*Chapter 1: Starting Point – Ottawa: The "Hard Work" of an ESL Student*
In 2003, right after high school graduation, I landed in Ottawa with nothing but a suitcase.
To be honest, my English wasn't good. My first stop was the language centre affiliated with Carleton University – ESL classes. I started from the very basics: grammar, listening, slowly climbing up. Back then, some classmates finished their levels in three months; it took me nearly a year. But I had one simple method: memorize 50 words every day, listen to CBC radio and repeat after it, and go to church on weekends to practice speaking with elderly ladies.
Once I got past the language hurdle, I successfully enrolled in Carleton University's Economics program.
My four years of undergrad weren't spectacular, but I sat in the front row for every single class. The professors couldn't pronounce my name, but they recognized that Asian face. My GPA wasn't top‑tier when I graduated, but the solid economics training taught me to see the world through data and logic – a skill that would prove crucial for every subsequent transition in my life.
*Chapter 2: Alberta – A Full‑Scholarship Master's Degree and the First Hint of "Wolf‑Like Drive"*
The year I graduated from undergrad, I received a full scholarship for a Master's in Economics at the University of Alberta.
Moving from Ottawa to Edmonton, I had to endure winters of minus 30 degrees Celsius – I'm originally from southern China, but I toughed it out. During my master's program, I worked closely with my supervisor on research about labour markets and regional economics. That's when I started to realize: pure academia wasn't my final destination. I preferred putting theories into practice – making money, creating value.
In 2010, I completed my master's degree. Diploma in hand, I made a decision that surprised all my classmates: instead of pursuing a PhD or heading to an investment bank, I chose to start from the very bottom.
*Chapter 3: Toronto – From Bank Teller to "National Champion"*
My first real job was as a part‑time teller at a TD Bank branch in Scarborough, Toronto.
I stood eight hours a day, counting cash, opening accounts, answering the simplest customer questions. Many thought it was beneath me, but I didn't see it that way. I treated every customer as a sales opportunity – smile, listen, recommend the right products. Within six months, my transaction volume ranked in the top ten in the entire region.
During those six months, something unforgettable happened. One day, our branch was robbed. The robber held a gun to my temple and demanded cash. I took a deep breath, pressed the silent alarm, and handed over the pre‑prepared "bait money" – a stack of counterfeit bills. After the robber fled, I cooperated with the police. Because the fake bills had special markings, the police caught him that same day. The bank lost nothing, and I wasn't hurt. The branch later gave me a letter of commendation.
Also thanks to my strong performance, I was recruited by TD's telephone banking division as a financial specialist. That year, I worked like crazy – making calls, hitting targets, solving customer problems. At the year‑end review, I was named the national champion of the year.
Soon after, I was promoted to account manager at a TD branch in Markham, Ontario. Over more than a year, I consistently ranked second or third in the region. Back then, I felt I could go very far in banking.
*Chapter 4: HSBC – From Toronto to Vancouver*
Thanks to my strong performance, I was recruited by HSBC as a Premier Relationship Manager. Even better, HSBC transferred me from Toronto to Vancouver – a city I would later fall completely in love with.
After working in Vancouver for over a year, I served a large number of high‑net‑worth immigrant clients. But gradually, I started to feel limited within the banking system. I wanted the freedom to help clients manage risk protection, not just sell bank products.
So I made a bold decision: resign and start my own insurance company.
*Chapter 5: Back to China – Founding a School and the Devastating "Double Reduction" Policy*
Just as my insurance business was thriving, a trip back home to China changed my path.
I saw a massive demand in China's education market. Around 2017, I resolutely handed my Canadian business over to a partner and returned to China to start a new venture.
I opened a school. From scratch – recruiting students, hiring teachers, leasing space, building a curriculum. At our peak, we had over 700 enrolled students, more than 40 full‑time teachers, and an annual revenue of 35 million RMB.
Those years, I worked 14 hours a day, but I felt incredibly fulfilled. I thought this would be my lifelong career.
Then, in 2021, the "Double Reduction" policy landed.
Overnight, the entire industry was brought to a halt. I had to shut down the school, dismiss teachers, refund tuition. That was the darkest period of my life – not because of the money lost, but because I had to personally let go of the "child" I had raised with my own hands.
*Chapter 6: UBS and the Back‑and‑Forth – Wandering Until I Found Myself*
After closing the school, I gathered myself and returned to my financial roots. In Beijing, I joined the wealth management division of UBS as an Associate Director.
UBS had a prestigious platform, with ultra‑high‑net‑worth clients. Every day I dressed in a suit and tie, working in Beijing's Financial Street. But before long, I grew restless again.
I realized I couldn't let go of Canada. So I came back to Vancouver, but soon after, due to family and career considerations, I returned to China once more, taking a position at the head office of a commercial bank.
During that period, I was like a pendulum, swinging back and forth between China and Canada. Finally, in 2022, I came to a clear realization:
My roots are in Vancouver. My career needs to be planted here.
*Chapter 7: Real Estate – Starting Anew by Knocking on Doors*
In September 2022, I made up my mind: I would get into real estate.
No clients, no connections, no personal brand – starting from absolute zero.
First, I spent two and a half months obsessively studying for my real estate license. Classes during the day, practice tests at night, memorizing contract clauses into the early morning. In December 2022, I officially received my license and began practising.
The first month: zero clients.
I made a decision that many would consider "losing face": I went door‑to‑door. I printed a batch of beautiful flyers with my photo and contact information, and walked block by block. In Vancouver's rainy season, I got soaked. On sunny days, I sweated under the sun while knocking.
I also organized community events, hosted open houses, and stood on street corners holding signs.
In my first year (2023), I completed 25 real estate transactions in total, of which 18 successfully closed. The other 7 fell through due to financing, home inspections, or other reasons. But 18 closed deals for a first‑year rookie – especially in a continuously declining market – was already an impressive achievement.
I still remember my very first deal: a middle‑aged Chinese lady. She was moved by my sincerity and entrusted me with her condo. I helped her sell it for above the asking price. That night, I sat alone in my car and cried.
*Chapter 8: Today – My Fourth Year, My Own Company*
Now, I've entered my fourth year as a real estate agent.
I've established my own personal real estate company. I'm no longer fighting alone – I've built a small but focused team. My client base has grown from the initial Chinese community to include local families, new immigrants, and even out‑of‑province and international investors.
I no longer need to rely solely on knocking on doors – because word of mouth now knocks for me. Old clients refer new clients, one after another. I still maintain daily learning, weekly reviews, and monthly goal‑setting.
Looking back at the path I've walked:
· Young international student → Bachelor's in Economics → Full‑scholarship Master's · TD teller → National telephone banking champion → Branch account manager · HSBC Premier Relationship Manager → Started my own insurance company · Returned to China → Founded a school (700 students, 35M RMB revenue) → Forced to close · UBS Associate Director in Beijing → Commercial bank head office role · Back to Vancouver → Real estate rookie (starting from door‑knocking) → 18 deals in first year → Founder of my own real estate company
People ask me, "Do you have any regrets? After all that hustle, you've ended up back in a sales role."
I say: I've never "returned" to anywhere. Every step I took counted.
My economics training taught me to read market cycles. My banking experience made me fluent in financial products. Starting and running a school taught me how to lead a team and manage operations. My time at UBS and the commercial bank gave me insight into the real needs of high‑net‑worth clients – all of that has been integrated into my real estate career today.
I sell houses, but I'm not selling four walls. I'm selling a family's future, an investor's trust, a new immigrant's landing place.
*Final Words*
If you're reading this, perhaps you're also at some crossroads in life – feeling lost, anxious, unwilling to settle.
I want to say to you: no path in life is wasted. Even if you have to start from zero, even if you have to begin by knocking on doors.
It took me 20 years to go from a high school graduate who couldn't speak English fluently to the founder of my own independent real estate company in Vancouver. I've experienced glory (35 million RMB in annual revenue) and utter darkness (closing my school due to the Double Reduction policy). I've sat in offices at top financial institutions, taught at a state‑owned commercial bank's head office, and stood in the rain holding a "For Sale" sign. I define myself as someone who understands finance, understands clients, understands operations, understands the needs of immigrants, has experienced both entrepreneurship and setbacks, and keeps moving forward.
But it's precisely those "restless moves" that have made me who I am today.
In 2026, I'm still on the road.
If you need to buy or sell property in Vancouver, or if you just want to hear more of my story, you're welcome to come have a coffee with me. My story is far from over.
Hard work builds great achievements; dreams ignite passion. We value thinking; we influence the times...
– A real estate agent who refuses to accept fate, written in his fourth year of practice.