When I first started learning software engineering, becoming a Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Co-Founder was never part of my plan.
Like many students, I began with the basics—learning programming fundamentals, building small projects, experimenting with new technologies, and trying to understand how software systems actually work behind the scenes.
My goal was simple:
Learn consistently. Improve every day. Build things that solve real problems.
Today, while still a first-year Software Engineering student in China, I serve as the CTO & Co-Founder of AnyWin Human Tech Limited.
This is not a story about a title.
It is a story about responsibility, growth, continuous learning, and the unexpected opportunities that can appear when you keep building.
The Opportunity I Never Planned For
Many people assume leadership positions come only after years of industry experience.
In the startup world, reality can be very different.
What matters most is not age.
What matters is whether you can solve problems, take ownership, adapt quickly, and continue moving forward when challenges appear.
As I spent more time building software, learning new technologies, and contributing to increasingly complex systems, my perspective gradually changed.
I stopped thinking only about writing code.
I started thinking about:
- Scalability
- Software Architecture
- User Experience
- Product Strategy
- Long-Term Maintainability
- Technical Decision-Making
Without realizing it, my responsibilities began expanding far beyond development itself.
Eventually, those responsibilities opened a door I never expected.
Building InWuxi
One of the most meaningful projects in my journey has been InWuxi.
InWuxi is an international city gateway platform designed to connect global users with local services, organizations, businesses, communities, and opportunities throughout Wuxi, China.
The vision extends far beyond a traditional website.
We are building a multilingual digital ecosystem that helps international students, professionals, entrepreneurs, residents, and visitors navigate city life more effectively.
The platform currently supports four languages:
- Chinese (中文)
- English
- Korean (한국어)
- Russian (Русский)
Our mission is simple:
Reduce language barriers and make information, services, and opportunities more accessible for people from around the world.
The web platform has already been developed and published.
At the same time, the ecosystem continues expanding through additional software products, mobile applications, and future platform services.
The long-term vision is even bigger.
We aim to create a scalable framework that can eventually be replicated across multiple cities, helping build a broader international city network throughout China.
Working on a project at this scale has taught me that building software is not only about code. It is about understanding people, solving practical problems, and creating systems that remain useful long after launch.
What Being a CTO Actually Means
When people hear the word "CTO," they often imagine someone writing advanced code all day.
The reality is much broader.
Being a CTO is not only about engineering.
It is about responsibility.
It means thinking beyond the next feature and focusing on the long-term success of a product.
My responsibilities include:
- Technical Planning
- Software Architecture
- Product Development Strategy
- Long-Term Technology Vision
- Scalability Planning
- Engineering Decision-Making
- Technical Leadership
Of course, I still spend a significant amount of time writing code.
I remain actively involved in backend systems, authentication, databases, APIs, architecture decisions, and platform development.
But leadership introduces a different set of questions:
- Will this scale?
- Is this maintainable?
- Does this align with our long-term vision?
- How will future developers work with this system?
Those questions often become more important than the code itself.
The Technologies Behind the Journey
Throughout this journey, I have worked across different areas of the software stack.
Some of the technologies I regularly use include:
- React
- Next.js
- TypeScript
- Node.js
- tRPC
- Drizzle ORM
- MySQL
- Authentication Systems
- AWS Services
- Python
- C#
- SQL Server
However, the most important lesson I have learned is not tied to any technology.
Technologies change.
Frameworks evolve.
Programming languages rise and fall.
The ability to learn remains valuable forever.
Engineers who continuously learn will always be able to adapt to whatever comes next.
What I Am Still Learning
One of the biggest misconceptions about leadership roles is that people assume leaders already know everything.
I certainly do not.
Despite being a CTO & Co-Founder, I still spend a large portion of my time learning.
Currently, my focus includes:
- Data Structures & Algorithms
- System Design
- Distributed Systems
- Software Architecture
- Backend Engineering
- Artificial Intelligence Systems
The more I learn, the more I realize how much there is left to learn.
And honestly, that is what keeps me motivated.
Lessons I Learned Along the Way
Opportunities Arrive Before You Feel Ready
Many opportunities appear long before we feel prepared for them.
If you wait until you feel completely qualified, you may wait forever.
Growth often begins the moment you accept responsibility before you feel comfortable.
Consistency Beats Motivation
Motivation is temporary.
Consistency creates results.
Small improvements repeated daily eventually become meaningful progress.
Responsibility Accelerates Growth
The fastest periods of growth in my life happened when I accepted responsibilities that felt slightly beyond my comfort zone.
Responsibility forces learning.
Responsibility forces adaptation.
Responsibility forces growth.
Impact Matters More Than Titles
People may remember a title for a moment.
They remember products, systems, and value for much longer.
Impact always outlasts titles.
Looking Forward
Becoming a CTO & Co-Founder while still a student was never my original goal.
Yet this experience taught me something important:
Opportunities often arrive before we feel fully prepared for them.
The real question is whether we have the courage to embrace them.
My goal is not to collect titles.
My goal is to build technology that solves meaningful problems, helps people, and creates lasting impact.
I am still learning.
I am still making mistakes.
I am still facing new challenges.
And perhaps that is the most exciting part of being an engineer.
The journey has only just begun.
"Every line of code written through sleepless nights shapes the future someday.
Because great software is never built by computers alone—it is built with patience, mistakes, failures, and the courage to start again."
— Sadekul Islam (Li Ao)
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