Flowery Path
“Why do you resign from your previous company?”
Every time I met someone and told them that I resigned from the market research agency — I have to admit, the company is quite prestigious — they always ask me that same question. I am not here to explain why I resigned, but I want to elaborate on why I move to a new place — specifically to a new industry, a new role.
Currently, I am working as a UX Researcher in a local streaming & VOD app. It is not something I expect at first, to be honest. My previous role is project manager so I mostly thought of a managerial role, such as product manager. However, after much thinking, I decided that this role is actually the most suitable for me.
When people ask me “why that particular industry?”, I answered simply “because I love films & contents”. That’s all. Then, I will go all over again with the conversation I once had in my head.
Strip yourself bare, take down all the titles or stereotypes that you have on yourself. Do not think of your education background, your university, or where you have worked before. Then, ask yourself, where do you want to work? If you can work anywhere you want without considering much about other people, what industry will take your interest the most?
I came up with the answer “content & broadcasting industry”. After all, I have always been a slave for film, drama, and creative content. Watching and reviewing content is a little part of my life that I constantly do every day and I genuinely love to do. I know you must be thinking it is too general. I mean, who doesn’t like surfing on Youtube or binge-watching on Netflix, right? I decided to bring this simple activity into the next level, where I can learn to unravel the process into tiny little chunks.
Next, why UX research?
To be fair, I applied to multiple different roles, such as business intelligence, business development, product manager, or even product marketing analyst. I almost take the role in product marketing analyst at first. I have been wanting to learn more about the process after research — how the research recommendation bear into actions and measurable outcomes. Glad I didn’t go down that path because I know I will make a horrible marketing analyst.
Product manager? It is a very tempting role as well. Two weeks in this place, I can see how the product managers are basically responsible for everything that is going on with their pillars. They take on the title “jack of all trades”. They know bits of everything. Since my previous job is quite similar to that — I mean, we are the person who knows bits of everything — I am very curious about the entire process.
As a researcher, I may not be involved directly in the happening issues. It is like when the barn is burning, I will not know until the local newspaper featured it. It is a highly unlikely situation for project/product managers, where everyone goes to us to inform their concern or issues. Sometimes we don’t let the other stakeholder knows so there will be no unnecessary panic attacks. Being the one who knows everything feels beneficial for some people. However, there are also people who consider this privilege as a burden. During my time as PM, I honestly thought to myself several times “can I just not know about this matter so I can sleep in peace”. On some other time, I can be very curious about something and will ask around till I get a satisfying answer.
But then, I thought about one little hobby that I love, which is writing. I love writing, not necessarily serious stuff like ‘stance on a certain way of life’ or ‘opinions on current issues’. I like to write about basically anything. Making lists, crafting stories, writing down random thoughts, it is a fun activity for me. I want to work in a role where I can write a lot, where my writings can be something valued by others. A researcher is one role that requires a lot of writing. Hopefully, I can produce a lot of nice writings in the future.
A researcher will also spend a lot of time interacting with users. I am no extrovert but I love listening to people’s rant. Fathoming someone’s point of view on a particular issue is exciting. Moreover, turning their stories into something insightful for the product is even more challenging. I know, I seriously need to work on that.
What else? Hmm…
To be frank, I still have the dream to work for an NGO. It is my dream job since high school — to do good deeds for others. This is also a very general statement hahaha. I am a pretty basic bitch, lol.
Will this be my flowery path? The answer is — I don’t know. Even in the end, it is not as flowery as I thought it would be, I know for sure that it will be a happy journey. Looking forward to everything!
