When Dawn Choo was in college, she landed an internship at Facebook. The experience was so positive that she applied for full-time positions with Meta (NASDAQ:META) post-graduation, hoping to become a data scientist at Instagram.
Unfortunately, she didn't get an offer. Eventually, she landed a finance role at Bank of America (NYSE:BAC). While it wasn't the position she'd dreamed of, she accepted it, needing a full-time job in order to remain in the country.
A year and a half into her tenure, Choo began looking for other positions that would allow her to do work that was more in line with her degree.
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"I was not the best at interviewing," Choo told Business Insider. "I applied to about 100 places, interviewed at maybe 10, and then I finally got an offer at Amazon in 2017."
The Amazon role was as a business analyst, a major pivot in terms of the type of work she'd be doing on a day-to-day basis. It also involved taking a 40% pay cut.
"Despite what felt like moving backward, I could see the upsides of taking the job," she told Business Insider. "Amazon's a big company, and I knew it was a step toward where I wanted to go."
Still, Choo regularly struggled with feeling as though she hadn't made the right decision. It took some time for her to settle in and make peace with her new career path.
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Eventually, she decided to automate some of the more monotonous aspects of the job, hoping it would free up some time and make her days more enjoyable.
"The automation project started as a pet project — I randomly came up with the idea and pitched it to an executive. He loved it so much and kept pushing me to do it that eventually, I did," she said.
Eventually, her pet project earned her a promotion to business intelligence engineer. Two years later, that promotion helped her land her dream job as a data scientist at Instagram.
"I think my experience working in tech and product changed my application," she told Business Insider. "I also had a lot more leadership experience since I spearheaded a project. Plus, I matured around interviewing and presenting myself."
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"For others thinking about making a career transition, I would say take the pay cut if you have to," she said. "I’ve always feared regret more than failure. I knew if I didn’t take the Amazon job, I would be upset for not betting on myself."
After working at Instagram for a little over three years, Choo has pivoted once again. She recently launched Interview Master, a coaching program that provides personalized mentorship for those looking to land high-paying roles in tech.
"I will always say take the bet on yourself — and I’m doing it again. I pretty much took a 100% pay cut this time. I went from my comfy corporate job with insurance, travel perks, and stability to work for myself, and I hope the payout will come soon," she said.
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