My Life’s Turning Point – Zhai Chengwen, Quality Control Department

In the blink of an eye, I’ve already spent more than twenty days working at Nongda Fertilizer. I feel truly fortunate to be part of this team. Over these past two dozen days of training, I’ve gone from a complete novice with no prior experience in fertilizers to now being able to identify and understand the characteristics of so many different types and applications.

At first, I came across a job posting online and thought the compensation was quite attractive, so I kept applying—about three or four times in total. Each time, they only briefly reviewed my resume and never invited me for an interview. But after repeatedly revising my CV, the interviewer was finally moved by my persistence and marked me as someone genuinely interested in the role. Still, I didn’t receive an interview invitation. Hoping to give it one last shot, I decided to take a chance—and to my great surprise, I was asked to come in for an interview. I felt incredibly excited, and during the interview, I had a strong sense of confidence, knowing that after enduring repeated setbacks, my self-assurance had steadily grown.

I finally passed the interview and successfully landed a job as a quality inspector. Since I had no prior experience in this role, I assumed it would involve testing various substances—something that turned out to be far from easy for me. Even during my school days, I struggled with lab experiments. On my first day, I was assigned to patrol the workshop, familiarizing myself with the basic layout of each area. Still, I found it quite challenging; every workshop seemed pretty much the same—walking out one door and back in through another felt like entering an entirely new space. It took a lot of effort, so I drew up a workshop map and spent about four or five days memorizing the layout before I could start to keep track of everything.

Another headache was the shift schedule: for shifts that started in the early hours of the morning, we had to document the previous night’s work. I didn’t even realize there were A and B shifts until about a week later when the roster changed. Later, when it came time to collect samples, I could simply check their daily reports. As I became more familiar with the process, I no longer needed to refer to which team leader or shift—everything became second nature.

Work isn’t inherently dull—it just lacks the right approach to make it engaging. When you first start, time seems to drag on, and you feel like you have endless free moments. But as you learn more and explore a wider range of topics, time starts to feel tight. Still, you must complete that day’s tasks and tomorrow’s plans with both quality and efficiency.

My teacher is the Way; how could I possibly know whether he was born before or after me? If he came to the Way before me, then he has surely preceded me in understanding it, and I follow him as my teacher. And if he was born after me yet still grasps the Way earlier than I do, I likewise take him as my teacher. In the course of my work, I am bound to encounter difficulties, and all the more must I humbly heed the guidance of my superiors.

This marks a turning point in my life—a transition from student to professional. I am determined to learn from a more refined and professional perspective, enhance my real-world experience, and lay a solid foundation for the company’s continued growth.