How Identity Has Influenced a Director of Product at Stiddle's Career

For me, being an immigrant means many things. I was born in Korea, and my family and I immigrated to Los Angeles when I was three years old. We grew up in a very Caucasian suburban neighborhood, and then I came to Berkeley. This has led to many different cultural influences and mixing.

I've always identified as someone untraditional and an outsider, as an immigrant and an Asian American, Korean American. I've always had to make my own opportunities and sell myself, still making things up as I go. Realizing there's no complete story because I'm the one holding the pen and still writing it has taught me three things.

The first is humility. I've had to do work I felt overqualified for just to get my foot in the door. I've done work for free and odd jobs, like taking graduation photos to help cover living costs or enjoy life. Some other folks simply have opportunities given to them or are in a better place in life.

This has given me a good work ethic. Even now, in my career, I was a founder who raised venture capital and managed multimillion-dollar global supply chains as a product manager. Now, I'm at a startup with founders younger than myself, and tech sales are a big part of my role. I didn't expect to be here, but I am. On paper, I'm overqualified for the work I'm doing, but it needs to be done. It's a learning opportunity and something new for me. This is what has kept me going throughout my career.

Next, I've learned a lot about gratitude. Realizing that things could always be worse and that I'm lucky to have had my experiences is important. These are things no one can take away. I'm thankful for people who gave me a chance, even when it might have been inconvenient or risky for them.

As an immigrant or Asian American, understanding the sacrifices your family made for you to have these experiences is something I hold to heart. Especially in situations where no one tells you what kind of people to surround yourself with in college or how to set yourself up for success in a new country. Having mentors and friends who have given me good advice and offered opportunities has been crucial.

The last thing I've learned, which ties into humility and gratitude, is hope. There's always someone willing to help you, a creative solution, or a clever angle to take in business or life. There's always a chance to remake yourself and rebrand yourself. You need hope to be a founder; if you didn't believe you would succeed, why would you start? And if someone else could easily convince you otherwise, maybe you shouldn't be doing it. You also need hope as a product manager, hoping your work will succeed when so many things can lead to failure.

As an immigrant and an outsider looking in, I've learned a lot about humility, gratitude, and hope.