Amy He

Every one has got a dream. She is no exception.

Before she went to junior high school, she dreamt of being a well-known actress. However, she soon had to reluctantly give up after discovering that China's entertainment industry was not ready for an actress shorter than 160cm.

It did not take her long to decide upon a new goal -- successful businesswoman. She entered a prestigious university in Beijing, majoring in international trade and business.

To learn about the business world, she fought her way into the student union at the earliest opportunity. It took her only one year to become the leader of a department.

All her efforts paid off. By the time she had decided to resign from the student union in the third year of university, she had not only become an effective problem solver but also a calm leader.

She won a one-month internship in a big bank. The closer she got to fulfilling her dream, the more confident she became.

However, by the end of her internship she was apprehensive about working in the city. She did not want to work nine hours a day, six days a week, and spend the seventh day at meetings.

Moreover, banking was a bottom line business. Employees would attempt to convince every person they knew to open accounts with the bank or buy financial products without telling them how much interest they would cost. Seeing her colleagues dressed in luxury brands, she doubted whether that was the kind of success she wanted.

She was also sure that she did not want to miss out on spending time with her family while chasing a big salary.

Now she has a new dream. It will take the rest of her life to fulfill. The dream is to create the best possible life for herself and the people she cares about. She now works as an English teacher in an English-language training school.

Despite receiving modest and unsteady income, she enjoys teaching and learning from her students.

She has enough free time to teach herself sewing. She has made handbags for several of her best friends. She also reads for pleasure and occasionally writes for minor publications.

She cannot afford a house or a car, but now she has time to cook for her mum every night. This is not success in society's eyes. However, she believes that she is realizing her dream.