From Rookie to CTO: My Android Journey, Team Building, and Agile Lessons

Living an ordinary, uninteresting life is too easy; you can skip school, avoid risks, never exercise, write, travel, or hustle… but the biggest regret is "I could have".

I Can

Before moving to Shanghai, I finished Li Huaming’s Android Game Programming from Scratch and loved his motto: “Don’t let anything become an excuse not to learn.”

I Arrived in the Magic City

On June 22, 2013, full of enthusiasm, I took a 16‑hour train to Shanghai, enduring hard seats, delayed trains, and instant noodles.

Interview

After settling in, I sent over 300 resumes, believing Shanghai’s size would offer a place for a rookie. I received dozens of interview invitations, often juggling three interviews a day from 8 am to 9 pm, surviving on a single meal and sleeping as soon as I got home.

During interviews, the only project I could show was a simple airplane‑shooting game from the book. With luck and effort, I interviewed seven companies in three days and secured four offers.

First Job

My first role was Android development for a language‑assistant app with tens of millions of users. I worked on memo, weather, event assistance, command lookup, call and SMS broadcasting, app management, contacts, shake, skin change, hotel modules, and refactoring.

Although overtime was frequent, I felt fulfilled, absorbing knowledge like a sponge. I completed tasks quickly, often finishing ahead of schedule and proactively seeking new assignments.

“Give your all to every task; the more you practice, the more you learn and grow.”

“Yumin is highly regarded by colleagues; his Android expertise and willingness to discuss game engine principles and design patterns have been invaluable.” — Mao Mao

Second Job

I moved to a mobile‑medical startup as an Android developer, later promoted to mobile department lead. The team grew from three to six engineers, and I began sharing knowledge through a CSDN blog (http://blog.csdn.net/cym492224103), eventually becoming a CSDN blog expert.

Developed backend systems in Java (learned in school).

Self‑taught iOS development on a MacBook Pro.

Because I mastered both Android and iOS, I was entrusted with leading a 10‑plus‑person mobile R&D team.

“Identify the technical talent a company needs, learn the required skills in spare time, and apply them to real projects to increase personal value.”

Third Job

Currently I am CTO of a wedding‑venue company, building the R&D department from scratch to over 20 members. I handle both backend and app development while focusing on people management.

Recruiting

Social hiring : Explain that our traditional business provides stable income, offering a reliable platform for developers.

Internal referral : Encourage friends to join; referrals tend to yield higher‑quality candidates.

Retention

To keep talent, I negotiate flexible hours with the boss, provide learning opportunities such as tech talks, and foster a sense of freedom and growth, which naturally leads to more referrals.

Management

Agile Development Model

When the team was small, we could discuss everything at a single desk. As the team grew, we adopted agile practices after extensive reading and experimentation.

Reflection

Initially, meetings consumed most of my time, causing fear. I started an open‑source project: BaseRecyclerViewAdapterHelper . I realized I had focused too much on personal growth.

Before becoming a leader, success is self‑growth; after becoming a leader, success is helping others grow. — “The Essence of Business”

Previously I believed technical excellence was everything; now I see that knowledge without product impact is meaningless.

Knowing all the techniques but failing to build successful products is as useless as a scholar who never leaves home. — “MacTalk Life Programming”

Growth

Past self: read only technical books, avoided social interaction, completed tasks quickly, focused on personal growth.

Current self: reads management, psychology, business, and humanities; enjoys discussions; evaluates task reasonableness before acting; cares about each team member’s development.

These three years of experience and insights are shared in hopes of helping others.

I love programmers: they are pure, stubborn, and feel achievement; they can work through pressure, face difficulties, and dream of creating their own ventures. – Tang Youhua

Source: Chen Yuming (Jianshu)