Posted 12:32 PM by Andy
Another month has moved to the rearview window, and at last I have some clarity on life direction.

Shanghai bound. I will be starting a new chapter in my life in less than ten days on the opposite side of the world. The opportunity is a business development and marketing role with the leading semiconductor foundry in China. The offer was made in an unusual way, and I definitely wrestled with this decision for some time. Late one Tuesday night at home in early March, I received a call from Richard Chang, the CEO of SMIC. After exchanging pleasantries, he probed my interest in going out to China. After I expressed interest, he proceeded to sketch out in vague terms what he had in mind. He wanted me to go out and examine the integrated circuit marketplace in China and work on some corporate development tasks. After that general description, he gave me an offer without going through a formal interview process. Literally, the whole conversation lasted less than five minutes. A couple of days later, I received the offer sheet. Then I began the most extensive soul searching few weeks of my life. Here are some of the factors that informed my thought process:

Location. I have no doubt that Shanghai will be the metropolis of the 21st century. Rooted in tradition, fueled by the opium trade in the early 20th century, and spurred by the economic development plans of the Chinese government now, this jewel of Asia is on its way to reinventing itself. The fusion of Asian character and western capitalism has produced a unique blend of optimism and energy. One friend described certain cities as having pulse. Shanghai, if not yet the hyper-active round-the-clock New York City, is certainly pulsing with vibrancy.

Society. Given the trends highlighted above, there has been an influx of people with international backgrounds and entreprenuerial dreams. Along with local businessmen and Communist party cadres, edgy youth and the sharpest women all congregate here and call it home. The social scene should be frenetic.

Company. Although the semiconductor industry is highly cyclical, the overall growth potential is still huge given the insatiable demands of the worldwide technology-enabled gadget freaks. It is a manufacturing plant, so most revenues are driven by cost and scale considerations. SMIC is the leader in the China market with good momentum, having just turned profitable in the last quarter, but has more established competitors like Taiwan’s TSMC and Israel’s Chartered Semiconductor chomping at the bits. With the help of insiders like Hanron and Angelia and recent potential new hire Wilkin, I have verified the intense culture of the firm. There is likely added stress due to the recent listing on the public markets in Hong Kong and New York.

Career. It took me a while to elicit more specific responsibilities of the position, but the nature of the job is very interesting. I will be assigned to the design services group, a small team that liases between the production engineers and the customers to build roadmaps and licensing deals on intellectual property. Although I will be taking a substantial paycut (put it this way, on an per hour basis, I will be making the equivalent of a Big-Mac or a small bet in low limit hold-‘em,) the opportunity to learn new technologies and be in the marketplace in China is appealing. The stock options, although not a sure pot of gold like in the Internet heyday, give me added incentive to sign. In all honesty, the most difficult hurdle for me to cross mentally was to accept this lowball salary, but I’m taking a page from the pro athletes in how I view it. Having endured a protracted lockout, I am ready to give my creative energy to a team for the minimum salary in hopes of either renegotiating the deal in a few years after I have proven my worth or testing the free agency market in Shanghai. I have already spoken to Eric H, the HR director for Honeywell in Shanghai, for networking purposes in the future.

Revolution. At the end of the day, looking at the opportunity holistically, it makes sense because I have always wanted to be at the epicenter of a revolution. Shanghai is poised to the ground floor of a business and political revolution in the modernization and opening up of China initiated by Deng Xiaoping a few decades ago. With lots of dislocation and constant movement of people and the heightened exchange of ideas, there is also tremendous potential for a spiritual revolution as countless “tentmaker” Christians infiltrate the country and assume roles of engineer, teacher, and business manager. In light of this logic, LA and even Silicon Valley pale in comparison as their time of renaissance has passed.

Destiny. There were many moments of doubt and hesitation. I was ready to fax in my offer acceptance and was standing in line at the Chinese embassy for my visa when I received a call from a firm specializing in call-center software. That planted a seed of doubt and caused me to waver in my decision to go. In the last ten days or so, I grasped at any remaining possibilities for me to stay, exploring careers in banking at Wells Fargo through my sister and customer service at a lab automation company. In the end, I knew I was just delaying the inevitable. It was written into my genetic code and scripted before I was born. Just as Israel was destined to be the nation that God uses as the first recipient of his grace and the tiny nation that He leads to shame the mighty ones, it is my destiny to return to Asia following a twenty-year preparation period in the US. I even asked God for a sign like Gideon, setting up a test that would confirm my acceptance with the company stock price being above $15 on the next day. Yesterday when I checked, I stared in disbelief at the $15.00 price on my screen. God sure has a sense of humor. It was like He was teasing me, gently coaxing me to trust Him by showing me the exact price that I had asked for. I had previews and visions of things to come through my various short-term trips to China, but now the moment of truth has arrived.

Spring is here, promising the birth of new things. The gestation period is over, and soon I will be reborn in a foreign land, a new company, different job, and experience new encounters. Stay tuned.