My Unconventional Career Path

Whenever someone asks me about my role in Workday or have seen me in our events, they'd always assume that I've always been in Marketing. When I tell them the university degree that I finished, it always ends up with either of these words - "No way!", "Are you kidding?", "OMG!", "Are you sure?". So yeah i got used to it and I always ended up telling them my unconventional career path.

So I finished Nursing back in 2008 and have already practiced for awhile before realizing that I can't cope up with burden of grief when something happens to one of my patients. Let alone seeing the family members grieving. Let's just say that I can't compartmentalize my emotions and I carry them home with me. So eventually, I figured that it won't be healthy for me in the long run, so I ended up walking away from that profession.

I started back from scratch and identified skills that I think were my strongest, and tried the customer service industry which was big in my country. I then tried my luck here in Singapore and have stayed in this beautiful country since 2012. I pushed my way up and kept learning and absorbing skills from my mentors along the way, while also building relationships with the people I've worked with.

When I the opportunity for Workday came up, I was really hesitant at first as I haven't done Sales Development rigorously in the past. But I was so drawn to the company culture (and maybe the unlimited snacks in the pantry), that I decided to give it a try and eventually got the role. I struggled in my first month but was able to quickly adapt through the help of my team and the Sales Team that I supported. Our team was the loudest in the floor and it was great to always have that energy every single day. I was lucky enough to attend Sales Academy and our Sales Kick Off in the US and was even luckier to get the chance to meet our CEO in one of our Company Town Halls.

After a year of doing Sales Development, I was given the opportunity to look after Communications and Customer Marketing. It was a huge step for me and I was very thankful to my manager then, Jen, for trusting in my capabilities and skills to do this role. I mean, we have the best customers, so I was so excited from day one to get the opportunity to partner with them and showcase their transformation journeys.

I also had a bigger remit this time as I had to cover the whole APJ region. Was I nervous at first? Of course I was! But all I can say is that the teams that I have worked with were very patient and generous with their learnings and time. I have taken every opportunity to learn the best way to bring our customers stories to life and collaborate with the most creative people in the company. I have learned everything through experience and every time I had doubts on myself, someone will always be there to say, "You got this, Glenn!".

Who knew that I would find a job that would push me beyond my limits while thoroughly enjoying at the same time. I've enjoyed creating videos, conducting interviews and even just generally chatting with our amazing customers.

But what made my work meaningful was the opportunity to drive belonging and inclusion in our workplace. I was able to raise the Pride flag in our office and have continued spreading VIBE to each and every one. Having that sense of purpose, raising awareness and inspiring more people to act has been the most fulfilling part of my journey so far. I can truly say that we are connected through our company values and it has been remarkable to see how our leaders have championed and modelled this especially during these challenging times.

As I celebrate my 3rd year in the company and reflect back on everything else that led me here, I can summarize it in these three points:

• Limits only exist in the mind. Never be afraid to take risks and to take new challenges. To quote Chin Yin Ong, Head of People of Grab, from last year's Workday Rising, "Always do something that scares you."
• In the middle of every difficulty lies an opportunity. Allow yourself to hope, believe and trust again. Find those people who believes in your capabilities and potential, and when given a chance, grab it!
• And lastly, find your passion and you will find your purpose. Take time to make yourself happy and learn to give back.

Thank you for reading my journey so far. Here's to many more fun and purposeful years to come with Workday.