Veronica Yeung Early Career Advice, Kick Ass, Professional Development

Why your career is not like a video game

4 min read

A few years ago, an article by Oliver Emberton that compared human life to a video game went viral. In a brilliant way, he used the structure of a video game to explain why it’s important to live with a strategy in mind. Think of it as the ultimate game guide for life. I loved the article so much that I had it bookmarked, and occasionally still revisit it 5 years later.

I definitely can’t call myself a hardcore gamer, especially now that I’m a stuffy, boring adult (whoa). But at 13 years old, I received my first Nintendo Gameboy Pocket for Christmas – Pikachu-yellow and glorious. I spent most of my allowance money on AAA batteries because my parents wouldn’t buy me a charger. Whatever money was left, I saved up to buy the latest Pokemon games as soon as they were released. I was sentenced to wearing glasses shortly thereafter, probably because of the countless days and nights I spent leveling up my Lapras to beat the Elite Four.

Today, it seems everything can be gamified. How fun your latest vacation was can be measured by the number of likes on Instagram (fortunately, this might go away). How good you are at public speaking can be measured by the number of connections who endorse you on that skill on LinkedIn. How savvy of a shopper you are can be measured by how many PC Optimum points you’ve banked. But the more I thought about the analogy of a video game, the more I realized it shouldn’t be compared to your professional life.

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Veronica Yeung Early Career Advice, Kick Ass

4 promo-blocking behaviours that most people think are good

6 min read

It’s a lovely Spring morning, and the aroma of fresh coffee beans envelope me like a cashmere blanket. I’m at a local coffee shop about to meet with a mentee, Nate*, who I haven’t seen in several months. He reached out via LinkedIn a few weeks earlier, as he was in town for a few days and “could really use some career advice”.

After ordering our respective lattes and a bit of catching up on life, our casual chit-chat evolves into a full-on rant about how he’s being passed up for promotions at his job. 

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About

Hi, hello. I’m Veronica!

I am a New York City-based marketer at PepsiCo by day, 90’s sit-com and true crime addict by night. I love to help people take control of their careers and excel at their jobs.

Many moons ago, I lived on the west coast of Canada in Vancouver, BC. I studied marketing at the University of British Columbia, with very few expectations of where that would lead me. Upon graduation, I landed my dream job at PepsiCo. I packed up my bags and moved 4000km+ to the east coast. I joined the PepsiCo Foods division, which allowed me to proudly declare “I sell chips!” at parties. Through hard work, supportive sponsors and a big dollop of luck, I moved through several progressive roles over my tenure, ranging from “traditional” Brand Management, to Innovation, Shopper Marketing, and Business Development. In 2019 (roughly 6 months before the world shut down!), I accepted a new adventure with PepsiCo and transferred to our Beverages HQ in New York. I now reside in Manhattan with my husband, Jon, and our rescue pupper, Tonky.

I’ve spent a decade+ co-running a mentorship program at UBC with a talented group of industry professionals, where we help aspiring marketing students land their dream jobs. As I progressed in my career, I became a people manager and campus recruitment lead for the marketing department. It’s been interesting to approach the topic of “career” from all angles.

I hope you’ll find value in the perspective I’ve gained over the years, shared through bite-sized nuggets on this blog. If you’d like to have a more personalized conversation about your career with me, drop me a line through my Contact page!