Meet Our Member: Winnie Choi
Winnie Choi is a Financial Analyst at DataStax. In Korea, she worked in sales/supply chain management and transitioned to the IT department and worked as a business systems analyst for over a decade. Winnie moved to the Bay Area when her husband received a job offer. After moving to the US, she took a career break and dedicated to raising her family for eight years before deciding to restart her career.
Q. How did you prepare to return to work?
W. After taking few career aptitude tests, I decided that I wanted to pursue a career in analytics/ data science. During my career break, I took multiple online courses including Business Analytics Nano-degree at Udacity, and actively used LinkedIn to make connections and search for jobs.
Q. What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?
W. I had to constantly remind myself that I had sufficient skills to get a job in the US. The lack of self-confidence built during my long long career break was difficult to overcome. It was around this time I learned about Simple Steps and hearing several success stories from members who were in a similar situation as me which became a huge motivating factor. I also tried to gather as many resources as I could for resume writing and networking. Many of these resources and opportunities came through Simple Steps.
Q. How did Simple Steps play a role in your career restart?
W. I was introduced to many opportunities and resources such as resume writing workshops and returnship with PathForward through Simple Steps. But what I truly appreciated the most was meeting people who were going through what I was experiencing. Simply sharing my challenges and my career plans was enough for me to move forward.
Q. Was your family supportive of your decision?
W. Before I started my job search, I had several heart-to-heart conversations with my family members to get their understanding and support. It was very important for me to get support from my family in order for me to return to work. I also wanted to find a job where I can have a good work and life balance as my daughter still needed my care. Having support from my family was a great encouragement to my return to work journey.
Q. Do you have any advice for anyone returning to work after a career break?
W. I think that everyone should take action and truly believe in themselves. I regret that eight years passed before I started proactively looking for a job. Looking back, I had enough resources and skills but didn’t put it into motion because of a lack of self-confidence.
To my fellow women: I recommend building up technical skills as well as your physical health. Remember to also set priorities. What is most important to you? Roles/responsibilities, company environment, stability, proximity, or compensation? Setting priorities helps you choose the right job/company.
Interview date: July 2019
Edited by Kat Choi
