The UnwrittenLetters from the Field
A collection of personal essays, stories, and reflections from first-generation professionals navigating the unwritten rules of the corporate world.
They told me to be humble, but the corporate world demands I brag.
Growing up, I was taught that elders are always right and silence is respect. In my first performance review, my manager told me I lacked 'executive presence' because I didn't interrupt...
The guilt of the $18 salad.
Every time I buy lunch in the financial district, I calculate how many hours my father had to work to earn that same amount. It's a privilege that feels heavy...
Code-switching until I forgot my own voice.
I have a 'work voice' and a 'home voice'. But after 5 years of consulting, I realized I was using my work voice at family dinners. I was optimizing my grandmother's stories for efficiency.
Why I stopped apologizing for taking up space.
In my culture, being loud is being passionate. In my office, it was 'aggressive'. I spent years shrinking myself until I realized that my passion was my superpower.
The first vacation I didn't feel guilty about.
My parents never took a vacation. Rest was seen as laziness. When I booked a week in Bali, I lied and told them it was a work trip. Here is why we need to break the cycle of endless labor.
Navigating office politics when you hate politics.
I thought hard work would speak for itself. I was wrong. Office politics isn't about manipulation; it's about relationship building. Here is how I reframed it.