For my next interview, I decided to reach out beyond the Wellesley network of alums and speak with Ms. Chloe (Jaegyeong) Chung, a member of Columbia University’s Class of 2016. During my winter internship with Shinhan Bank’s Global Business Group, Chloe was my mentor figure and closest supervisor. We stayed in touch even after the internship concluded, and before I left Korea I wanted to take the chance to sit and have a conversation with her about her post-undergraduate journey to Korea. 

Chloe was born in Korea and spent much of her youth there, but ultimately moved to the U.S. for middle school, high school, and college. In 2016, she graduated from Columbia University with a major in Economics and little concrete idea of what to do or where to work. One of the only things she had seriously considered was working as an analyst, but all of her applications to relevant companies were rejected. On a whim she applied to work with Shinhan Bank in Korea–which at the time was leaning heavily into overseas recruitment–and was placed into the Global Business Group. 

I asked her whether she felt that her Economics degree adequately prepared her for the work she was conducting at the time, and with a resounding certainty she replied: “Not at all.” She shared with me how she struggled with not just understanding the contents of her work, but also with adjusting to the language and culture after such a long time away. There was also the problem of relearning everything she had studied as part of her degree, but in a different language. To this day, she says, she still feels as if she doesn’t understand enough of the highly professional Korean to compete with native speakers. 

Looking ahead, I asked her what she sees for herself and her career, and to my surprise she replied that while she has enjoyed her time at Shinhan and learned a lot, she feels stuck in her work. The chain of command is somewhat bloated–and whether this is particular to just Shinhan or to general Korean work culture, I am unsure–and as such she has been unable to move up much in the six years she has worked there. Nowadays, Chloe is considering not just leaving her current company, but also leaving the country entirely–her current dream is to go to culinary school in Paris and open up a bakery, either in Korea or elsewhere. 

Even though our conversation was incredibly sidetracked with other gossip and smaller casual chats, I feel incredibly reassured by it. She reminds me that even though I may feel as if I have no idea what I’m doing, or that I’m not even remotely equipped to handle entering the workforce, there is always a way. Careers are not entirely straightforward journeys for everyone; if there ever comes a time in the future where I decide to completely reset my journey and pursue a new line of work, I am reassured by the knowledge that I am not the only one, and I will most certainly be able to find a way to thrive in those conditions, as well. 

Only one interview left in this series! I look forward to seeing you all at the end for final reflections, but until then I hope everyone has a wonderful summer~