The Next Next Job - Lessons Learned Toward your Dream

I got laid off six times. 

And every time before, I took it pretty personally. 

And it was kind of crushing... 

I think it hit my self-esteem and my self-worth 

Like, I wasn't doing the right thing. 

I think I took a lot of time to reflect in my last two jobs…

I started to see

Sometimes it's just not the right match between me and that company at that particular time.

Whether I was seeking a different path for myself. 

Or the company is going towards a different direction. 

Or it was time for me to prioritize something else in my life

The way I think about each step. 

Was a stepping stone to get me to the opportunity today. 

And this might be very philosophical. 

Kind of like what Steve Jobs says, "You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards." 

And I think what I held on to 

Was something actually a mentor of mine said? 

"What is your NEXT NEXT job? "

Not the upcoming one, but what is your NEXT NEXT job? 

As in, who do you want to become? 

And if you know who you want to become, then your NEXT job will just be a stepping stone to your NEXT NEXT job. 

And for me, it was a struggle. 

because I knew my NEXT NEXT job was starting my own company again…

But in the immediate back then, I was uncertain how to get there. 

And so for those people that are reading this. 

If you know what you want to become

Whether it is in your NEXT job or THIS job…

Take some time to reflect. 

What do you want to learn? 

What do you want to accomplish? 

What do you want to look back and say, "Hey, I did that"? 

And what is something that you say, "Hey, this was a major learning point that helped me become who I want to be"? 

Before I took the Product-Led Growth role

I knew I wanted to get back to B2B

I knew I wanted to do freemium marketing strategies

I knew I wanted to optimize onboarding

Then I decided to apply for these PLG positions…

(Despite not having the actual experience for it)

Along the way, I learned other skills

I took a different spin on how to do technology Sales. 

And now I feel comfortable with it. 

Something that I didn't really have much experience in prior. 

I built out more of the Ops role

I took on Customer Success responsibilities

In that PLG role, I was excited for those challenges 

Because I know this is something I need to learn to get to my next destination. 

And I feel confident that I can run this. 

And I can transfer what I have learned into being a founder. 

which requires a new set of skills. 

And those skills that I need

I am reflecting today what I need

So I can make plans for my NEXT NEXT job

Becoming a multi-time founder with successful exits

Until then…

I am keeping my ears open

Ready to learn 

Adapt

And grow. 🩵

FYI: For those new to my newsletter

I take Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday to write about Product-Led Growth

Wednesdays, I practice my Meme skills

And Friday, I reflect and I write my founder story

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I am Gary Yau Chan. 3x Head of Growth. Product Growth specialist. 26x hackathon winner. I write about #PLG and #BuildInPublic. Please follow me on LinkedIn, or read about what you can hire me for on my Notion page.