For many years I stayed committed to a job that I thought was right for me. The security of consistent pay and benefits kept me on that path. But deep down, I knew I’d be happier doing something else if only I was brave enough to take the leap.
I assumed that computer science was my path before I even started college. Maybe it was because we first moved from China to the U.S. so my dad could study that in school. Or maybe it was because we came to Seattle for his job at Microsoft. Whatever the reason, I assumed I’d follow in his footsteps. I selected a tangential major in college—Applied Computational Mathematics and Science—and by the end of my second year, I’d taken all the computer science classes my university offered. Now what?!
The short answer is, after a discussion with my dad and my school counselor, and because of the bioscience of Seattle, I ended up shifting my focus to biology. If it weren’t for that, I may never have ended up at a research facility. It was, ironically, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The organization was a non-profit. Their main focus was combating Malaria in African countries. I was determined to work for them given their mission and the opportunity to work as a computer programmer. However, they did not have a full time position at the time. To show my commitment, I volunteer there for several months. I’d have a full day of work at the company across the street and volunteer for another two hours after work with the research organization. When a position finally became available at the non-profit and was offered to me, I was eager to accept it.
They had been collecting data by filling out documents’ longhand in Tanzania. Then they’d stack them up in their suitcases and fly back to Seattle. The team would sort through all the papers, trying to decipher the doctors’ handwriting. They brought me on so they wouldn’t have to do that anymore. I had agreed to program a brand-new web interface for the organization. Instead of all that work, the doctors could just log on and type in the data. I even got to travel to Tanzania early in the process to help with the set-up. It was an incredible experience.
But after the initial set-up, the role became a lot less fulfilling. I was isolated from most of the other people working there. I was in a secluded little room, sitting behind a computer all day. I felt I was stagnating. I had no opportunity to grow.
That was the reason I moved to a tech start-up. When I joined the company, there were only 12 employees. When I left, there were nearly 200. I prided myself on the fact that I had been there from the beginning and knew the name of every single one of those 200 people. I always introduced myself to the new hires. For that reason, my role evolved from computers to management.
After eight years there, the company downsized to relocate to the east coast. I was one of many positions they cut. But now I faced a decision. Do I find another programming job? Or do I pursue another passion?
Let me go back a few years. Not long after I began working for the start-up, I had gotten my real estate license. Working in real estate was the opposite of what I’d grown accustomed to. It was dynamic. You didn’t sit at a desk and work on a computer all day. There were plenty of interactions with people, and I was constantly forming new relationships. But I’d only been doing it part-time. I didn’t feel I was stable enough to leave a steady job. But since the beginning, I’d considered real estate my true career. If anything, my full-time job was a side hustle, and I treated real estate accordingly as my true career.
Here I was at a crossroads. If I was ever going to get into real estate full-time, it would be now. And that’s just what I did. Now I enjoy every day of my work and the people I get to share those days with!
I consider myself a consultant. I advise, educate, and guide my clients through the entire home buying or selling process. Rather than avoiding challenges, I face them head-on. I’m a problem-solver, and I find it very satisfying to slot the missing pieces of the puzzle into place. I also speak Mandarin and Cantonese and am happy to accommodate those native speakers however I can.
I want what’s best for them. If I think a house isn’t right for a client, I’ll tell them so, but I’ll never push them into or out of something. I won’t be living in the house, and I won't be paying the mortgage. The decisions need to be their own. My favorite parts of working with clients are getting to know them and writing out or reading through the offer. In retrospect, I enjoy putting out the fires, knowing that I overcame a challenge and that my client had a positive outcome. I look forward to working with you and achieving that same successful transaction!
Sincerely,
Tianle (Tim) Zhuo
Real Estate Broker