A Journey to Toronto

Xiamen

The journey began in Xiamen, 2013. As a college student facing graduation, A master’s degree in the U.S., Canada, or Europe was an option that I considered seriously. However, after some preliminary research, I eliminated such an option because I couldn’t afford the cost of studying abroad, even the relatively affordable choice of Europe. Like most of my classmates, I naturally landed a job and started working. Time had planted the seed, though.

Hangzhou

Life went on, and I was working in Hangzhou. I was somewhat satisfied with the situation: a well-paid job at a prestigious company. I was finally relatively financially secured for the first time in my life. I could afford to buy all kinds of stuff without hesitation; I could help the family. Parents were also pleased because my employment earned them respect from relatives and colleagues. Grandmother was happy as well. I feel cozy and comfortable, although overtime was part of life, and work ate up all my time. What more to expect from life? It was 2014.

Things have shaken dramatically during the third year of work. The average weekly work time had jumped to almost 80 hours from 60 hours due to the poor planning of the project and sick work culture. Overtime situation had become even crazier and unbearable for us. My coworkers and I were just coping with it like zombies without hope. Roughly 7 months into such a situation, one coworker fainted with blood while working at 11 PM. We called the ambulance and sent him to the emergency room. The whole team was shocked by the incident, and many things changed that night. Following the incident, management ironically announced that we should move back to a 60-hour-week and no one should work more than that. Life and work appeared normal again, but I started to pay more attention to the deterioration of my health and the increasingly frequent news of engineers dying because of overtime. It was 2017.

I began to explore possible ways out of such a miserable and unsustainable situation. However, I found no easy way out. For complicated reasons, the so-called 996 culture was popular and ubiquitous among the entire tech industry. My company was not bad compared to others, for my company would pay for overtime which was rare for many small firms. However, I was determined and managed to find out two solutions: 1. work for a foreign company; 2. Move to U.S. or Canada. I decided to adopt both keys simultaneously.

Consequently, I jumped to one of my company’s foreign competitors. Finally, I had time after work to exercise regularly and recover from my health situation. I had time to restudy English and prepare for school applications. It was 2018.

Wuhan

School applications and preparations were tricky, for work would dry up all your energy for the day and leave nothing for studying. It’s a long process of an endless cycle of determining and regretting. Then, Covid hit in the Spring festival of 2020. Came with Covid was my dream offer. I felt relieved and hopeful, although I didn’t leave my room for almost three months on account of the lockdown of Wuhan. Though Covid brought tremendous difficulties and uncertainties to my planning, I completed all requirements for the study visa: financial proof, criminal record, medical exam…,etc. It was 2020.

Unfortunately, we had to start our term in September remotely due to Covid. Countless difficulties emerged, but the time zone difference was the most challenging issue. It was painful to take classes at 1 AM at midnight and sleep at 4 AM. Internet was also considerable trouble as we couldn’t access many essential services because of the GFW. Fast-forward to April 2021, and I finally landed in Toronto, Canada.

Toronto

Excitement, uncertainty, ambiguity! Those are the words I would use to depict my time in Toronto. I was excited about everything around me but felt uncertain about my future. It took some time to settle down and cope with the weather in Toronto, particularly during the first winter. I still remember how I overreacted facing those -20C winter days.

It is July 2022 now. I officially graduated and received my master’s degree. Admittedly, my time at graduate school was imperfect and compromised because of Covid. It’s a pity that About 90% of our study was online, and I may make a different decision if I had the chance to relive it.

Anyway, I am ready to move to the next phase of my life. I am looking forward to my work life in Toronto.

The End

In hindsight, the biggest motivator for me is the pursuit of a better life, as simple as that. Initially, it was about better work-life balance. Then environmental issues, personal liberty, and the political environment came into play. Just as Thomas Jefferson wrote in The Declaration of Independence in 1776:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

Although I underwent the most insane overtime (80 - 90 hours per week for about a year) with my first employer, I am very grateful for the company. Those vivid times would visit my mind from time to time. As I mentioned above, at least my company paid for overtime. The job made it possible for me to come and study in Canada financially. I am very thankful to my mentor and first manager, who helped me a lot and still acts as a role model for me today on how to be a good manager. We had good team vibes and had a lot of fun together.

My graduate time was far from perfect. However, I am also very thankful for the school, the program, and everyone I meet. It is a brand-new experience for me: a new language, new food, new culture, new everything. Moreover, the study has profoundly expanded my horizon, and the knowledge and wisdom I accumulate during the process will be beneficial for the years to come.