This episode presents an interview with a software engineer in New York, identified as "Dazhuang, (Big)" who discusses their academic and career journey from a high-achieving high school student in China to a programmer in the US. The interview, conducted by "宫师姐Chelsea ," highlights Dazhuang's experiences with university selection based on exam scores rather than interest, subsequent major changes, and a strategic shift towards computer science, even declining a Yale Univ offer for a stronger computer science program like Carnegie Mellon Univ. The conversation also touches upon the importance of undergraduate education and access to information for future success. The interviewer, Chelsea Gong, also outlines the purpose of these interviews: to provide diverse, unedited personal stories to high school students who are in needs.

Originally posted on WeChat公众号 @breakbarriers 《28号分享：优先择校、接受专业调剂再转专业，有名校情结但放弃耶鲁录取、转向计算机强校》

And 宫师姐Chelsea's blog:

https://www.becomingchelsea.com/post/28%E5%8F%B7%E5%88%86%E4%BA%AB%EF%BC%9A%E4%BC%98%E5%85%88%E6%8B%A9%E6%A0%A1%E3%80%81%E6%8E%A5%E5%8F%97%E4%B8%93%E4%B8%9A%E8%B0%83%E5%89%82%E5%86%8D%E8%BD%AC%E4%B8%93%E4%B8%9A%EF%BC%8C%E6%9C%89%E5%90%8D%E6%A0%A1%E6%83%85%E7%BB%93%E4%BD%86%E6%94%BE%E5%BC%83%E8%80%B6%E9%B2%81%E5%BD%95%E5%8F%96%E3%80%81%E8%BD%AC%E5%90%91%E8%AE%A1%E7%AE%97%E6%9C%BA%E5%BC%BA%E6%A0%A1

This episode presents a software engineer who graduated high school in Sichuan, China, during the 2008 earthquake. The interview chronicles her unplanned educational and career path, starting with an initial interest in computer science that led to an information management degree, a marketing internship, and eventually a master's in computer science in the U.S. Her story highlights adaptability and openness to unexpected opportunities, emphasizing that her seemingly circuitous journey ultimately led her to a fulfilling career. The interviewer's stated goal is to collect diverse personal stories to inspire high school students considering their future choices.

27号分享：经历512的高考生，在摇摆中成为软件工程师

This episode presents a deep dive of an interview with P, a software engineer, focusing on their unconventional academic and career path. It details their journey beginning with information science competitions in elementary school, which led to skipping their final year of high school to attend university early. The interview explores P's decision to discontinue competitive programming in college and their subsequent career as a software engineer at a single company since graduation, highlighting their perspective that the life choices have been more a "natural progression" than active decisions.

This interview is part of Chelsea's "Beyond the Gaokao" project to compile diverse life stories from individuals, aiming to provide high school students with expanded perspectives on future possibilities without imposing subjective opinions.

Originally posted on WeChat 公众号 @breakbarriers《26号分享：从小学开始搞信息学竞赛、跳过高三就读大零的软件工程师，没有起承转合，只有顺水推舟》

And 宫师姐Cheslea's blog:

https://www.becomingchelsea.com/post/26%E5%8F%B7%E5%88%86%E4%BA%AB%EF%BC%9A%E4%BB%8E%E5%B0%8F%E5%AD%A6%E5%BC%80%E5%A7%8B%E6%90%9E%E4%BF%A1%E6%81%AF%E5%AD%A6%E7%AB%9E%E8%B5%9B%E3%80%81%E8%B7%B3%E8%BF%87%E9%AB%98%E4%B8%89%E5%B0%B1%E8%AF%BB%E5%A4%A7%E9%9B%B6%E7%9A%84%E8%BD%AF%E4%BB%B6%E5%B7%A5%E7%A8%8B%E5%B8%88%EF%BC%8C%E6%B2%A1%E6%9C%89%E8%B5%B7%E6%89%BF%E8%BD%AC%E5%90%88%EF%BC%8C%E5%8F%AA%E6%9C%89%E9%A1%BA%E6%B0%B4%E6%8E%A8%E8%88%9F

This episode presents a software engineer referred to as "和尚(Monk)." It covers the interviewee's journey from a high school athlete balancing sports and academics to pursuing a computer science degree due to an interest in technology and Google's work environment in 2009. It details her challenging university experience, a PhD dropout for a job opportunity, and her reflections on career and life choices, emphasizing that experiences are valuable regardless of outcome.

The interviewer, 宫师姐Chelsea, aims to compile a diverse collection of independent life stories to broaden high school students' perspectives without imposing subjective opinions.

25号分享：有体育专长的高中学霸听说谷歌工作滋润就冲去学计算机，她后来quit了PhD

This episode presents an interview with Fish, a product leader at a startup, as part of a series aiming to broaden high school students' perspectives on career and life choices. The interview traces Fish's unconventional path from a "free-range" high school experience and a less-than-ideal college entrance exam score to a successful career in tech product management. He reflects on pivotal decisions like switching from financial engineering to computer science and becoming an APM, emphasizing the role of serendipity and personal satisfaction over predefined plans. He also contemplates the broader meaning of "being human" in a society that often overvalues work achievements, expressing a desire for more human-centric pursuits in a hypothetical parallel universe.

The interviewer, referred to as "宫师姐Chelsea," emphasizes a commitment to presenting these narratives without subjective interpretation, allowing readers to draw their own conclusions.

Originally posted on WeChat 公众号 @breakbarriers 《24号分享：从金融工程到信息系统到大厂APM，创业公司产品leader谈being human》

And 宫师姐Chelsea's blog:

https://www.becomingchelsea.com/post/24%E5%8F%B7%E5%88%86%E4%BA%AB%EF%BC%9A%E4%BB%8E%E9%87%91%E8%9E%8D%E5%B7%A5%E7%A8%8B%E5%88%B0%E4%BF%A1%E6%81%AF%E7%B3%BB%E7%BB%9F%E5%88%B0%E5%A4%A7%E5%8E%82apm%EF%BC%8C%E5%88%9B%E4%B8%9A%E5%85%AC%E5%8F%B8%E4%BA%A7%E5%93%81leader%E8%B0%88being-human

The episode presents an interview with an individual identified as D, focusing on D's academic and professional journey. D's journey traces their path from a stressful high school experience in Shenzhen, where they faced challenges during her gaokao, to becoming one of the first students at Guangzhou University City, then pursuing a Master's in the U.S. in Information Management, and ultimately establishing a consistent and "laid-back" career in Compliance and Operational Risk at a bank in New York, reflecting that many key life choices were not within their control.

Originally posted on WeChat 公众号 @breakbarriers 《23号分享：高考曾紧张到腹泻，她是laid back银行内部监管从业者》

And 宫师姐Chelsea's blog: https://www.becomingchelsea.com/post/23%E5%8F%B7%E5%88%86%E4%BA%AB%EF%BC%9A%E9%AB%98%E8%80%83%E6%9B%BE%E7%B4%A7%E5%BC%A0%E5%88%B0%E8%85%B9%E6%B3%BB%EF%BC%8C%E5%A5%B9%E6%98%AFlaid-back%E9%93%B6%E8%A1%8C%E5%86%85%E9%83%A8%E7%9B%91%E7%AE%A1%E4%BB%8E%E4%B8%9A%E8%80%85

This episode presents an interview with an anonymous "sharer", who discusses their unconventional career path. It highlights their journey from initially pursuing architecture to later switching to accounting, then marketing, and ultimately landing a strategy role in a top consulting firm specializing in digital healthcare. The interview also touches upon their personal life, challenges, and reflections on the decisions they made, including the impact of the 2003 SARS epidemic on her high school experience. The overarching theme is one of adaptability and making the most of one's circumstances, a message the interviewer hopes will inspire and broaden the perspectives of high school students facing their own future choices.

22号分享：舍弃建筑系转向会计专业再转市场营销，她在顶级咨询公司做战略

This episode presents excerpts from an interview with a former top student from a small town in China, whose name is not specifically stated. They discusses their academic and career journey from Tsinghua University's architecture program to their current doctoral studies in cultural heritage preservation and work at the Metropolitan Museum. The interview explores their experiences with academic pressure, self-perception as an overachiever, and the challenges of adapting to new academic environments, particularly in the arts without a prior art background. It also touches upon their personal growth in navigating setbacks and adjusting her mindset beyond a singular definition of success.

“Beyond the Gaokao” is an interview series done by 宫师姐Chelsea, aiming to collect diverse life stories to broaden the perspectives of high school students contemplating their future choices, emphasizing respect for individual experiences.

Originally posted on WeChat公众号 @breakbarriers 《21号分享：从清华建筑系到大都会博物馆，小镇学霸谈“心态”》

And 宫师姐Chelsea's blog:

https://www.becomingchelsea.com/post/21%E5%8F%B7%E5%88%86%E4%BA%AB%EF%BC%9A%E4%BB%8E%E6%B8%85%E5%8D%8E%E5%BB%BA%E7%AD%91%E7%B3%BB%E5%88%B0%E5%A4%A7%E9%83%BD%E4%BC%9A%E5%8D%9A%E7%89%A9%E9%A6%86%EF%BC%8C%E5%B0%8F%E9%95%87%E5%AD%A6%E9%9C%B8%E8%B0%88-%E5%BF%83%E6%80%81

This episode presents an interview with C, a product manager at Google, who reflected on their unconventional educational and career path. They discussed the decision to forgo the Gaokao (Chinese college entrance exam) for a fully-funded scholarship to a U.S. liberal arts college, where they were challenged to study diverse subjects like art history. C also recounted declining admission to Harvard's Kennedy School to gain real-world experience in a top consulting firm, eventually pursuing an MBA to align their environmental idealism with practical financial strategies.

The interviewer, 宫师姐Chelsea, outlines their project "Beyond the Gaokao" to collect diverse life stories from individuals who have made significant choices regarding their education and careers, aiming to inspire high school students. 

Originally posted on WeChat 公众号 @breakbarriers 《20号分享：放弃高考、放弃哈佛肯尼迪学院录取，从顶尖咨询公司转向科技行业的环保理想主义者》

And 宫师姐Chelsea's blog:

https://www.becomingchelsea.com/post/20%E5%8F%B7%E5%88%86%E4%BA%AB%EF%BC%9A%E6%94%BE%E5%BC%83%E9%AB%98%E8%80%83%E3%80%81%E6%94%BE%E5%BC%83%E5%93%88%E4%BD%9B%E8%82%AF%E5%B0%BC%E8%BF%AA%E5%AD%A6%E9%99%A2%E5%BD%95%E5%8F%96%EF%BC%8C%E4%BB%8E%E9%A1%B6%E5%B0%96%E5%92%A8%E8%AF%A2%E5%85%AC%E5%8F%B8%E8%BD%AC%E5%90%91%E7%A7%91%E6%8A%80%E8%A1%8C%E4%B8%9A%E7%9A%84%E7%8E%AF%E4%BF%9D%E7%90%86%E6%83%B3%E4%B8%BB%E4%B9%89%E8%80%85

This episode presents an interview with G, an oncology radiation resident in New York, works 70-80 hours weekly, balancing patient care and clinical research. G's path included an intense high school in Hubei, a five-year medical degree in China, and a US Master's as a strategic "stepping stone" to prepare for the crucial US medical licensing exams. G finds the US medical profession highly rewarding, with significant societal respect and high incomes for doctors, contrasting with the lower financial recognition in China. G acknowledges AI's potential to replace certain medical roles (e.g., radiologists), but stresses the enduring need for "medical scientists" who innovate new treatments. G advises their younger self to maintain curiosity and responsibility.

Originally posted on WeChat公众号 @breakbarriers 《19号分享：从国内医学院5年制到美国住院医，缺觉并热血着》

And 宫师姐Chelsea's blog:

becomingchelsea.com