He Who Dares

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If You Won’t Go into the Tiger’s Lair, How Can You Catch The Cubs?

HAN DYNASTY PROVERB, 202 B.C. - A.D. 220:
“NOTHING VENTURED NOTHING GAINED.”


As I wait for my connecting flight beneath the towering canopy of Dubai International Airport I welcome you to my Beijing blog, “He Who Dares”. Accompanied by an overpriced bottle of imported beer and the back of my boarding pass, I begin what I hope will be an honest and entertaining account of my pathway to China.

Throughout the past six months family and friends have raised questions concerning my career path upon graduation, “Where and what next?”, they would ask candidly. My standard answer would begin by referring to arduous and lengthy graduate scheme applications within the banking and finance sector followed by, “the application process is very competitive, so I am not very confident”, thereby, insuring myself against the embarrassment of rejection. Lessen to say, my first attempt to secure a long-term job failed horribly. Yes, the graduate job market has been stifled by the ‘recession’, but the prize jobs remain accessible to the stronger applicants. It would be easy to blame the dwindling market for my inability to make the transition from student to employee, however, the reality of the situation is that my CV lacks depth in both experience and academia. Frightened by the prospect of unemployment coupled with the monotony of searching and applying for jobs which did not interest me I made sure I had a reserve option in place in case all else failed - the only problem being that this would involve relocating to China.

The China Pathways Programme, an unrivalled six month initiative designed to introduce young students to China’s language, business and culture presented me with an opening to a country central to the next stage of globalisation and home to one of the world’s most powerful economies. How could I ignore such an incredible opportunity? The combination of being a fairly reserved and responsible individual, coupled with the fact that I am a Libran - the ditherer and the diplomat - meant I prolonged neither committing to or rejecting the offer for months. However, my awareness of the importance of global experience enticed me to enter the dragon and overcome my indecisiveness. Consequently, here I am, seven hours away from a country completely foreign and unbeknown to me, where I will attempt to study mandarin, build guanxi (relationships) and uncover potential employment opportunities. Am I nervous? Incredibly. Am I excited? Very. Am I going to be boarding a flight back to Heathrow within the first week of arrival? I hope not. I am opening a new chapter in my life with nothing to lose, but everything to gain - I just hope I can look back on this experience with justifiable satisfaction.

All that stands in the way of my pathway to China is whether I will board the plane in time - nobody told me it was a thirty-five minute walk to my gate. I hope the next time I write, I will be in Beijing.

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