You never know until you try

Starting from this post, I’ll talk about my job search related experience. I’d also like to share with you what I have learned so far. Let me begin with my resume.

Over the last couple years, my resume has been updated often. Sometimes I had to make a tough call which bullet should be replaced with a new one. But one bullet has remained untouched, which says “Dignitary Champion at the 29th International Cherry Pit Spitting Competition”. In fact, this has been my killer ice-breaker. Almost during every single interview, my interviewer would ask me what it was about.

So here’s the story.

It was summer 2002. My friends dragged me from Chicago to Eau Claire, MI for cherry picking. I was sort of reluctant to go, because I’d rather go to grocery store for cherries. But a driver was needed and I wanted to be nice, so I ended up cherry-picking for the first time (and only time so far) in my life. When we arrived at this farm outside Eau Claire, we saw a huge banner saying “29th International Cheery Pit Spitting Competition”. Anybody was welcome to sign up and each participant was provided free lunch. Did I say “free lunch”?! With my graduate student mentality for free food, I wrote down my name and thought I already made my day.

Don’t laugh. This competition isn’t a joke but serious annual event that dated back to the 1970s. It has hosted “athletes” from foreign countries – not only Canada but also Germany (and of course China in 2002). Each participant picks a cherry, eats the pulp and saves the pit. When it’s your turn, just spit the pit as far as you can.

My high-school physics teacher would definitely be proud of me, as I remembered very well that in theory a 45-degree angle is the best way to achieve a trajectory with the furthest distance. So I did.

41’8”!

No one else in the dignitary group beat this distance. The closest still came a few inches shorter.

I won!

The whole cherry-picking trip suddenly became really interesting. The crowd cheered for me. I was awarded a medal, a plaque, a $25 gift certificate and a box of produce. (It was more than free lunch!) A teenage boy asked me for autograph. I was even interviewed by some news paper. Wow, I felt like celebrity for the rest of my tour at the farm.

When I told the reporter why I signed up and how little I expected to win, a lady who listened to the conversation made a comment, “you never know until you try.”

Almost eight years has gone, I’m not sure I can replicate my success in cherry pit spitting, but I still recall this scene and one single line “you never know until you try”. I always made it clear to my interviewers that this is the key take-way from such a fun experience, despite my unchanged reluctance to go cherry picking.

You never know until you try.

When I reflected on my experiences, I know this is 100% right.

If I didn’t try, I would never have earned my Ph.D. from a top university in the US.

If I didn’t try, I would never have found a job during the post-9/11 crisis in 2002.

If I didn’t try, I would never have made it to Wharton for my MBA.

If I didn’t try, I would never have had a chance to land my dream job at a top-tier venture firm.

In our life and career, there’s nothing wrong to have a little ambition and set the goal high. Our endeavor doesn’t always guarantee a successful outcome. But without even trying, we will simply go nowhere.

Getting this job offer is exciting, and I feel proud of myself. But this is just another step along the way. I know I won’t stop trying.

So what do you think? Time to get a bag of cherries and start the pit spitting practice? :o)

Note: According to the Guinness Book of Records, the record distance of cherry pit spitting is 95 feet and 6.5 inches (29.12 m).