Happy Cali-versary

10 years and counting…

10 years ago, I had just graduated from school (Go Illini!) and being young and stupid, had no plans for the future. As much passion and talent I had in music, it was just something that I did not feel was worth pursuing any longer due to worries of financial stability. But I was not educated nor qualified to do anything else, so what does a young and stupid person do? Admit defeat and go on vacation.

Aside from a family trip to Yosemite, which I was too young to remember, I had never experienced sunny California. Well, little did I know that my few weeks of vacation would turn out to be one of the most important decisions I’d ever make. An ad hoc interview turned into one of the most defining moments of my career. Someone gave me a chance. Someone saw more in me than what meets the eye. Thus, began my career at AMAX on June 28, 2004.

But what kind of career could I possibly have in the, then elusive and prestigious, Silicon Valley? I’d make some money, gain experience and figure it out later. A couple years in, I still hadn’t figured it out and to be honest, wasn’t making much money. But after struggling through my dad being sick, I realized that I needed to build a life where my family would never have to struggle again and prepare for my own in the same fashion.

Thus began my plans for leaving my pit stop. California was not where I was meant to stay. I spent a lot of long hours after work and on weekends taking classes, studying, taking exams; all in hopes to get my doctorates in music therapy. Plotting out all of the requirements, I realized it would take me nearly 3 years before I could even apply to schools due to working full-time. How frustrating and demotivating! But I couldn’t be at AMAX forever.

Then, came a phone call that would change my life again. The phone call I was sure was a prank call. It was Apple. For someone who never thought about being in the tech industry, who would dare turn down an opportunity with Apple?! It was a long shot but again, someone gave me a chance; someone saw more in me than what meets the eye. April 28, 2008; this pit stop would be prolonged just a bit longer.

I was sure that someone like me would never make it at a place like Apple. I was so overwhelmed for the first six months. I actually had not stopped my preparations for music therapy because I assumed that I’d either give up or be fired from Apple within a year anyway. Turned out, all those crazy habits of mine became very handy at work. Perfectionist, controlling, OCD organization, extreme self criticism. (Yep, I’ve got all the men lining up! HA!)

Well, with the late night conference calls and traveling at Apple, all those classes fell to the wayside. Up until that time, most people, including myself, were still convinced that I’d go back to Chicago or end up somewhere else. I tend to get bored easily and once I’m bored, you might as well consider me gone.

Then came my abrupt change to Amazon Lab126 on February 6, 2012. I still get a bit of crap from people for leaving the Mothership. But despite the ups and downs (and some really down down downs…), this is where I am now. I am getting opportunities here that I can’t turn down so even as I struggle through parts of it, Lab has, in general, been good to me. After all, you can’t effect change if you quit and run away, right?

10 years of growing up. Maybe I’m not any smarter but I’ve got stories. Really good stories! The kind that I’ll carry with me my whole life. And more importantly, I have my “family” here. These people that I did not even know existed 10 years ago but I would be so lost without them. The kind of people that, even if I did leave California one day, will always be a part of me.

Oh California, “…I fell in love the way you fall asleep; slowly, and then all at once.” It looks to be that I’ll be staying put for a while. This has become home.