work day in my life 👩🏻‍💻 as a project manager at bytedance/tiktok

insta:@tapioca.press
subscribe:    / tapiocapress  
buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/tapiocapress
order cookies: https://weidian.com/?userid=1818503004

This is a very real and personal account of a day in my life working for a Chinese tech company, while on a work trip to Shanghai. Most Chinese tech companies are known for their 996 work culture, where employees work from 9am to 9pm for 6 days a week. In this vlog, I hustle to balance my work responsibilities, passion projects, and wellbeing, but ended in exhaustion after working for 16 hours. I also share my reflection on 996, involution (内卷), and how I attempt to escape the vicious cycle of overwork in China.

I DO NOT work for 16 hours every day. I chose to film this particularly busy day to provoke myself to think deeply about 996, and to demonstrate to you the harsh realities of working in the tech industry in China. Please be reminded that working 16 hours a day is NOT a virtue. It's not a sustainable way to work, and it's detrimental to your wellbeing.

If you feel burnt-out from work, please always prioritize taking care of yourself. It's okay to say "I can't do this". It's okay to take a mental health day. It's NOT okay for anyone to push you to the point of burnout, and make you feel like you are still not enough.

You are enough. You are more than just work. You are empowered to change what's not right.

with love,
Evelyn

🍪 SMALL BATCH COOKIE CO.
i have a cookie company!!!
if you live in china, here's a link to order DAMN GOOD freshly baked cookies from yours truly: https://weidian.com/?userid=1818503004
📦 we ship nationwide
🤍 thanks for your support

☕️ SUPPORT
if you are not in china and would still like to support this channel or small batch cookie co. - buy me a coffee here: https://ko-fi.com/tapiocapress
i can't imagine doing any of these things without you 🤍

🎵 MUSIC
Grace Chiang - biking to the beach - https://thmatc.co/?l=632C23F9
Grace Chiang - staying in on Sunday (it is well) - https://thmatc.co/?l=C7FA29C6
The Crystal Casino Band - Complicated - https://thmatc.co/?l=8677593A
MYSM - Honeymoon At The Holiday Inn - https://thmatc.co/?l=0AF8F938

✨SPECIAL THANKS✨
...to Queyue and David Carey for letting me use their song 94 Revolution.
This song is released by nugget records as a part of a charity tape set that supports musical education for severely underprivileged children in the Sichuan province of China. If you would like to purchase the charity tape set, please visit this link: https://weidian.com/item.html?p=iphon...
Thank you for sharing the love🤍

🙋🏻‍♀️ HELLO
hi i'm Evelyn. thanks for stopping by!
➭ what do you do? i'm a tech project manager
➭ where are you located? Beijing
➭ what's your weird accent? i grew up in china, and lived in the US for 8 years
➭ why are you in Beijing? COVID threw my entire life off course, so I decided to give up my past life in Chicago, and start over in Beijing

✨ SUBSCRIBE
for vlogs about living in China, working in technology, and other adventures of a twenty something trying her best to adult + build a life in Beijing