Choose Money or Passion?

I really like Zhang Xue as a person.

There are many reasons: we’re both from Hunan, both from poor rural backgrounds, both have plain faces, and we’re both short. But most importantly, I’m moved and drawn by his dedication to pursuing what he loves, and I resonate with that.

I haven’t achieved as much as he has, and my experiences aren’t as rich, but I’ve always lived by the basic principle of “living for passion and enthusiasm.”

I ask some high school kids around me, including my daughter, “What major do you want to choose in college?” The answers vary: dentist, surgeon, programmer, finance, and so on.

Then I ask them, “Why do you choose these?”

Almost the same answer every time: good money.

Maybe the kids’ thoughts are still immature and will change, so jumping to “saddened” seems a bit harsh. But at least I’ve been touched, and can’t help but ask myself why there’s only this one answer.

I was born in a rural village, and my family was ordinary. In middle school, motivated by the extra points for art talent in exams, I started learning art (thankful to my parents for noticing my love for drawing). During those lessons, influenced by my art teachers, Chen Jingyu and Hu Da, I developed a mysterious anticipation for art and design.

When it came time to choose my major in high school, my dad strongly suggested I study medicine or go to a teacher’s college. To him, being a doctor or teacher were stable careers.

But I insisted on studying art and design. Again, thanks to my open-minded parents, especially my dad, who though he had many ideas, quietly supported my decision.

In college, I studied graphic design. I found it interesting and fun, but it wasn’t until just before the summer break of my sophomore year that I got into web design: using FrontPage, then Dreamweaver to create personal websites, using Flash to make animations.

This was something I dived into completely.

Before the summer break of my sophomore year, I was obsessed with gaming. But once summer started, I found web design and making personal websites to be more fun and interesting than games.

Since the school didn’t have such a major, I had to self-study everything. For someone with average aptitude like me, what was precious was my willingness to stick with it. To be honest, I never thought of it as learning — I felt like I was playing.

During my junior year summer, I landed a part-time job doing web design, earning 2,000 RMB monthly.

I still didn’t see it as work — it was play.

Since 2003, I’ve created dozens of versions of personal homepages. Even now, I design my personal website. Why? Because it’s fun.

In 2009, I was stunned by the iPhone experience, leading me to become addicted to designing apps and trying out different ones.

Between 2009 and 2015, the most common lines you’d hear around me were: “This idea is interesting,” “This is a fascinating idea,” “This thing is fun.” Money and reality were discussed, but typically with “interesting” and “fun” coming first.

At the end of 2012, when I saw Wang Yi demonstrate the earliest prototype of “English Liulishuo,” I thought it was cool and interesting. Because I found it enjoyable, I made some design improvements, which led me to join the team. It was a very early-stage team, so the pay was very low, only half my usual salary. To decide whether to join, money wasn’t the top priority; instead, I considered if I believed in it and if I thought it was fun.

A month ago, I began my one-person company, working on AI coding, again because it’s fun and interesting, and because I genuinely love it. I believe AI now has enough capability to allow ordinary individuals to use it to make real products solving everyday problems. Though making money is crucial, it’s still secondary in the end.

Here, I especially thank my wife for her support. Every decision like this tests trust and confidence, but each time, my wife wholeheartedly supports me with faith.

Though I come from a poorer background and grew up with the fear of being without material things — which is hard to shake off even now — looking at my past choices, money was never my first concern.

I really don’t have anything to boast about. Making these choices isn’t due to my will, ability, or wisdom. I believe it’s the Creator’s guidance. In 2007, in a less than 8-square-meter rental in Hangzhou, I prayed: don’t make me poor, but don’t make me rich either.

When Zhang Xue was really popular, I eagerly collected his most classic videos and watched them with my wife and kids. I shared with them the thoughts I’m sharing in this article today. I hope my children will find something they’re genuinely interested in, something they can be passionate about.

After watching Zhang Xue’s videos, I showed them another video to wrap it up — Apple’s “Think Different” ad. Because those who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.

Indeed, discovering one’s passion isn’t easy. And staying passionate once it’s found is even harder.

Every choice, every decision, has its costs, consequences, or challenges.

Choosing money or choosing passion? It’s not an easy choice — it requires vision, wisdom, and courage.