Things young computer people (like me) should do (Free & Beginner ver.):
- Block CSDN.
- Cultivate the habit of asking DeepSeek, Kimi, & Qwen first when you have a question.
- Don’t browse Zhihu casually, especially with the mindset of “broadening your horizons.”
- For news, read NetEase News, not Weibo.
- Learn to use Alipay for regular automatic investments.
- Obtain and maintain a sufficient number of debit and credit cards (if possible).
- For professional knowledge, stick to classic computer science book series and high-quality re-uploads on Bilibili; don’t go down unorthodox paths.
- Get your passport, Hong Kong/Macau travel permit, and as many visas as you can.
- Learn to use Outlook and To Do, or equivalent email, calendar, and task management tools.
- Learn to use the full Microsoft 365 suite (no need to necessarily purchase it).
- Actively use GitHub to get code, along with the included Copilot Free and *.github.io pages.
- For entertainment, stick to Bilibili, Xiaohongshu, and Douyin. Don’t let your entertainment choices cause mental friction.
- Install a Linux VM (installing it directly on the host machine is not recommended, as you’ll want to play games). Get comfortable with the dark, empty terminal instead of relying on an IDE for everything.
- High-quality information in China appears on Douban, WeChat Official Accounts, and Zhihu, but the signal-to-noise ratio is very low, so engage rationally.
- Stay away from Xianyu (a second-hand marketplace) to some extent, and use the unconventional methods available on Xianyu and Taobao in the right places to develop a compliance-oriented mindset.
This is all I can think of for now. The cognitive and financial costs are very low, but it does require some hands-on effort. However, as long as you are flexible enough, there’s always a way.