My Career Journey, Part 1.
How did I even get here?
First: 👋 to all the new people that have joined this substack in the two weeks since I made the first post. I’ve been overwhelmed and grateful for the positive support and engagement. I’m really excited to get to know all of you and whatever next chapter you’re contemplating.
Second: I want to dedicate the first few posts to unpacking how I got to this career crossroad. I think this is a powerful tool to help us contextualize how we might move forward. With that, onto the main shinding.
I didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grew up. Sure, I loved reading & writing, especially fiction and historical biographies, or teaching a classroom of invisible children math & science, but that never felt like a “Career.” My parents were very passionate about their jobs, and I wanted to be just like them. Medicine felt like a natural fit, especially given how happy they were when I took an interest in their work, combined with my natural talent in science. So, by the time high school rolled around, I did research in a lab, shadowed doctors, and took any anatomy/biology/chemistry class or book that I could get my hands on. I still nurtured my other interests on the side, conducting independent study projects on American literature or propaganda during World War II, but they were just hobbies. The real focus was my burgeoning medical career.
Things seemed to be on track until freshman year in college, when a particularly difficult chemistry problem set made me realize I didn’t have it in me to do this for another twelve years. But what to do instead? Instead of looking inwards, I went outwards. In every corner of the campus, there was talk of tech and startups, especially in its ability to create a better, just world at scale. The university encouraged this exploration through countless visits from tech companies, student entrepreneurship organizations, and guest speaker classes where technology “thought leaders” gave lectures. I liked the idea of impact at scale, so I became a CS major and participated in every tech-related activity on campus.
Despite the fun puzzles, software engineering didn’t feel like the right fit. My favorite CS classes were product design classes where we talked to people to understand what useful things we could build for them, and there was none of that in my software engineering internship. I heard whispers of product management, another status symbol in tech. I liked the idea of having direct responsibility over shaping a product to fit users’ needs rather than just building it. Plus, I liked the leadership opportunity, a role that came naturally to me and seemed like a “good” thing to do. When I told my classmates of my future plans, I loved their emphatic nod and how they looked and regarded me afterwards. Like I belonged.
There were moments when I thought about who I was as a kid, how I’d completely transformed into a career-focused individual rather than the laid back writer. Was this really where I was meant to be, or had I taken a wrong turn somewhere? Then I thought about all the sacrifices my parents had undergone to get me here. Sure, childhood me sounded fun, but it was my childhood. I was now an adult, with bills, student loans, and rent. Plus, everywhere I looked, my newfound success in product validated my position as a leader. I liked the feeling of wearing the #girlboss image, giving me the strength to overcome any imposter syndrome or insecurity. As long as I could keep going and accomplish more and more, I would be fine. Right?
Parts two, three, and four of the post are now live!
Thing of Note
I’m introducing this section to my newsletter to bring attention to a thing, person, or idea that’s very meaningful to the mission of this newsletter. For the first one, I’m highlighting a free workshop that I’m hosting March 8 12-1 PM EST.
Chaos is an ugly word, but it’s something we’ve all experienced working in tech. For those of us that are navigating the liminal space of figuring out a blended career across different industries, our chaotic environments are especially important for us to tame, so we have the mental space to work on all our different projects. Chaos is the normal consequence of the fact that organizations are built of people, but that doesn’t make navigating chaotic environments any less tough. It can feel like fighting molasses, draining you of any motivation or joy, making you wonder… Is it me?
That's why I'm offering a (free) virtual workshop focused on navigating chaos in your tech career. While the description is specific to PM'es, anyone who works in a product-focused or product-adjacent roles can benefit from it. My hope is that you walk away with some helpful mental models and resources on how to think about chaos at organizations and make decisions at the intersection of chaos and career. If this sounds interesting to you, sign up here.
Ah related to a lot of this! I, unsurprisingly, also thought I’d go into medicine when I was young but in high school realized I didn’t care for science the way I enjoyed other subjects. In college I think I leaned the most into my interests but I wish I did it more. When I started working, I sold my soul for good pay and health insurance. Great essay and the picture of you as a kid was sooo cute!