{"id":5459,"date":"2022-10-31T08:07:57","date_gmt":"2022-10-31T08:07:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businessner.com\/?p=5459"},"modified":"2022-10-31T08:07:57","modified_gmt":"2022-10-31T08:07:57","slug":"lifelong-tips-for-creating-a-fulfilling-career-with-tech-entrepreneur-and-philanthropist-jessica-lui","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businessner.com\/lifelong-tips-for-creating-a-fulfilling-career-with-tech-entrepreneur-and-philanthropist-jessica-lui\/","title":{"rendered":"Lifelong Tips for Creating a Fulfilling Career with Tech Entrepreneur and Philanthropist, Jessica Lui"},"content":{"rendered":"
Many students come out of high school or University, bright-eyed about the future and with ideas about changing the world. And although there is a small percentage of post-grads that are lucky enough to snatch their dream jobs, the <\/span>majority of graduates<\/span><\/a> are faced with a disappointing reality.<\/span><\/p>\n The first entry job is not as glamorous or exciting as most envision for themselves. Many begin to feel disempowered, perhaps even cynical about what the future holds.<\/span><\/p>\n Simultaneously, there are plenty of mid-stage career professionals that question their current career path. Reports show that even two years after the global pandemic, workers are still leaving in the millions every month despite ample work opportunities, indicating high levels of work dissatisfaction amongst the U.S. population. In a Gallup <\/span>study, <\/span><\/a>there were concerningly high rates of disengagement from the general workforce, with 60% of workers reporting detachment from work, and 19% feeling miserable.<\/span><\/p>\n Letting go of a career you\u2019ve worked hard for, in order to transition or explore a new path can be incredibly nerve wracking. However, sometimes taking this leap of faith is necessary for individual growth and fulfillment. Whereas, staying at a job that fails to challenge you or helps you learn continuously, can become more of a deadweight than anything else.<\/span><\/p>\n Jessica Lui<\/span><\/a> has a lot to say when it comes to empowering young people to pursue \u2018unconventional\u2019 paths or opportunities. As a multi-faceted tech entrepreneur, philanthropist, and public speaker, Jessica has held numerous roles in both public service, including being a youth ambassador for the UN and working extensively on the data and strategy side, at her day job with Deloitte.<\/span><\/p>\n We explored her golden tips for helping young people navigate the tough career landscape, and how to break through into different industries.<\/span><\/p>\n Interviewer: How were you able to connect the dots between two vastly different fields: tech and philanthropy and what inspired you to bring these different communities together for your initiatives?<\/b><\/p>\n Jessica: <\/b>I’ve always had a long-held interest in public service. Regardless of the title that I hold or where I work, I believe it’s important to give back to the communities that we belong to, whether it’s local or global, and to work together to be able to strengthen our collective well-being.<\/span><\/p>\n I think great leaders have always been the people who can rally or inspire others to lift other people up. One of the philanthropic areas that I’ve always been passionate about is supporting access to education. I don’t think there’s a single industry or field that hasn’t been impacted by the growth in technology. However, I think the landscape of education is increasingly virtual. Technology can be a great equalizer.<\/span><\/p>\n For example, it grants democratic access to educational resources available through the web. No matter where you are in the world, if you’ve got an internet connection, you can check out a lecture at Harvard, or you can take a virtual philosophy class at Columbia.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It gives us broad access to so many great educators. A good example of this is, recently, I was the founding member of a program called<\/span> Citizen Girls<\/span><\/a>. The program which was ran both in Canada and Nigeria focuses on educating participants on building civic leadership skills.<\/span><\/p>\n What was interesting was that the entire program was created through virtual collaboration. From writing grants to building partners, hiring, and the delivery of the program, was all done entirely online.<\/span><\/p>\n This allowed us to get a hundred young women to participate in the initial launch of the program from both Canada and Nigeria, in collaborative learning sessions across both countries. It was inspiring to see folks who had been impacted by Covid and couldn’t leave their homes to still be able to have access to great speakers, and classes from the other side of the world.<\/span><\/p>\n My point here is, effective philanthropy benefits profoundly from digital tech. It can be used to develop partnerships or to rapidly scale projects and programs globally.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Interviewer: Do you think women still face barriers in the world of tech? How do you think we can help them overcome these barriers?<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Jessica: <\/b>Women in general are still underrepresented in tech and it\u2019s particularly evident in senior leadership positions. There was a <\/span>study<\/span><\/a> released by McKinsey last year which showed that one of the big challenges in getting women to senior leadership positions is that they face what is called a \u201cbroken rung\u201d at the first step up to manager.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In other words, if you don’t get a promotion earlier on in your career, it slows you down from continued career growth and limits the opportunities you’ll have going forward. Conversely, if you get a promotion earlier on, you’re more likely to be visible, recognized, and promoted within your organization.<\/span><\/p>\n McKinsey showed that for every 100 men that are promoted, only 86 women are<\/span>. <\/b>That makes it difficult to establish a foundation for career growth. When it comes to a company perspective, addressing the diversity opportunity in tech should be an integral part of talent strategy.<\/span><\/p>\n It’s also positive that companies with diverse senior leadership are shown to outperform competitors and attract top talent. I think companies can help by ensuring that DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) programs are integrated into overall talent programs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n