{"id":24247,"date":"2019-02-27T12:57:12","date_gmt":"2019-02-27T04:57:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shopee.sg\/blog\/?p=24247"},"modified":"2021-03-08T11:29:17","modified_gmt":"2021-03-08T03:29:17","slug":"career-web-developer-gao-wei","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shopee.sg\/blog\/career-web-developer-gao-wei\/","title":{"rendered":"How Scaling Walls Gave This Web Developer A New Perspective On Life"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>I put forward my introductory question and ask the lady sitting across me what her role in the Shopee office is.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c<strong>Front-end web developer<\/strong>,\u201d she answers and quietly sips her tea.<\/p>\n<p>I nod, praying she elaborates. Help, I haven\u2019t any idea what web developers do, let alone what front-end web developers do. <i>There\u2019s a front-end?? What\u2019s a front-end?!<\/i><\/p>\n<p>Perhaps she too hears the panicked voices emanating from within my head, because she smiles reassuringly in the next moment and kindly explains her job scope in layman\u2019s terms.<\/p>\n<p>This is how I learn that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/wei-gao-2b618717\/\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow external noopener noreferrer\">Gao Wei<\/a>, the bright mind before me, works hard with her team to code the <a href=\"https:\/\/shopee.sg\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow external noopener noreferrer\">website interface that millions of Shopee users <\/a>browse daily.<\/p>\n<p>By <strong>assembling web app designs and liaising with back-end developers<\/strong>, she ensures that her code runs smoothly in browsers and <strong>translates into a functional interface for a seamless online shopping experience<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_24249\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-24249\" style=\"width: 3640px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-24249 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/shopee.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/IMG_0002.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"3640\" height=\"3648\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-24249\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Wei at the weekly sharing session for web-developers that she oversees<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Up till this point, the conversation is professionally cordial with our respective roles as interviewer and interviewee clearly marked out.<\/p>\n<p>But something shifts the moment I ask \u201cSo, I hear you\u2019re a rock-climbing enthusiast?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Wei lets a bashful laugh escape, as though her rock-climbing hobby isn\u2019t something serious enough to be worth mentioning. But her eyes give her away, lighting up at my question, and I sense something substantial in this hobby of hers.<\/p>\n<h2>A community she didn\u2019t know she needed<\/h2>\n<p>Wei hadn\u2019t planned on sustaining an interest in rock-climbing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was initially invited to climb by this friend who was interested in trying it out,\u201d she recalls. \u201cAfter that first time he never climbed again [laughs] \u2014 but I stayed! And it developed into a hobby for me.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_24260\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-24260\" style=\"width: 4032px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-24260\" src=\"https:\/\/shopee.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/IMG_0022.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"4032\" height=\"3024\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-24260\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Wei with Raymond and Lihau, two other members of the Shopee climbing team, at the NUS BoulderActive competition last year<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>When she first started out, Wei joined the rock-climbing interest group over at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.seagroup.com\/products\/shopee\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow external noopener noreferrer\">SEA, Shopee\u2019s parent company<\/a>, for weekly sessions. But last May, she and some others initiated one of their own here in Shopee.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe meet weekly to climb, alternating between a weekday and Saturdays. Sometimes people bring friends from outside Shopee too, so the club has been rapidly expanding.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_24251\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-24251\" style=\"width: 4032px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-24251 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/shopee.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/IMG_9771.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"4032\" height=\"3024\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-24251\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A part of the team at one of their weekly sessions<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Hold up. A <strong>company-based interest group<\/strong> that doesn\u2019t exclusively cater to its employees? This takes workplace inclusivity to an entirely new level.<\/p>\n<p>As Wei fondly shares snippets of her climbing experience, it becomes apparent that the team has quite successfully built a vibrant community, welcoming everyone from the climbing novice to the non-Shopee employee.<\/p>\n<h2>Learning to fall, on and off the wall<\/h2>\n<p>\u201c&#8230;There\u2019s a way to fall off the wall?!\u201d I ask, eyes wide.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re mid-interview, and I\u2019ve just discovered that there\u2019s a mechanics to falling.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s a <i>better<\/i> way of falling off a wall,\u201d Wei reiterates, amused.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_24258\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-24258\" style=\"width: 4032px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-24258\" src=\"https:\/\/shopee.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/IMG_9767.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"4032\" height=\"3024\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-24258\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Scaling walls during a climbing session<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Safety is a priority in rock-climbing, and learning how to fall safely, as I soon gather from Wei, is as important as learning how to climb. The pre-climb safety briefing Wei conducts for new climbers includes a demonstration of the proper way to fall and land with both feet. After which, under her guidance, they practice falling in the same way.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ll ask if they feel like they\u2019re in full control when they fall. If they are inexperienced climbers, their bodies aren\u2019t ready for the impact \u2014 so it\u2019s better for them to fall with the knowledge of it happening.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mastering this art of conscious falling has <strong>changed how Wei perceives her failures within the workplace<\/strong>. She <strong>likens the heightened awareness of falling to being mindful of one\u2019s limitations and mistakes when failing in a task<\/strong>. It\u2019s instilled in her an understanding that failure is requisite for self-improvement.<\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 544px;\" class=\"wp-video\"><!--[if lt IE 9]><script>document.createElement('video');<\/script><![endif]-->\n<video class=\"wp-video-shortcode\" id=\"video-24247-1\" width=\"544\" height=\"960\" loop preload=\"metadata\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"video\/mp4\" src=\"https:\/\/shopee.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/1547197704692480.mp4?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shopee.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/1547197704692480.mp4\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/shopee.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/1547197704692480.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n<p>\u201cI tell myself that it\u2019s a learning process, that everyone is constantly a work in progress. Even though someone is great at something, they can\u2019t claim that they\u2019re the best or have nothing left to improve at.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gone are the days of feeling inadequate when mistakes occur. The present Wei channels her energy into recognising and accepting her errors before humbly learning from them.<\/p>\n<h2>A competition that boosted her confidence<\/h2>\n<p>Judging from her commitment towards rock-climbing, I expect Wei to be excited about throwing herself into competitions. But when the conversation veers towards the topic of competitive climbing, Wei shrugs and shakes her head, claiming she\u2019s not really \u201ca competition type of player\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cProblems in competitions tend to be riskier as opposed to commercial settings where routes are standard,\u201d she explains. \u201cAnd I\u2019m a more conservative climber\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_24253\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-24253\" style=\"width: 694px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-24253\" src=\"https:\/\/shopee.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Climbing-comic.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"694\" height=\"484\" srcset=\"https:\/\/shopee.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Climbing-comic.jpg 492w, https:\/\/shopee.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Climbing-comic-300x209.jpg 300w, https:\/\/shopee.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Climbing-comic-100x70.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 694px) 100vw, 694px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-24253\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A plausible scenario if you take playing it safe to the extreme<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>While she\u2019d rather not scale walls under pressure, Wei admits that participating in the occasional competition has been fruitful.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m sketchy when I climb under normal circumstances and tend to throw many attempts,\u201d she confesses, \u201cbut in last year\u2019s competition, instead of planning I told myself to spontaneously try a move. At the very worst I\u2019d fail, but not trying would mean losing any chance of flashing the problem altogether\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I listen intently.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c\u2014I think I experienced my hardest attempt ever? But I eventually managed to flash the problem!! And it felt <i>so cool<\/i>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She\u2019s beaming widely at this point, and I no longer feel like a stranger probing into her private pastime. Instead I feel like a confidante, listening to a friend let me in on a personal achievement.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_24254\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-24254\" style=\"width: 3024px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-24254 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/shopee.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/39BE4C74-5AB6-4438-B9E2-0642AAFDCBE0.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"3024\" height=\"4032\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-24254\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Wei climbing the Escher Wall in Krabi, Thailand<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cActually\u2026\u2026 that experience made me want to participate in another competition this year,\u201d she discloses half sheepishly, half proud.<\/p>\n<p>I nod encouragingly in full admiration for Wei, certain that this newfound confidence will support her as she continues to challenge her personal limits.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><i>Feeling boulder? Come reach new heights with us <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/careers.shopee.sg\/\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow external noopener noreferrer\"><i>here at Shopee<\/i><\/a><i>!<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I put forward my introductory question and ask the lady sitting across me what her role in the Shopee office is. \u201cFront-end web developer,\u201d she answers and quietly sips her tea. I nod, praying she elaborates. Help, I haven\u2019t any idea what web developers do, let alone what front-end web developers do. There\u2019s a front-end?? [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":24248,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_override_bookmark_settings":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_review":[],"enable_review":"","type":"","name":"","summary":"","brand":"","sku":"","good":[],"bad":[],"score_override":"","override_value":"","rating":[],"price":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"jnews_post_split":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[103],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24247","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How Scaling Walls Gave This Web Developer A New Perspective On Life - Shopee Singapore Official Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/shopee.sg\/blog\/career-web-developer-gao-wei\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Scaling Walls Gave This Web Developer A New Perspective On Life - Shopee Singapore Official Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I put forward my introductory question and ask the lady sitting across me what her role in the Shopee office is. \u201cFront-end web developer,\u201d she answers and quietly sips her tea. 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I nod, praying she elaborates. Help, I haven\u2019t any idea what web developers do, let alone what front-end web developers do. There\u2019s a front-end?? 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