2020 has gotten all of us to try our damnedest at figuring things out: how to prevent getting COVID-19, how to do our part in curbing the spread, how to handle the societal and racial divide, how to maintain job security … all of which are unprecedented issues many of us had to face alone.
All the chaos this year had forced me to put lots of decisions on hold till “this thing blows over”. Unfortunately, the series of “things” just kept coming. In the midst of all of the deeply-rooted issues unraveling, I had to migrate out of San Francisco Bay area, start what was supposed to be a temporary remote working situation down in Southern California. Growing tired of being in the passenger seat and fearfully reacting to the changes around me, my husband and I soon decided to do what we set out to do at the beginning of this year while adapting to the new norms ACE (After Covid-19 Era).
We tried our best to maintain our productivity while working remotely, leveraging more in-door time to acquire new skill sets, we even put an offer to purchase our first home down in SoCal! This year, albeit sucks very much, has pushed me to take a hard look at what I really want — I want to be in control of my life.
Now, I would like to create some content around the adaptive and iterative process of figuring things out during this challenging period: be it applying for a new job, exploring a new role, purchasing a home for the first time, creating passion projects, or building a relationship… and hopefully, this content would be helpful in your journey as well.
As you can tell, I’m still trying to figure out an apt thesis for this newsletter, so bear with me while I iterate through some themes:
1) Professional growth as a Product Manager studying Data Science:
Transitioning into a new role: I transitioned into a product manager from an investment analyst role 3 years ago.
Why (and why not) product managers: After almost 3 years in a PM role, I feel I’m at a pretty good point to talk about reasons to venture into this role and reasons not to.
Starting a new job (during the pandemic): I started my new job at the onset of the US COVID-19 pandemic. Lots to talk about there!
Learning about Data: We can talk about my on-going journey with data science.
Resume and cover letter: I started helping friends and family critique their resumes and portfolios. Down to share some tips there, especially on PM resumes.
2) Personal growth:
Time management: I’m currently working full-time as a product manager, pursuing a part-time master's degree in data science, studying online data science courses, hunting and purchasing a home… I suck at managing my time, but I intend to figure this out!
Coping with anxiety: It’s a hard and stressful time. Anxiety would creep up on you without you knowing it, and I’m currently figuring out a good way to cope.
Grooming relationships: I came from a traditional Chinese family in which my parents do not speak English, and am currently in an inter-racial marriage with my husband who doesn’t speak Chinese. Lots to figure out!
3) First-time adulting?
First-time purchasing a home
First-time getting married… loll
First-time living with in-laws
You get the idea…
Thanks for joining me here!
In the meantime, tell your friends