Meet Developer and Hip Hop Dancer Evan Zhou
Evan Zhou is a front-end web developer, amateur hip hop dancer and an aspiring entrepreneur. He studied mechanical engineering at USC.
You went from studying mechanical engineering and working professionally as a mechanical engineer to being a front end software developer. What sparked the drastic change in the direction of your career?
I wasn't really sure why I studied mechanical engineering. I just knew that I wanted to do something technical, and I was good at math and physics so I chose mechanical engineering. I remember in AME101, the professor asked who in the class wanted to work on cars. Nearly everyone raised their hands except for a couple of us. In hindsight, that was probably a red flag. 4 years later, I got my first job out of college and hated it. I wanted to find something new, but it was pretty difficult trying to go through the conventional path of applying for different companies. I then thought about making my own products, which led to me really diving into the startup world. I was hooked. I thought about all the problems I could solve, but had no way of doing it. So I wanted to learn to code to be able to prototype what I imagined. Luckily, I discovered General Assembly and took their Front End Web Development course, and the timing was perfect because my teacher luckily knew someone who was hiring. And now I'm a web developer!
Being part of and managing a competitive hip hop dance group at USC sounds awesome. Besides the fun factor, can you tell us a little bit about how you got into that and what leadership or organizational skills you gained from the experience?
I got into dance because I used to watch a bunch of breakdancing videos on YouTube, and I started learning to bboy in highschool. I got to USC and wanted to continue bboying, but thought I'd try out for the competitive hip-hop team on campus, Chaotic 3. I somehow made it and loved it. I've been constantly training and dancing since then, and eventually became a Co-Artistic Director for my last two years at USC. I also joined a competitive team called GRV and had some amazing experiences with them, including competing against some of the best teams in the world and performing in Sweden. I've learned a lot leadership from both being a leader and being led, and the biggest thing I learned is that everything in an organization pretty much is a reflection of the leadership. It's also taught me to be open to critique and be able to communicate with people effectively. There will always be people doubting you and have issues, but there's probably a reason they think that. If you're not open to critique, you can't grow as an individual or as a leader.
Many alums find that being a part of the Trojan network has benefits. No matter what field or city you find yourself in, the chance of finding others in the "Trojan Network" are high. Have you benefited from being a part of this network? if so, how?
I actually can't think of any direct benefits I've had with being a Trojan alum, but it's always a great conversation starter when I meet a fellow Trojan. It feels like some rapport is instantly built, and I'm sure it'll help more down the road. But I'd love to help and go out on a limb for fellow Trojans in the future!
Learn More about Evan
Twitter: https://twitter.com/evanczhou