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Moving to China

After spending my whole life in the US, it is time to move somewhere new! First stop, China

Background

Leaving the US

  • My longest international trip to one city was 10 days (Mexico City for an exciting multi-part trip in early 2024), and a number of 8 day trips (Sydney, Munich, Amsterdam, Shenzhen)
  • My longest international trip to one country was 26 days, as I took a wonderful business trip around Australia in early 2024
  • My longest international trip outside of the US was 54 days for an amazing adventure around East Asia after Grad School. Now it is time to fully immerse myself in somewhere new for an extended period and break all of these records :D

For more information about leaving SF and the US, see Goodbye-Bay

Lifestyle

Over late 2024, I considered various lifestyles and how I could spend my next few years.

  • Travel? No. I determined that I am driven by a sense of productivity and fulfillment, so I would not want to travel aimlessly. I prefer being somewhere with a purpose.
  • Digital Nomad? No. I want to build connections with my coworkers, feel like I belong, and live a local life. I also feel more valuable when I collaborate on complex problems in person.
  • Project/Consulting? Probably not. This would make it difficult to build a sense of community, though it could be interesting to gain exposure to different places (e.g. having a home base in Singapore but deploying energy projects across Southeast Asia).
  • “Normal Job?” Bingo.

Strategy

Over the past few months, I have learned a lot, and my personality type aligns well with exploring and going broad. This has led me to consider opportunities and adventures all over the world.

It is now time to dive deep and focus on execution—actually getting a job and living there.

I am more focused and effective when I can concentrate on a smaller set of projects at a time. Moving to a specific country or city can help me establish a life there.

Networking, job applications, and lifestyle analysis are far more effective in person. Companies and people also take me more seriously if I say, “Can we meet for tea at your office to discuss how my skill set can provide value to your team?” instead of, “Here is my resume; let me know if you have time for a phone call.”

Why China?

I have thought about opportunities in a few categories:

  • Emerging Markets: Would be quite a challenge, but many of the obstacles are more business, financial, and cultural than technical, which might not be as good a fit. Of the options, I was most drawn to Indonesia, which has lofty climate goals but is lagging behind peers like Vietnam. Indonesia is building a new capital city, Nusantara, which I found intriguing, but I haven’t found it particularly easy to make compelling connections as an individual foreigner.
  • Europe: Fairly easy. Culturally, it’s not that dissimilar from the US. I’ve spent a lot of time there and have several connections.
  • East Asia: Market leaders in the energy storage and renewable energy space:
    • Japan and Korea: Compelling but might be a difficult cultural fit.
    • Singapore: Focused more on projects, financing, and business strategy, with less emphasis on technical/product engineering.
    • China: A dominant player in the energy sector. Many worldwide companies, products, parts, manufacturing, and employees have deep connections to China.

China seems like a natural fit. While it would be a challenge as an English speaker, it would provide great opportunities for personal growth. My expertise could offer significant value to Chinese companies developing cutting-edge products and preparing for global compliance and market entry.

If I cannot land a compelling job, the connections, familiarity with Chinese culture, and improved language skills will be valuable throughout my life.

Additionally, over the past few years, I’ve noticed Chinese influences permeating more aspects of my life, including:

  • Leadership in energy tech.
  • Some of my favorite music (playlist).
  • The tea community, especially 工夫茶 (Gōngfū chá).
  • 花椒 (Huājiāo) - Numbing Sichuan pepper, my favorite spice.
  • A disproportionate number of my favorite foods, including 叉燒菠蘿包 (Chāshāo bōluó bāo - baked pineapple pork bun), 萝卜糕 (Luóbo gāo - radish cake), 割包 (Gua Bāo - sweet pork belly sandwich with peanut), rice noodles, and dumplings.
  • 升级 (Shēngjí) - A challenging and interesting card game.
  • The Three-Body Problem TV show—my current favorite.
  • Many wonderful friends.

Life in China

What Industry and Type of Company would I consider?

Our time is limited. It is incredibly fulfilling to use this most precious resource productively and make a positive impact on our teams, products, and planet.

I want to work in a fast-paced environment focused on products that help the environment.

My expertise is in energy storage, solar, EV charging, and the full suite of energy products for small-scale systems (residential/light commercial). I would consider branching out into related areas, such as commercial energy storage, building energy management, or other power grid infrastructure, but I am unlikely to pivot to exciting tangentially related sectors like public transit or nuclear energy.

What Job would I excel at?

I excel at bringing a product from an idea all the way to deployment. This includes market analysis, technical specifications, product design, prototyping, supplier integration, manufacturing, field trials, compliance, launch, new market entry, installation, new feature development, fleet analytics, service, and support.

I do not want to be limited to one aspect of the product lifecycle (e.g. only manufacturing).

I am interested in technical leadership or managerial roles. I have managed small teams and enjoy empowering others, helping them succeed, and fostering connections. In the past, my technical focus and overwhelming workload as a subject matter expert across many domains held me back from pursuing more team management.

In a new role, I can focus on where I can provide the most value instead of being pulled in too many directions.

I have less experience in project-based work but have managed a few dozen complex projects. I would consider this style of work.

I am not particularly interested in or skilled at financing, marketing, customer relationships, or legal work.

How Long to stay in China?

I have a few more years left on a 10-year visa, which allows me to visit China for 60 days at a time.

  • I plan to arrive in China at the end of December, enjoy the New Year on January 1st, and spend January building connections and applying for jobs.
  • I’ll celebrate Chinese New Year in February and continue the job search until mid-February.

If I land a job in China, I’ll stay for a few years!
If not, I’ll consider Korea, Japan, Singapore, or other parts of Asia.
If Asia doesn’t work out, I’ll explore Europe (e.g. Amsterdam, Berlin, Barcelona).

In any case, I’ll periodically visit the US for major events in the lives of friends and family.

Initially, I’ll focus on building a community where I reside, and finding a compelling job, rather than traveling for fun.

Logistics

Details

I intend to integrate into the local community as much as possible by:

  • Getting a new phone.
  • Finding an apartment.
  • Establishing connections.

I’ll be most accessible on WeChat: willjam3 but will try to stay active on other digital platforms.

Want to Help?

I would greatly appreciate support! For example:

Connections!

  • Clean Tech/Renewable Energy: Energy storage, solar, EV charging, etc.
  • Tech in General: Collaborators and connections.
  • Friends: Building a social life and community.
  • Romance: Not a primary focus, but it can be especially rewarding to go on adventures with someone you’re excited about.

Work

  • Job postings/opportunities.
  • Meetups/tech talks/conferences.
  • Resume/interview/job prep assistance.

Community

  • Cultural spaces.
  • Third spaces that don’t focus on work, food, or drink (e.g. SF Commons).
  • Community tea houses (e.g. The Center SF).
  • Social dance (e.g. fusion).
  • Collaborative art (e.g. Box Shop SF).
  • Athletic activities: hiking clubs, sports, gyms, or classes.

Chinese Language

  • Group or private lessons.
  • Chinese music with fun lyrics and clear pronunciation/tones.

Housing

  • Neighborhood suggestions.
  • People looking for roommates (e.g. group houses).
  • Unique accommodations (e.g. opportunities like Aman Yangyun that are less than 8000RMB a night).

Life

  • General suggestions: taxes, cell phone plans, banking, doctors, etc.