Working for big tech companies while overcoming imposter syndrome
Catherine (Cat) Hoang (she/her) is a Global Business and Digital Arts alumni who speaks about how she arranged her own work experiences at both Adobe and Microsoft during a gap year and her opinions on exploring different career paths.
Catherine’s co-op journey:
Work term one: Catherine’s first co-op was with Adobe as a program manager on the Digital Experience Credentialing Team. Her role was comprised of credentialing which is creating certificates and training for Adobe's products.
Work terms two and three: Next, she took a role as a product marketing manager at Microsoft on the Minecraft Education team. She led go-to-market projects such as a Minecraft Education world in collaboration with school boards.
Work term four: During her last work term, Catherine returned to the same team at Adobe and worked on UX design and research.
Q&A with Catherine:
How did you land your co-ops?
“So much luck. I worked hard but things also seemed to perfectly line up.”
“For both of my roles I applied through the company websites on their career pages. I applied really early; I think that was one of the reasons why I landed the positions. I also took advantage of many different opportunities, for example I took on many leadership roles at different organizations and university clubs.”
“It got to the point where every few weeks I would have to update my applications. Then I gradually started getting more and more responses.”
“For my most recent co-op, a past manager just reached out and asked if I was free to work. It’s a lot easier once you get a foot in the door.”
“Overall, my advice would be to excel at any opportunity you're given so that when luck happens you are in a position to accept it.“
Did you work on any interesting projects?
“My favourite project was supporting a Minecraft Education world focused on Indigenous culture.”
“We got to work closely with school boards and local tribe representatives to ensure there was no misinformation and still make sure the experience is fun for students.”
“We got to build out the world, the curriculum, the marketing and training materials, reach out to PR teams and help create press for the launch date.”
“It was stressful but also really rewarding.”
“After the launch, a family friend’s child came over to my house while I was working on my portfolio website. The kid recognized the world I had open and said he had played it in his class. It felt crazy to have that kind of impact.”
Did the company cultures differ at Adobe and Microsoft?
“The company cultures were very different, but I do want to preface that while there was an overarching culture at both companies, each department also had its own unique subculture.”
“At Adobe I was a part of the Field Readiness and Enablement (FRE) team.”
“They were passionate about helping upskill the workforce and that goal resonated with me.”
“They were very focused on creativity and connection. For my co-op onboarding, we had a one-day online conference and they actually brought in JoJo Siwa, celebrity cameos and a DJ and it was super fun!”
“Microsoft was focused on empowering others to achieve more. My team worked closely with legal as we were working with students under 18. It was understandably a lot stricter with how we could approach things. “
“The culture was still fun; everyone at Microsoft is very much about growth mindset, but the two teams have very different approaches to work.”
How did you manage the workload during your co-ops?
“I got diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) when I was at Microsoft because the habits I had didn’t match with my work environment. It was impeding on my productivity.”
“Once I was diagnosed, it changed everything, because I understood how my workflow is connected to ADHD.”
“Obviously, my work identity goes beyond my diagnosis, but I was able to develop strategies and tell people how to work best with me. I have a one-pager that explains this that I provide to new teams I work with.”
“Now that I'm back at Adobe, I implemented the strategies I learned and my team immediately noticed how much I've improved. That was an awesome thing to experience.”
What did you struggle with most during your co-ops?
“I struggled with imposter syndrome. It came up in a lot of different ways and that's part of why it’s so hard. It often changes into different forms and slips by you”
Recently, I realized that I am going to have to transition out of the student mindset now that I work full-time and I’m not sure how to do that. It will be a gradual process but having mentors that advocate for me has been a huge help.
What's next for you?
“I just graduated.”
“A lot of my internships were different, I did UX design, research, program management and product marketing.”
“So now, as I've graduated, I'm probably going to pivot again, to be honest.”
“Whenever I would talk to people who are senior in their role, they would always tell me that I can change my career path if I want to try something new while I’m young. I guess I took that to heart.”
“So right now, I’m continuing to work at Adobe. More on UX research right now because I want to settle into UX roles a bit more, but I do want to eventually move out of Canada.”
“As long as I like the team/company and I work with people that are ambitious that's all I care about.”