Calvin
Credit: Jeanne Thai
pivoting from a place you’ve known your whole career
Calvin worked in economic consulting on intellectual property for nearly a decade, ultimately, becoming a Director at Ocean Tomo. While he learned a lot from the many cases he worked on, he came to realize he wanted to be a part of the businesses and products he was helping: he wanted to drive the success of a product or service in a fast-paced tech company.
In August 2017, Calvin successfully pivoted to an exciting tech company. He joined Facebook's Escalation Team to build out their IP processes and policies. He has since helped grow out the team and developed relationships across the org to further their mission.
As he develops new skills (no more financial valuations or spreadsheets!), he is deliberate in what he gets out of his next steps:
There were a few things that drew me to this position: 1) I could make an impact shaping how intellectual property law would evolve for the future of tech and the Internet, 2) this role focused primarily on intellectual property, a knowledge base that I have continued to be passionate about throughout my career, and 3) the resources, challenges, and opportunities available at Facebook would put me in a position to grow even more than my prior role.
More from my interview with Calvin:
What does success mean to you?
"Success to me means being proud of what I do and finding a sense of purpose in life - this also means having a career that I am enthusiastic about, but also finding a career that challenges me to grow and become my best self while still affording me the ability to lead the kind of life I wish to enjoy (i.e. providing me with the income and flexibility to be able to continue exploring the world with people I love). I think the most successful people find that perfect combination of what they’re good at and what they’re passionate about - and find ways to redefine expectations about what they do. By focusing on these, I believe network, status, and money will follow suit."
Calvin's parents also played an influential role in how he looked at his career and success. Both of his parents valued education above all else and set good moral and ethical examples. One event in particular resonated with him:
In one instance, my father was at a drive-thru and the cashier accidentally gave him a $20 instead of a $1 bill in change. My father alerted the cashier and then told me the important lesson that nothing is free - that $20 would eventually have to come out of someone’s paycheck, likely the cashier that was making minimum wage - so it is always important to think through your actions beyond your own selfish pursuits. This is just one example that has resonated with me even to this day.
Finding professional mentors at work also helped him unblock obstacles and give more direction in both his day-to-day work as well as long-term goals.
What do you think is generally mistaken as success?
I think people tend to automatically associate someone working at a well-known or prestigious company as being successful. While I do think it is great to have a brand-name on your resume, it doesn’t guarantee success.
Any advice for others or yourself going forward?
Stay patient and believe that it is never too late to achieve success. There was a long period of time when I didn’t really have a direction and I wasn’t sure where my career was going. Not everyone has the same opportunities, and not everyone knows how to take advantage of all the opportunities right in front of them. I started to define my own career path once 1) I realized that I genuinely wanted to learn more about people’s experiences and passions and that 2) I became more mindful of all the opportunities and resources that were available to me. I began reaching out to my network of friends and took the time to learn more about their passions and ambitions as well as their experiences getting to where they were. This allowed me to draw parallels in my own career trajectory and forced me to identify and focus on my own career gaps.