The Path is Not Always Linear
After 3.5 years at YouTube, I quit. I had no idea what I wanted to do next. I just knew that it was time for a change.
When I quit, I had this vague idea that I’d go to Burning Man, then take some time and space to reflect before jumping into the next thing. I did not know how long that would be. I did not know what that thing was. For the first time in a long time, I was open to veering off course, to seeing where it might lead me. Sure, I was scared. It was uncomfortable. But, at the time, I was knee deep in my yoga practice (and Alan Watts books) and with that, diving into the unknown with some level of trust became a big and important part of my daily practice. (I have since recommended this book to lots of dear friends who are jumping into unknown territory.)
“But you cannot understand life and its mysteries as long as you try to grasp it. Indeed, you cannot grasp it, just as you cannot walk off with a river in a bucket. If you try to capture running water in a bucket, it is clear that you do not understand it and that you will always be disappointed, for in the bucket the water does not run. To “have” running water you must let go of it and let it run.” — Alan Watts, The Wisdom of Insecurity
On my last day at YouTube, I posted on Facebook. Shortly after, I got a message from an old coworker, whom I worked on a few 20% projects with. He had just started a new role at Facebook. (At YouTube, I was not a researcher; I was working as a Strategist on a team called Audience Development helping creators grow their channels. My job required a mix of different skill sets — operations, project management, marketing, communications, and a reasonably sound understanding of the product, from a creator point of view.) Turns out, he needed some support on his team, Internet.org. He remembered that I was interested in Research, and he knew I had a deep fascination with emerging markets.
It was a short term gig with 50% international travel built into the contract. It felt right, so I took it.
During that time, I traveled to Peru, Uganda, and India (twice). I loved it. Most of it was one-on-one conversations with people in their homes about their relationship to technology (or lack thereof). Typically, we’d settle in the closest city or town as our home base, and venture out every day — one or two hours driving — into remote villages. I learned a ton — about life at Facebook, about life in these particular countries, what it takes to conduct research in emerging markets, how to work with vendors in close partnership, etc. The list goes on.
But perhaps most importantly, I also learned that I really enjoyed this type of work. I learned that I wanted to be a researcher. (How did I know? More on that later.)
As I was wrapping up my contract, Facebook was planning the very first class of the Rotational Research Program. The program is a one-year training program for people who have core skills that can translate into a researcher role — critical thinking, analyzing data, and clear communication, to name a few — but, who do not have conventional research backgrounds. Throughout the course of the year, these researchers spend a number of months on different product teams and get exposure to lots of different methods and products. The program is built around close mentorship to ensure researchers feel supported. For each rotation, they’re paired with a different mentor on the product team they’re assigned to.
It was remarkably well-timed. At this stage, I knew I liked research enough to pursue it fully, and while I loved working on Internet.org, this was a long term play; I wanted to broaden my skill set and get exposure to different research methods in a relatively short period of time. So I applied. And I got it.
This month marks one year. I’ve been on the Media team, the News Feed team and the Protect & Care (PAC) team. Throughout the year, I’ve learned lots of new methods and skills — things like eye tracking, coding open-ended comments and surveying, to name a few. I’ve also refined others — like interviewing — that I had exposure to while I was at Internet.org.
There were lots of conditions that got me to this particular place. I had quit my job at YouTube. I had done some 20% projects. I had traveled in India and Nepal for several months. Some of these things were intentional; some were not. But I never could’ve anticipated I’d be sitting here now at Facebook HQ as a Researcher. At every step, I wasn’t quite sure where it would lead me but I chose to follow the thread — the thing that felt right from my gut.
Luckily, hindsight is 20/20. Reflecting back on the past two years, this is what I’ve learned about career transition:
1. Don’t be afraid to dip your toe into a field that is not necessarily your core job.
If you’re curious about a field that isn’t your core job, get scrappy and find some opportunities to get more experience. Maybe this is an internship, a course, or a side project. For me, this meant dabbling in some research initiatives through an unofficial 20% project or two while I was at YouTube. I even thought maybe, just maybe, I should jump over to the product side and into UX. But, I wasn’t ready to commit to the learning and skill development necessary (at the time, I thought, a PhD) without more exposure to make sure this is really what I wanted — to be a researcher. That’s where the contract gig came in. Contracting was a great way for me to feel out this kind of role and see if it was the right fit for me without full commitment.
2. Get clear (even in broad strokes) on how you want to show up in the world because, as Austin Kleon puts it, “You are a mashup of what you let into your life.”
Which skills or characteristics do you value? Which job functions naturally cultivate these skills or characteristics? Or put another way, in my case, do I want to see the world through the lens of a Researcher? If I am spending 40 hours per week assuming the role of a Researcher, my world view will most definitely be influenced. Is it the influence I want? For me, the answer was yes. I found that researchers look at the world with attention to nuance and details, beginner’s mind, and a deep curiosity with human beings, however nutty and irrational they may be. This is why I am drawn to research.
- Paying attention to all the details. For example, if you’re conducting an in-home interview, you need to pay attention to the way a person talks, his/her word choice, body language, the way they greet a stranger in their home, the things they own, how they spend their money. All of these details contribute to a larger story about this person and the way they live. Everything matters.
- Beginner’s mind. In Zen Buddhism, they talk about shoshin, or beginner’s mind. In this mindset, you’re open to learning anything you need to learn. Often, this means, setting aside any strong beliefs you have — things you know, or think you know to be true — so that you can be open to learning something unexpected. You might be thinking, why the heck is this woman talking about zen buddhism in the context of research?! Well, it turns out, the beginner’s mind coupled with deep curiosity are so important as a researcher. When you sit down with a participant in an interview, you have no idea where this person is coming from. Their life is likely very different from yours in ways you can’t anticipate.
- Understanding people. I love learning about people from all walks of life — understanding why they do the things they do, what makes them tick, what they care about most. And, then, using this knowledge to directly inform our products — to make sure we’re taking the people into account, real living and breathing people with rich stories to tell.
3. Never count yourself out.
I do not have a PhD or Masters degree. I assumed that you needed formal training to be a researcher. There are likely a lot of high potential candidates who — although they may not have a conventional research background — with a bit of training and mentorship, could turn out to be great researchers and add important perspectives to help better reflect the people who use our product. Suddenly, with the Rotational Research Program, I had an opportunity presented to me that I never thought possible. The reality is — you never know what will happen in the future. Progressive companies like Facebook continue to challenge the status quo and try out-of-the-box solutions to meet the ever-changing demands of today’s workforce.
4. Follow your passions.
While I was at YouTube, I took a few months off as personal leave. During that time, I dove into my yoga practice more fully by way of a yoga teacher training program. And shortly after, I hopped on plane and traveled throughout India and Nepal on my own. I did this because I felt drawn to do this and for no other reason. And the part I couldn’t have predicted is that my interest and experience in emerging markets undoubtedly helped me land that contract gig with Internet.org.
5. Embrace a steep learning curve.
While it can be exhausting to ramp up on a different product team every quarter, a steep learning curve every quarter = lots and lots of learning! If you want to make the leap into a new field, I can’t recommend this enough. Find opportunities that optimize for growth and learning in a short period of time.
6. Your ego might take a hit, and that’s ok.
Throughout this process, whether you’re just embarking on career transition, or in your second year on a new job in a new field, there will be days when you’ll wonder, “Why am I here? Am I smart enough? Am I good enough? Am I insert-adjective enough?” Know that this is normal. It is not always comfortable to learn and grow. You will not have all the answers. And that’s exactly where you’re supposed to be.
Perhaps the most important thing I’ve learned, though, is that the path is not always linear. So if you’re curious about diving into something new, or maybe that thing is research, don’t be afraid to veer off course — it may turn out to be the best decision you ever make. At the very least, it’s a heck of a lot more exciting.
