I couldn't keep living like a walking corpse. After much thought, I decided to bid farewell to my wife and child and take the road back to Hong Kong. Before returning, I was quite confident. After all, I had dual degrees, had won awards, and had nearly twenty years of experience. I felt sure I could stage a comeback once back in Hong Kong!
The first time I stood in Times Square, Causeway Bay after returning, I cried. Because it had been so long since I had seen so many people, such bustle.
The harsh reality woke me up. I had overlooked my age, the fact that I hadn't job-hunted for 20 years, and my lack of local experience in Hong Kong. I sent out over 300 resumes and only got two interviews. In Hong Kong, jobs under HK$20,000 are easy to find. Blue-collar workers are increasingly more sought after than white-collar. But once you reach management level, it's like a curse, hard to break through. It's not that I didn't want to give up, but fate told me I must persevere strongly. I firmly believe I will make a comeback!
Often, failure isn't scary. It might be destiny, it might be human error. But you must introspect and clearly understand why you failed.
Summarizing my experience, I derived a few key lessons:
1. Don't expect those you've helped to help you in return. There are many people in this world who remove the ladder after crossing the bridge, or kick someone who is down.
2. Blood relations don't mean they are obligated to help you.
3. Don't leverage too much. Always have reserve funds for emergencies, or for emergencies within emergencies!
4. The most important point: Don't just give yourself hope that tomorrow will be better. Set a timeline for yourself. Look at the numbers, not just hope! Time has a cost!
I wish everyone good health and may all your wishes come true!