Summary

A Chinese programmer and writer shares their transformative journey with English, detailing how learning the language opened up new career opportunities, changed their lifestyle, and provided access to global information and platforms.

Abstract

The author, a Chinese individual, recounts their challenging initial experiences with English in a poor town, where the language seemed irrelevant. However, as their interest in English grew through media like "Game of Thrones" and the need to solve programming problems, they began to engage more deeply with the language. This engagement led to active participation in online communities, writing technical articles on Medium, and even earning money from their writing. The author emphasizes that learning English has not only been instrumental in their career development as a programmer and writer but has also allowed them to gain a deeper understanding of China's policies through English-language media. The journey with English has reshaped their lifestyle, turning them into a digital nomad and freelancer who interacts with a global audience.

Opinions

The author initially found English learning to be painful and irrelevant, with no access to quality resources or technology.
Interest in English-language media, particularly the TV series "Game of Thrones," sparked a more positive attitude towards learning English.
The necessity of finding programming solutions online highlighted the utility of English proficiency, leading to the author's first interaction with international programming communities like StackOverflow.
YouTube emerged as a valuable resource for improving English listening skills, offering a wealth of educational and entertaining content.
Writing on Medium provided the author with a platform to share knowledge, reach a wider audience, and earn money, which was a significant milestone in their English learning journey.
The author believes that timely access to international news through English-language media offers a clearer perspective on China's policies, which are often subject to strict control in domestic media.
Learning English is seen as more than just acquiring a language skill; it represents a lifestyle change that includes engaging with global content, participating in international communities, and adopting a freelance and digital nomad approach to work and life.
The author encourages other non-native English writers to start writing and to be consistent, as they have personally experienced the benefits of writing in English.

The Benefits of Learning English as a Chinese Programmer & Writer

The English has completely changed my life and career.

When I studied English in elementary school as a child in a poor Chinese town, I felt pain and exhaustion.

Why do I have to learn this strange language? I wondered. I couldn’t pronounce any simple vocabulary at that time.

As a poor villager, my family only had a low-quality television which could only receive one TV program.

https://www.sohu.com/a/442948016_120623883

Of course, no computer, no smartphone.

All of my perceptions about the world are about three names: Bush, Putin, and Bill Gates. They are names I often hear on TV news, except for some Chinese people.

From elementary school to university, English was a subject that made me painful.

Game of Throne

My first interest in the English language was in the famous TV series: Game of Thrones. At that time, I was immersed in this fantasy adventure in Westeros.

Did John Snow die after Season 5? We all wondered.

I started to search for information about the series, joined some Facebook groups, and tried to follow the actors on Twitter.

This is my first enjoyable time with English.

Learning Programming

Meanwhile, I self-studied programming after I left the university. I needed to find tutorials and the solutions to bugs.

To my surprise, I found that any problems I met had already had a public solution on the English Internet. Searching English keywords on Google is much more useful than searching Chinese keywords on Baidu.

I asked my first question on StackOverflow in 2017:

Why there is "index exceeded the number of group boundaries" in this code?

For this code in Visual Studio Point[,] point = new Point[9, 10]; for (int i = 0; i < 9; i++) { for(int j = 0; i…

stackoverflow.com

This question is really stupid, I confused i and j.

7 years have passed, time flies so fast!

This is the first time I wrote English for a real purpose instead of homework!

Watch YouTube Videos

When I was a student, one part of our English class was listening. We listen to an English conversation on the tape recorder and then answer some questions. This was almost a nightmare for me at the time. I couldn’t understand what was on the tape recorder at all. Every time after reaching this stage in class, I would put on a mask of pain, as if I had walked into hell. After all, I couldn’t understand anything.

But when I started using YouTube as an adult, I discovered that YouTube is a giant gold mine. There are so many high-quality educational videos on this platform as well as some laugh-out-loud entertaining videos.

And, it’s all free. All you need is a computer, a network cable, and some English listening skills to start panning freely in this gold mine!

Writing on Medium

When I started using Google for my questions, I found Google usually guides me to a beautiful website: Medium.

Then I started hanging out on Medium and fell in love with the platform.

Then I discovered that writers seemed to be able to make money on Medium. Frankly speaking, it is really easy to get excited when it comes to making money.

My first viral article is this:

You Must Understand These 14 JavaScript Functions

You should be able to understand and write by hand these functions before you go to any JavaScript interview.

javascript.plainenglish.io

This is the first time I earned money in English. It has completely changed my life and career.

If someone had told me 10 years ago that I would make money by writing English articles in the future, I would have thought him ridiculous. But that’s what happened.

For other writers on Medium, if I, a non-native speaker, can earn money from writing, why can’t you do it? The only secret is to start writing now and be consistent!

Understand China

Ironically, learning English had another side effect on me: English can help me better understand China’s policies.

Due to the strict news control in China, many important political or economic policies are not released in Chinese news media in a timely manner. But some English-language media, such as Reuters and the Wall Street Journal, can always get some inside information.

Learning English is not only about language but also a lifestyle and career development

From school to now, the biggest feeling for me about learning English is not only about the language but also about the changes in my lifestyle.

Watching YouTube videos, hanging out on Reddit, writing on Medium.

I became a digital nomad and a freelancer programmer. I earn & spend US dollars.

How much USD did I spend as a Chinese Programmer

I regret some expenses, and I will continue to spend others in 2024.

levelup.gitconnected.com

All of them are because I’m learning English!