This episode describes a complete flexpat career from university to retirement.   1) What has changed for flexpats in the past 25 years? 2) What kind of jobs can flexpats get today? 3) How can flexpats differentiate from Chinese professionals? 4) How can flexpats create value in international and Chinese organizations?  5) How can flexpats plan their career and their life? We recommend the following episodes to get more input on life and career planning: 7 From intern to CFO 20 Flexpat Leadership Coaching 21 From intern to Top Management 64 Building a global company in China 69 Lead Chinese teams, bridge cultures 78 Salaries in China 97 Engineering career 99 Work for Chinese companies 100 Get your first management position 111 Prepare your expat assignment  About Etienne: Etienne Charlier has three decades of business experience and executive positions in  China, for both MNCs and small companies. As  General  Manager and  Vice  President in  Alcatel  (MNC  in telecommunication) and later as founder of procurAsia, he was a driving force in many joint ventures,  transfers of technology, strategic partnerships, and  M&A  projects,  and he acquired a unique insight into how international businesses can effectively cooperate with Chinese organizations. He accumulated field experience in several of  China’s most dynamic industries such as high-tech (incl. artificial intelligence), cleantech, and advanced manufacturing solutions.  Today, Etienne is one of the partners in Riverbanks Investments (a boutique M&A advisory firm).  He is also driving DIY AI, an initiative to help companies outside the IT industry to leverage the new tools of data science and machine learning in the sector. Etienne’s interest in AI  started early when he was one of the developers of an  “artificial neural network on silicon” in 1988.  He is currently offering consulting services to companies and is also a lecturer in several deep learning technical training initiatives. He is a Belgian national, holds a Master's in Electrical Engineering and a Bachelor's in Philosophy from UCL, as well as a MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management. He lives in Shanghai with his family.  LinkedIn: Etienne Charlier About Francis: WeChat: Flexpat2020 Linkedin: Francis Kremer