When People Leave a Company, This is What They’ll Remember
As my career at this startup ends, it is an overwhelmingly bittersweet feeling. I leave behind my work family of really great people, and a staggering big number of people I have decided we will be friends for life.
Two years ago, I was a young, wide-eyed contractor at Google who left Mountain View to try her hand at a startup. At that time, I felt like I was thrust into a tsunami without a floatie, but I miraculously made it out and even made myself a boathouse.
I do have a lot to thank this company for.
From a contracted coordinator to a community manager, I hit a number of milestones during my time with this startup.
I have found the confidence to propose ideas and speak up more in meetings, and learned to navigate technical conversations with craft. I’ve learned to push imposter syndrome at bay, and built upon my work while disregarding the skeptical second guesses of others. All of it would not have happened without the support of my team, and certain individuals who rooted for me and pushed for my potential when I could not see it myself.
I’ve made some of the greatest friends in this lifetime. I still remember being nervous on my first day, and plopping my lunch down in front of a backend engineer who was chewing thoughtfully and deep in thought. I introduced myself and we began to chat. He still laughs when we talk about that incident and he remembers thinking, “Who is this random, talkative girl disturbing my train of thought while I’m trying to solve a code issue?” Now him and his girlfriend are close friends of mine, and I plan on attending their wedding in India.
As I am about to leave this company, I spent a lot of time processing and reflecting my two years there. The years flew by in a second, but there were some things I remembered.
You remember who helped you. I’m not sure if everyone feels the same, but I’ve always battled with imposter syndrome. Am I smart enough? Hard working enough? Do I make sense? Are they judging me? Am I even qualified to do this? Sometimes, I just felt small and that my life could be easier just being subpar or staying in my comfort zone, but there were people at this company who wouldn’t let me feel that way. They were encouraging, motivating, and opened opportunities for me to shine. It was a nudge or sometimes a literal shove to get me to leave my comfort zone, and for that, I’m thankful.
You remember the assholes. Those discreet eye rolls, loud sighs, and backhanded jokes from certain colleagues — you definitely remember those like a bad taste in your mouth. Let it be a warning to treat everyone with respect at any company you work at; people will never remember the exact words, but they’ll remember how you made them feel. A negative and troublesome colleague was let go a year ago; he fueled gossip and spoke down at others constantly. Fast forward a couple of months, my cousin (recruiter) received his application and asked about him. I simply said I could not give my recommendation.
You take away what you observe from exceptional leaders and apply it yourself. The great thing you get from working with skilled professionals is that they know how to navigate certain problems with tact and negotiation. Certain things like usage of words, situational problem solving, how to work with difficult team members, or even how to motivate individuals are all things I’ve learned. Having high emotional quotient is a needed skill to be a great leader — you must learn to use empathy and human connection.
Like a relationship about to end, you remember what you liked and didn’t like. In your next career, what is it that you didn’t have, but wanted? Was it mentorship? Was it having a better office culture? Did you want to work on different projects? You make mental note of things that you would want in your next journey, just like your non-negotiables. You ask yourself what worked this time, and what didn’t. And you look for that in your next career.
In some way, I feel like I’m graduating from uni; this was another chapter of my life that I was closing.
Building a career at a company takes significant time out of someone’s life — we spend more time at work with our colleagues more than our significant other (in most cases). Because of that, we must be thoughtful on how we want to spend our time and leave our mark wherever we go. It is the friendships you make, the risks that you decide to take, and the initiatives that you take — these are the aspects of work you get to create and what you’ll remember.
Emily is a US expat currently living in Singapore to learn about the tech communities growing in Asia. She has worked 4+ years in dev relations, community management, and event marketing within the tech and travel industry. Her time at OmniSci, Google and Booking.com gave her cross-functional expertise. In her free time, she runs the volunteer community initiatives for TEDxSanFrancisco, as well as promote and blog on the importance of financial literacy and education.
