From Tech to HR? Walkers in the Depth of Stream

Shanghai at the end of the last century was a city that had not yet completely embraced the hustle and bustle. At that time, there were still the echoes of old people talking in the alleyways, caressed by the breeze under the sycamore trees. Gu’s grandmother held his hand as he walked along the dirt path, the cicadas chirping in his ears and the aroma of food at the tip of his nose. That was his childhood - a piece of soft, uncut time.

Encountering Gu the Laifushi Lawn

Gu grew up in the city and changed with it. High-rise buildings replaced farmland, and alleyways were lost in the flood of shopping malls and subways. The once familiar outline of the city gradually stretched, blurred, and whitened into a navigational chart from which there was no turning back. 

He didn't complain, but just watched quietly, as if he were watching his own shadow mature. 

In college, he majored in technology and had dreamed of becoming a programmer, building a world of his own in the order of code. But fate always has its script. He entered the human resources industry by accident and stood before the recruitment table for the first time, facing young faces that were eager to initiate change. He realized that people are much more complex and fascinating than programs.

He then experienced some of the most boisterous years of his life: joining startups and running with a group of young people for a seemingly slim future in countless lit nights, witnessing the real greed and exhaustion behind the virtual numbers in the golden age of the Internet. Later, he stopped and walked into a financial company - no longer chasing after the wind, but choosing to put himself in the steady and fine water.

Nowadays, he faces a sea of resumes and interviewers every day. He witnessed the anxiety in young people: the depreciation of education, the scarcity of opportunities, and the silent struggle of every interview. He understands this nervousness because ten years ago, he sat across the table with sweaty palms and longing in his eyes. Even more, he remembers the deep-seated sense of powerlessness - the world was changing so quickly that it felt impossible to keep up.

Money in the financial industry was becoming harder to earn. He listened as his colleagues discussed tariffs, economic policies, and global affairs, while loan applications grew scarce and investment projects dwindled. People on the streets moved more hurriedly, a hint of instinctive weariness in their eyes. He understands that - it wasn’t indifference, but the quiet calculation of people managing mental ledgers they couldn’t afford to get wrong. 

Occasionally, late at night, he would think of the man he once was. That young man in old jeans, carrying a backpack into the laboratory building, was filled with aspiration. Today, he no longer worries about the "ifs" and "maybes". He knows that every turn and every stop is a choice written in his hand.

Society is changing, cities are changing, and people's dreams are changing. 

“Five years ago, studying abroad seemed to be a symbol of success; today, people are more willing to stay in their own country and tell their own stories.”

He has also changed - he no longer looks up to a faraway place, but learns to take root in front of him and live his tiny, daily life gently yet firmly.

I asked him, "If you could choose again, would you take another path?"

He remained silent for a moment, then smiled and said, "There are no ‘ifs’ in life. There is only one thing to do: keep moving forward."

And so, in this city, bathed in the flow of light, he continued to walk with gentle eyes, a determined pace, and a heart that had learned to make peace with the world.