On Becoming

It takes time to become who we are today.  We are an accumulation of hard work, natural talent, missteps, agency, system infrastructure, and of course -- lucky breaks. 

I was chatting with Phil (the husband) recently about his college experience. In truth, he told me he chose his graphic design major with his 18 year old sensibilities of -- "Maybe this is something art related  - that will pay..."
He really did not understand what graphic design was -- it might as well have been garphic design.  It's crazy to know he ended up sticking with it - despite some bumps in the road.  He remembers taking an intro course to graphic design with zero Adobe tools experience.  He never saw a college adviser and based his course path on a sheet of paper. A bit of a shy guy, he could have did better asserting himself with gaining feedback from other students and professors. In hindsight, he wishes that he was more strategic about selecting courses based on well regarded professors rather optimizing his college timetable.

Fast forward 10+ years, somehow things are fine and he has a better idea of graphic design. He sits across from me at our dining room table working on his company's design week.

As an 18 year old - I chose my accounting major based on the process of eliminating subjects I did not enjoy and the desire for stability to put my parents at ease. I did not have an immediate passion for anything in particular though I very much enjoyed american history and art history classes. I wanted to stay in the Bay Area to maintain a relationship with garphic design boy. I did well in accounting courses - it made sense to me. I interviewed as for a position in financial auditing because and because the Enron scandal required more regulation and review hence creating many auditing position.

In my early career days, I had the feeling that I didn't want to be an accountant. I took 3 parts of the CPA exam. Unsettled - I took an interior design course and a floral design class. I quit my first job in financial audit without an exit strategy at the beginning of the Great Recession. Fortunately, a temp recruiting agency connected me with an opportunity at LinkedIn in the accounting department. I was able to make some moves to the Sales Operations side as I happened to have had a recruiter making phone calls in a nearby cubicle. Looking back, I feel appreciative for the many lucky breaks I've had that have led to to a career that I very much enjoy. I enjoy working in a field that is project based, relationship oriented, and creative.

With all of this good experience - I hope to make a good impact on first generation college student. I'm really excited to be a mentor at the East Bay College Fund beginning this year. It's a 4 -5 year commitment. To be sure, I will be learning and gaining so much from this experience. I can't wait to listen and absorb and share my experiences with my scholar.

How have you gotten to where you are today? Were there random events that pushed you along? Did you have moments of a clarity when you decided you wanted something?