New Friends, Perspective Changes
Last weekend, I got a chance to meet up with one of my connections from my other campus (I am attending two universities, by the way). Within three hours of that meeting, I learned many things that I could apply in my future career…
It’s always best to meet new people you have known for years but never met in person.
The story started when I joined the workshop hosted by the campus organization back in 2020. The workshop was more hands-on, and the instructor was great at teaching and directing all of us (workshop students).
I learned that the instructor and I shared similarities in the learning process. Additionally, how he taught the classes made me want to dive more deeply into the specific topic, i.e., animation in UX design, which led me to where I am now…
After joining a couple of classes, I reached out to him to ask about the possibility of giving me feedback about my portfolio or my path to a UX journey. He was so friendly, and he gave me a bunch of resources. Even I introduced him to someone else who might need his job-hunting help.
This year, I met him again in other data science workshops. I agreed with how other students react whenever seeing him teaching classes again. Students were so happy to learn something new from him.
Then, we decided to meet in person at one of the restaurants in the Seattle area.
These are things that I learned from my meeting last weekend:
Stay inspiring and be the light to others
He has a dream to build an online school in the future. Dreaming of building something like a school or product is such a huge achievement that it is hard to reach. But for him, nothing is impossible if we keep trying. So, stay inspired and keep working on your dream.
Be humble and discipline with your time
He never canceled any workshops, although it was free of charge. He put his heart into what he was teaching. Students asked questions, and he answered thoroughly. Students had trouble with their assignments; he was there to calm them and provide the best solution. Devoting time to something you love is so worth it.
Add fun things to your job
Working is not about a tense situation where you have to face your manager, and you get scared because of the workload they put on you. This instructor viewed it oppositely. He made the tough things at work as a part of a fun journey. He even told me how he managed to talk to the marketing managers without breaking their hearts. Sometimes it can be tough to talk to someone from a different background, and they never want to listen to any idea you throw into.
Sharing is caring
He is an international student who has a similar journey to mine. We know how hard things can be in immigration, life, and career in the US.
He is such a great mentor to me. He even sent me a bunch of resources that helped me succeed and survive in the US.
Sharing the resources might be a good idea to help others to thrive in their journey.
Thanks for reading! If you enjoy it, feel free to comment or chat with me on Twitter @beatrixcdn. Thank you all! :)
