Bye Chicago, Hello San Francisco!
If you’ve noticed things have been unusually quiet around here, here’s the reason why. Coley and I are moving out of Chicago this July and we’ll be in San Francisco by August! The rumors are true!
I know I’m surprised by these turn of events, so I’m sure you are too. So before we dive into all things SF, let’s get into some details that I’m sure will answer some of your questions.
The big one is probably just why. Well for starters, I got a new job! In May I made the decision to leave McDonald’s where I was working in global supply chain (you can read my blog posts about that here and here), and decided to to accept a job at Visa in their marketing function! During my time at McDonald’s, I realized that maybe there was more out there than just supply chain, and when this opportunity came up, I had to grab it while I could.
And if you’re wondering why I chose Visa, it really came down to three different things:
Reason #1
I always knew that marketing was the place I wanted to be. Even though I knew that, I also knew I needed to try out supply chain before I switched into a different function. I was an Operations Management major in college, and I felt like I had to try out my degree in a real life setting so I could have concrete reasons to go into marketing. So that’s why I ultimately chose McDonald’s first, instead of a marketing role! During my time there, I realized my interest existed more in the realm of creative and community, instead of operational. So when I got the chance to move, I had to take it!
Reason #2
When I was thinking about what I valued in a company, the first thing that came to mind was diversity, equity, and inclusion. I think you can tell by how I advocate for things like Asian American history/education and political topics, here on my blog and socials, that representation and acts of equity and inclusion are a key value for me. With my new team at Visa, I can see how clear the diversity, equity, and inclusion actions are! My team is filled with people from diverse backgrounds, where empathetic and inclusive leadership is emphasized. I saw this during the interview process, and now that I’m in the role, it’s more clear than ever.
Reason #3
And finally, it was just an offer too good to refuse. With how insane the job market is, it was hard to not find an offer that was competitive to what I had at McDonald’s! With a competitive compensation package and full relocation to the west coast, I knew I had to say yes. Although I’ll be leaving supply chain behind, I’ll continue to be McDonald’s biggest advocate and cheerleader. I have so many friends still there (that I love dearly), and I know I’ll continue to root for them from afar.
Flash Forward to Now
Coley’s and mine’s life has turned upside down and our days are now filled with apartment searching, walking around San Francisco on Google Maps, and getting rid of things we don’t need in our new city. I’ve been to SF literally once for a four day trip (which I chronicled for you here and here and here), but Coley’s phone background has been of the Golden Gate Bridge ever since I met him, so maybe it was meant to be!
There’s still details to iron out (mostly personal lol), but I have 6 weeks left in Chicago and I’m trying to make the most of it. That means no more quiet introvert weekends, and if you want to see me before I leave, you may want to text me now. The calendar is filling up QUICK.
Someone asked me if I felt scared or nervous about moving literally across the country with no family or group of friends out there. A small part of me is nervous, but mostly I feel like not much is changing. I’ll still have my favorite linen sheets with me, my animals, Coley, my silverware, dish set, and my clothes will still smell like the same detergent. So even though we’re picking up our home and dropping it somewhere else, it’s still all home. The only thing different is now we’ll have a new view.
Let me know if the comments if you have questions or any SF suggestions! We’ll take any that we can get.