Helena Wong

When did you get your first Big Break? How did you get it? How did it go?

I had picked to study Electrical & Electronics Engineering in College because "engineers are paid a hell lot of money" says folks back in the days. I went on to get a university degree, Bachelors in Electronics Engineering majoring in Telecommunications. Today, I'm in Marketing because I knew deep down that if I were to feel fulfilled in my career, it had to be in fields or roles that matched my passion. And I loved writing and the arts. After graduation, I worked in Intel Microelectonics as a Failure Analysis Engineer. 2.5 years after that, I made a solid decision to leave the field, and follow my heart. It was VERY hard at the time to be considered by anyone who needed copywriters or marketers since I didn't exactly have a 'reason' for them to hire me versus anyone else with relevant work experience or degree. My Big Break came from Agilent Technologies. With nothing much to review on my CV other than a trust that I will deliver above and beyond their expectations of me, I was hired as the Marcom Specialist. My career had soared since then as I continued time and again to 'hit the ball out of the park', and set the bar higher in my role -- perhaps in gratitude to Agilent Technologies for giving me that all-important Big Break. My advice to you if you are thinking about what fields to study: GO WITH YOUR PASSION. You will definitely be able to do so much more in areas of your strength and interest. My advice to you if you think it's too late, and you have taken up courses that did not match your passion: IT IS NEVER TOO LATE for a career change. Start looking out for jobs that will help you inch closer to your passion. Writing, for example, is a broad field. What types of writing work would interest you? Book author, technical writing, marketing communications, press release writing, internal employee communications? The most important thing is to START SOMEWHERE and eventually you will get a stronger feel about what you'd really like to do. All the best! :)