My Next Chapter: I’m getting into programming

I have recently decided to jump into programming. The past couple of years have been an incredible learning journey, working as a product manager at a VC service firm, being a founder of a blockchain software development studio, and being an investor at a cryptocurrency and blockchain-focused VC firm. 

Why I’m Getting into programming:

While working at my previous roles, I often interacted with developers, and lacking a technical background has often set limitations on my level of understanding in certain topics or projects. Many times, I have secretly wished that I had a stronger technical understanding of software, and a little voice would remind me that at some point, I should learn to code. Working as a tech investor, I realized that software is something that will keep on prevailing in the next decades – as Marc Andreessen would say, “software is eating the world”, and that as long as I don’t learn to code, I will keep on having the feeling of missing out in my professional career. And this feeling will just keep on growing.

As a tech investor, I have seen many exciting projects that I often wish I could be a part of, or be the one building them. I realized that jobs such as consulting or VC doesn’t teach you any specific skills that can be directly transferable to the startup world. And if I do jump back into entrepreneurship, I don’t see myself being a co-founder focused on fundraising, marketing or operations role. I always thought myself to be strongly suited for a more technical role as I’m the type of person who likes to think about systems and can go deep on topics that I’m really curious about. Based on my previous roles, my core strengths have always been around solving problems, conducting deep research, and understanding how systems work from top-down and bottom-up perspectives. Thus, I believe that developing a core technical background could be a good fit for who I am as a person and a great asset in the long term.

Ultimately, I’m interested in building products that can be impactful to the world at scale, which is one of the initial reasons I transitioned from pre-med to business during school. For the same reason, I now see software as an industry that can help me get more aligned with that goal. Learning to code will give me the ability to build products from the ground-up, and will complement my previous knowledge in business (product management, entrepreneurship, and venture capital), making me more well rounded to navigate the tech industry and opportunities in the decades to come.

What I have learned for the past years:

I am very grateful for the people, and the valuable learning experiences I have encountered over this journey. As a product manager, I have learned about wire-framing, designing mockups, user testing, and working with multiple parties (developers, designers, stakeholders, etc.). As an entrepreneur, I have learned to become a more efficient problem solver, picking up new knowledge and skills as I go, being result-oriented (while being brutally honest with myself), always focus on making “quantum leaps” in terms of execution, and learned the hard way about the importance of being balanced (working out, eating healthy, ways to manage stress, socializing, and having good sleeping schedules). VC has taught me tremendous skills being able to understand new industries very quickly, networking at scale, building a personal brand, having a framework to evaluate startups and market opportunities, working with the best people in their respective fields, and always be providing value. 

What’s next?

I have often gone for the things that I wanted to do and followed my intellectual curiosity (coming to the US, studying pre-med, making a transition into business, getting into product management, starting my own company, working as an investor, and now jumping into programming). After some reflections, I concluded that the best time for me to learn to program is now and made the decision to join the Hack Reactor Bootcamp this December for a 3 months intensive programming learning experience. Hack Reactor is considered as the “Harvard of coding schools”, with only a 3% acceptance rate. The program not only has a strong focus on teaching us the practical technical skills to be able to work with engineering teams, but also the mindsets and soft skills for becoming a great software engineer.

And then, what’s next? I will be looking to join a good tech firm to further hone my software engineering skills, learn the best practices for building world-class products and engineering teams, deeply build my network in the phenomenal talent pool in the industry, and explore new tech opportunities.

Now, onward to the next chapter of my life!