Aimee Barnes says – Find a China career that works for you

Posted By Damjan DeNoble

Few China bloggers do their jobs as well as Aimee Barnes, and this week she’s posted an absolutely must read article called, Falling in Love With China…And Your Career.

Aimee has talked and interviewed scores of China-focused professionals and compiles their careers in this one, easy-to-read post, while also offering very true to life advice about how one should attempt to “enter” these fields.  Three of her advice points that particularly resonate with me -

3. Make friends and associates with goals complementary to your own. Go to professional events in your desired field on a regular basis. Get involved as a volunteer/intern at a business or organization that interests you. Blog. Tweet. Post on LinkedIn. Share. Prove that you’re interested in what you want to be “when you grow up.”

This is a very simple but too-often neglected concept.  For some reason, a lot of expatriates that come to China stop being adventurous once they get an apartment and find one or two hang out spots.  So, if there is one thing I would add, it is that “plugging” in, if done right, will be uncomfortable at first.  That sense of discomfort, however, should be sought out since it lets you know when you are adventuring, as opposed to stagnating.

14. If you’re not an “expert” (to borrow Malcolm Gladwell’s definition, you don’t have at least 10,000 hours under your belt in a particular subject), please don’t pretend that you are.

Absolutely right.  And as a corollary, if anyone who you do not know very well, in China (or really anywhere), tells you that they are an expert in something then you can be pretty sure that they are not.   Having worked in a restaurant, and after my experience with The Guy, I can’t tell you how much faux-experts annoy me.  I like to think that most of the real china experts feel the same way (meaning, don’t do it).

19. Establish yourself before you land your China-focused dream job. I sat around studying informal economies and China for 8 years in total without sharing much of what I’d learned outside of the classroom. Thank goodness I started this blog… (hint, hint)

Aimee is dead on again.  After college I was convinced that China would be my El Dorado.  But only after two years of language study, involvement with various Beijing projects, heavy networking, and now this blog, have really interesting opportunities started appearing.  Put work into preparation and exciting will happen.

Having said that, I have to cut this article short since I am currently preparing for the LSAT and I have to find some time to read my new copy of Zha0 Z1yang’s memoirs…and when I finish reading, I might even post about it.

Now…go read Aimee’s blog!  And if you want to follow her on twitter – @Aimeebarnes