It’s been a little while since I’ve written to you all and shared some updates, experiences, and learnings… I thought I’d say hi:)
As you may or may not know, I’ve been living in San Francisco since July doing my second Co-op. The Co-op program at Northeastern is an experiential learning requirement where students take six months off from classes and work full-time for a company that is meant to teach them something relevant to their career exploration. I have been working at Genentech doing project management on their South San Francisco campus. I made the decision to leave Boston and explore somewhere new for the self-growth factor. I’m always thinking about the self-growth factor.
As much as change is hard and I like to have a plan and stick to it, I also find joy in exploring in every sense of the word. When I accepted my job offer, I knew I was moving alone. I was deciding to move alone. I felt it was time to focus on me anyway.
Corporate life, San Francisco life, living in a city without my friends or family, essentially living that adult 9-5 life… It has come with great rewards and also some challenges.
I’ve been fully immersed in the corporate world, learning about biotechnology and pharmaceuticals from one of the largest companies in the country. I feel so grateful for the opportunity to see first-hand how Genentech works to carry out its mission of doing the best it can to provide for patients. Throughout my time here so far I’ve pushed myself to meet with different professionals in the company to get the most comprehensive picture of what roles are needed for a large company to thrive. I’ve met with data scientists, engineers, neuroscientists, project managers, and business analysts, and most recently I was lucky enough to sit down with the CEO and ask him some of my questions. Each conversation held its own value and has been helping me put together piece by piece the qualities necessary for the success of an organization.
Everyone has the same advice. Keep learning. So, I’m listening because learning is cool and these virtual times make it so easy!
But, besides work, I’ve been pretty busy! This is such an incredible city with so many opportunities to travel and explore. California is such an amazing state in terms of its topography and views. Sausalito at sunset is magical, driving on route 1 in Big Sur is breathtaking, the Lands End hike overlooking the SF Bay and Golden Gate Bridge is so cool, and my frequent walks around the city are so peaceful (even with those hills!). I’ve been engaging with the city, its food scene, bar scene, and park scene, and I love it all!
It wouldn’t be a typical blog post without some lessons learned, so here are some things I’ve come to terms with while moving across the country for a lil self reflection period:
There is a difference between feeling lonely and alone. I have felt both throughout my time here. At school, I’m the girl with constant plans. I’m either busy in class or with friends doing something. Very rarely would I spend free time alone and that’s great and fine. But, what would happen if I took myself out of a comfortable environment with the people I love? Lemme tell ya, it’s hard! My first month in SF was a big adjustment in terms of being comfortable with being alone. But over time, I found joy in doing things with myself. Self dates, if you will:) I’ve gotten to know myself really well here. Boston Emily is about to include some of my SF self.
Very few people check in on you, so you need to get good at checking in with yourself. When you’re physically distant from your people, it can be hard to stay in touch. Learning how to motivate yourself and hold yourself accountable is a skill I’ve been working on here. Although my mom and dad do call often:)
The benefits of working hard are more for the lessons learned than for the achievement. I could tell you I’ve taken two classes, am coming to the end of developing my product at work, have read 4 books, and have had 15 coffee chats since I moved here, but so what?? What did I learn from this project or this meeting? How about that book? And then what can I do with this new knowledge and what further questions does it generate?
If you invest in yourself, you will be more respected by those around you, but more importantly by yourself. I have spent so many hours here self-reflecting, teaching myself things, buying myself food that will make me satisfied, taking long walks when I’m stressed, and even treating myself to some new clothes after milestones at work… the things I’m doing for future me, are making me love current me so much more.
There are other takeaways AND I still have two more months so there’s a lot more learning to be done. If you like following my little journey follow me on Instagram to see what I’m up to @paving.my.way hope to see you there!
