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David Zhu and Jack Ma, founder of the Alibaba Group, at the Sina Weibo Night in January 2011. [Photo provided to Chinadaily.com.cn]
Editor’s note: The theme of this interview is to share experiences and enhance readers’ understanding of gap years and providing advice for future participants. Here is one interview with David Zhu who is a graduate from Columbia University and now a CEO of Ci Xiang Mao, an Internet company in Beijing.
Q: Introduce yourself and overall situation in the gap year briefly.
A: Zhu Yingnan, you can also call me David, I took a gap year in Beijing from September 2010 to June 2011.
Timeline:
- On May 2010 I finished my junior year.
- From June to August 2010, I interned in the information management department of Goldman Sachs，Hong Kong.
- From September 2010 to May 2011 I went on a gap year.
- From June to August 2011 I interned in the investment banking department of Goldman Sachs, Hong Kong.
- In September 2011 I returned to the University of Columbia.
Q: What was the biggest obstacle to your way when you took your gap year? How did you overcome it?
A: My biggest obstacle was the objection from my mother. She couldn’t understand why I had to suspend a school year to do these so-called “necessary” things. I gave her lots of explanations: after graduation I would be too busy with work to do something I like; if I suspended my job at that time, I would pay more for my dream. Besides, I could use the trip as a good opportunity to reexamine myself, which would possibly help me make a wiser decision on where to work in the future. In my mother’s eyes all of these arguments were not acceptable. My family did not agree with my plan until I said I could find some good internships during the period which could help me get an edge on other competitors in job markets.
