1) Develop excellent Chinese and English language skills, and when you think you've achieved a high standard, don't stop there. Language learning is a life-long pursuit, and few investments will pay higher dividends than outstanding language skills and the related ability to use them in effective communications.
2) Work on your patience. Almost nothing of enduring value will happen quickly, and impatience will cost you, sometimes dearly. Learn how to take a long term view and live happily with it.
3) If you're the arrogant type, consider a make-over. Humility opens doors and earns respect. Arrogance slams doors -- often invisibly -- and undermines trust-building, which is an essential part of relationships. Nothing of significance happens in China without strong relationships, which are built on mutual respect.
4) Become a student of how people with their roots in different cultures think differently, analyze problems from different perspectives, tend to focus on different parts of the same landscape, etc.
5) Especially in the early phase of your career, pay attention to finding jobs which offer maximum mentoring exposure to high quality people whose values and skills you can learn from.
6) Your greatest asset will be your reputation, so invest carefully with the long-term in mind. A good reputation takes a long time to build but a very short time to damage. Don't take shortcuts when it comes to values or integrity.
7) Find something you are passionate about and set your sights on being the best in the world at it. Hang onto your dreams no matter what the odds appear to be.
8) Cultivate your sense of humor, including the ability to look at yourself in the mirror each morning, accept what you see gracefully, and have a good laugh with yourself.
9) Seek the advice of experts on your future career path in China, but take their advice with a grain of salt. Don't be intimidated by the challenges of taking the entrepreneurial path. It offers great rewards and satisfaction, and you may be better suited to it than you realize.
10) China is an enormously complex and very fast-changing country. If you want to understand it, study the history and focus on fundamental directions rather than trying to read the tea leaves with a microscope.
In your lifetime there will be no issue of global importance which will not involve China as an important part of the dialogue and the search for solutions. Despite China's fast growing legions of advanced English learners, the demand for competent Chinese-English linguists in a broad spectrum of professions, fields and industries will continue to be very strong.
I wish you all every success in your careers and lives, and would remind you that your timing is very good -- much better than mine was.
You've chosen a great, exciting field in which you'll have an important opportunity to build a better world. Go forth, have fun, work hard, be successful, and above all, be happy.
