watched or heard of the program “The Voice of China”? In this program, the mentors always ask the “soul-searching” question: “What is your dream?”
Like many boys born in the 1980s, my initial dream was to become a pilot and soar in the sky. But as my vision worsened and my height increased, I realized that not all dreams can be fulfilled. Fortunately, I still had a backup plan, because I had another dream, which was to become a teacher. Now, my dream has come true on Geek Time.
Why did I want to become a teacher? To be honest, I don’t remember how I initially thought about it. Maybe it was because in the eyes of elementary and middle school students, the image of a teacher is powerful and impressive. But as I grew older, I realized that being a teacher is not as easy as it seems. You might have heard the phrase “teaching is a two-way street,” but have you ever wondered why “teaching” comes before “learning” in “teaching is a two-way street,” instead of “learning and teaching is a two-way street”?
Perhaps, only when you transition from being a student to being a teacher can you truly understand this question. In reality, many times, the person teaching may gain more than the person learning. Why do I say that?
When you’re learning a subject or a specific knowledge point, you can choose not to understand or simply ignore it, and you can always learn it later when you actually need it. But as a teacher, you not only need to understand it, but also have clear logic, meticulous thinking, and even teach others in a way that is interesting and engaging. This is not as simple as it sounds.
However, every field of knowledge is vast and profound. You cannot possibly have an in-depth understanding of every detail. This forces you to continuously learn, think, and improve. I believe this is the secret behind the effectiveness of output-based learning. The same principle applies to column writing. Several months of continuous output are a long test for energy, physical strength, family harmony, and more. At the end of the column, I see not only 200,000 words of content, but also my own shortcomings. And these are the lighthouses on my path of growth, guiding me towards the future and continuous improvement.
In the end, I want to share with you three insights that I gained from column writing, hoping that these insights can help you overcome obstacles and thrive in your future learning journey.
When it comes to writing a column, the degree of systemization of knowledge becomes an important factor in determining your future development. Only by establishing your own knowledge system and continuously absorbing the essence from the outside world can you let this knowledge and experience circulate and settle within yourself, eventually becoming a part of you. This is the first insight I want to share with you: build your own knowledge system and engage in continuous output-based learning.
Do you know the scariest moment when writing a column? It’s when you open a blank document and don’t know what the first word should be. It’s similar to our usual work, where you know how far you need to go, but you don’t know how to start. With countless thoughts running through your mind and physical fatigue sometimes working against you, time quietly slips away while you continue to doubt yourself, and in the end, you still have to face this problem on your own. What should you do in such a situation?
There’s a classic saying that goes something like this: “When you don’t want to do something, you can have a hundred reasons not to, but when you decide to do it, there’s only one reason, and that is to do it.” Many things are not as difficult as you imagine. We are not scientists trying to solve the mysteries of the world; we are dealing with everyday problems. The reason we find these tasks difficult is often not because of lack of ability, experience, or knowledge, but rather the courage and confidence to “just do it”. Because once you start, you are already halfway to success. This applies even more so to improvement work like DevOps, where you should try every means to complete it first and pursue perfection when you have the opportunity. This is the second insight I want to share with you: completion is more important than perfection, and many things can be done first.
There’s a saying in my family that goes, “Time flies when you have a schedule.” It means that for anything, as long as you set milestones, time will lead you to reach your destination quickly. For example, when it comes to project progress, it’s crucial to have a clear view of the overall picture and milestone checkpoints. In the process of writing the column, I believe the most important resource is the “Column Publishing Schedule” organized by the editor, which specifies the tasks I need to complete every week and every day.
Although plans are meant to be broken, and they can never catch up with changes, especially in the world of software where delays seem inevitable, the purpose of having a plan is to help you maintain a minimum standard. Since the worst-case scenario is already like this, doing a little more will bring a little more success, so why bother being tangled and anxious? Therefore, a clear project plan is crucial, especially when it comes to projects that rely on collaboration from multiple individuals. This leads me to the third insight I want to share with you: let the plan help you maintain a bottom line and let actions contribute to success.
I believe that if you are still persevering and listening at this moment, there must be a flame burning in your heart, inspiring you to stand out someday. Therefore, in this final moment, I would like to share some personal experiences from my career development, which are also the secrets that helped me transition from an unknown soldier to a Geek Time author. 1. Find the field that suits you You should know that not everyone is suited for every field. Some people are naturally talented at coding, while others have a natural inclination for communication. Instead of struggling in a field where you are not proficient, it is better to find the field you excel in and continuously deepen your expertise. At the same time, use this field as a starting point to expand outward, creating your own “moat” system and enhancing your professional competence. These are the skills that will sustain you in the future, so make sure you have a few core skills that you can showcase. If you still can’t answer what your field of expertise and core skills are, then continue to work hard in 2020.
2. Build your own unique label Once you have mastered a core skill, you can continuously summarize and share it within that circle, establishing an initial understanding of you by others. As long as you put in the effort, you will discover that there are many opportunities for sharing. If you are struggling to find a way, feel free to approach me.
However, this alone is not enough to make you stand out. At most, it will only allow you to reach an average level. This is when you need to wait for an opportunity, such as a new technology, a new idea, or a new tool. Then, you need to quickly seize this opportunity, position yourself at the forefront, and share, practice, and advocate for it, making it your own unique label.
3. Continuously accumulate success and build a good reputation You should know that there is an ability called “the ability to make others believe in you”. When a company is looking for the right person for a position, why do they choose you instead of others? Besides your own technical competence, whether or not you can make others believe in your abilities is a crucial factor in whether or not you can break through the glass ceiling. So, where does this ability come from? I believe it comes from the accumulation of little things in the past, eventually leading to a qualitative change from a quantitative one. Therefore, cherish every opportunity and every person. In a company, either improve your execution ability, enhance your innovation ability, or enable yourself to quickly integrate resources. Only then can you have the capital for success.
4. Maintain a sense of responsibility, ambition, and career-oriented mindset No matter what you do, the most important thing is a sense of responsibility. You need to do what you are supposed to do well and focus on doing the right things, not just what is required by KPIs. Additionally, you need to maintain ambition and maintain a long-lasting curiosity and open-mindedness towards new things and new technologies, instead of confining yourself to a small area. If possible, consider your work as a career. You should believe that “every line of code is your business card, and every product is your spokesperson.” Work together with your team to grow together, never giving up as long as there is room for improvement.
Just as the title of this article says, only continuous improvement can achieve extraordinary results and make this life worthwhile.
I hope this column can bring you some inspiration and new knowledge. In any case, thank you for accompanying me through the summer, autumn, and winter of 2019.
Finally, I have prepared a research questionnaire for you. Please click on the image below to fill out the survey and provide valuable feedback for me and this column. I look forward to hearing from you.
P.S. Lastly, I would like to express my gratitude to my wife for her selfless support and understanding during the past six months. Without her, this column would have been completed much earlier.