I'm Glad I Took This Advice

I'm sharing four pieces of advice that have shaped my early career, hoping it can be helpful to you too.

“Go where you are rare.” - Sougwen Chung 

Sougwen Chung (artist, researcher, and founder of Scilicet studio) shared this advice at open-ended design’s 2022 Creativity & Technology Lab. Sougwen spoke about her practice (exploring human and machine interaction through visual art), and the principles that have guided her career decisions.

Sougwen leveraged her early exposure to art and science (her mother was a computer programmer and her father was an opera singer) to build a rare, interdisciplinary skillset that has flourished into a remarkable career (she is a former fellow of MIT Media Lab, Google, and Bell Labs). I admire Sougwen’s work because she adds perspective to a field otherwise dominated by hard science.

Ask yourself: What makes me unique? How can it help me work on more impactful projects? This isn’t confined to what you studied or where you have worked, but can also be a reflection of who you are, what you value, and how you experience the world.

I was unique for studying art, music, and computer science at university. My peers were usually focused on one area — either sciences or humanities — making me an outlier. But when I started working in tech, I realized my creative skillset led me to different questions. Many of my projects now focus on building technology for creatives, letting me leverage this combination of skills.

“If you had all the time in the world, what would you do?” - my manager 

When I was starting my new job, my manager asked me several questions to get to know me and my working style (you can read more about ramping up to a new role here). One of the questions she asked was: “If you had all the time in the world, what would you do?” She followed up with: “Then do it!” 

This quote is a reminder to be intentional with your time and proactive in architecting your day-to-day life. Write out your ideal day: Would you take walking meetings? Would you be designing, coding, making, or writing? Would you read a book in the morning? Would you try a new skill in the evening?

Realistically, each day won’t be perfect — but, if you keep your answer to this question in mind (“If you had all the time in the world, what would you do?”) you can build a great routine when starting out in your career.

“Your career isn’t linear.” - my neighbour 

I was nervous about moving to England from Canada to start my first product management role. It was an exciting job, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to move back to England. When I shared some of these anxieties with my neighbour, she said: “No job you take or place you relocate to is a final move, because your career isn’t linear.” That took a lot of the pressure off me. It is a reminder that you can try something out and down the line decide to shift directions again.

“A lot of people think they are not qualified to do the things they are qualified to do.” - Jim McKelvey

This quote encourages us to challenge the status quo. If you don’t think you meet all of a job’s criteria, ask yourself: What skills are they really looking for? How can I demonstrate these abilities somehow else?

Take a product management job that looks for 1+ year of experience, for example. The company will be looking for someone who has a strong project management track record, experience leading a team strategy/vision, and effective communication skills. 

One year of product management experience is a proxy for these skills. But, if you haven’t worked as a product manager before, that doesn’t mean you aren’t qualified. Instead, think about how your past experiences translate to this new role. When I interviewed for product jobs, I spoke about my dissertation. I had to manage my time and meet deadlines (project management), write and edit drafts (communication), and persuade a committee that my research advanced our field of study (strategy/vision). 

Being able to communicate your past experiences is an important step to landing a job or making a career pivot. If you reflect on which skills the company is looking for, chances are you’ll find relevant examples that prove you’re qualified for this new role.