I'm starting a new job at Stripe!

Four things I think about when I'm making a career change, an easy recipe for busy weeknights, and happy Mid-Autumn wishes.

Hi everyone, happy Mid-Autumn 中秋快乐!

With the changing of the seasons, it’s an auspicious time to share some news. Last month, I started a new job at Stripe, a financial tech company that powers many small and big businesses across the globe. If you’re a fellow shop or restaurant owner, you might already be using Stripe’s technology directly or indirectly via companies like DoorDash, Uber, Instacart, Shopify, and Squarespace–all of whom use Stripe for payments.

I joined Stripe’s communications team, which means I’ll be doing a lot of writing about how Stripe’s products help businesses grow and succeed. Guys, I’m a full-time WRITER 😱

In today’s newsletter, I’m sharing some career advice that’s helped me navigate big changes, the recipe for homemade Hamburger Helper that everybody asked me for, and a sweet Mid-Autumn message from my daughter ❣️

Thanks for reading, and as always you can drop me a line via email or Instagram.

Xo Cathay

Reinventing myself for the 2,457th time

Dumpling Club was my biggest career pivot but it was hardly the first. At university, I majored in economics and art history, thinking I’d work at an art gallery or a museum some day. Then I did a summer internship on Wall Street, thinking I could be an investment banker (yea, no). After graduating, I joined Google, where I worked my way through seven different jobs spanning HR, marketing and product development. THEN I started a restaurant. And now, I’m a writer.

To an outsider, my career probably looks a little random. But from the inside, it feels intentional. With every new job, I added new and valuable skills, made different mistakes and learned from them, and little by little, discovered more about myself. I also met the most incredible people–everyone from my mentors and peers at Google who are so smart, sharp, and experienced, to the chefs and business owners I’ve gotten to know over the last five years who are lion-hearted, tenacious and so creative. Thank you to everyone who has shared a little bit of wisdom with me.

To pay it forward, I wanted to pass along some of the career advice that I’ve collected over the years–some of it is mine and some of it I’m lucky to have received. What do you think? I’m curious if there’s anything you’d add!

Four things to consider when you’re making a big career decision

#1. Life is short, but also long.

Before accepting the job at Stripe, I was planning to run for public office in San Francisco. I had filed election papers and begun seeking endorsements before my husband and I decided it wasn’t the right time for our family. I was pretty torn up about it, feeling like I had to seize the opportunity RIGHT NOW OR ELSE. Until my friends reminded me that life is short… but also long! SF politics will still be here in two years. People will still love dumplings in two years. And hopefully in two years, writers won’t be completely replaced by AI (ha, ha). Picking one door now doesn’t close all doors for eternity. That mindset helped me tremendously in the last few months.  

#2. Don’t wait until you’re qualified to do the job that you want.

Six years ago, I was in the midst of interviewing for Head of Product jobs at various startups. When I turned to a friend for advice, she asked me “What’s your ideal job?” and I replied, “Running my own business.” She told me to stop interviewing at other companies and start my own ASAP. I had my doubts–was I qualified to be CEO of anything other than my marriage?!–but she believed in me, and I’ll always be grateful. Her advice gave me the confidence to start Dumpling Club despite having no culinary degree or restaurant experience. And I channeled that confidence again when I applied for the job at Stripe, even though I have no formal writing experience.

I guess Past Me was thinking about Future Me when I posted in June of 2021: “A statistic I’ve seen quoted a lot is that men apply for a job when they meet 60% of qualifications, but women apply only if they meet 100% of them,” I wrote. “To those of you who want to start a new career, I don’t have any better advice to give. You can do this. Now go do it.”

dumplingclubsf

A post shared by @dumplingclubsf

#3. Focus on your strengths.

Dumpling Club taught me a lot about my strengths and weaknesses. Things I discovered I’m good at: Telling a good story. Relating to others. Giving voice to things that matter. Things I discovered I am not good at: Running a restaurant!!! 😆

I joke, but it’s true. The things I loved doing at Dumpling Club–creating delicious food and telling stories with it–were often only 10% of my day. The remaining 90% was consumed by the relentless struggle to run a good operation. At my new job, I’m aiming to flip the script and spend 90% of my time growing as a writer. Time will reveal all, but I’m feeling bullish about this strategy.

#4. You’re allowed to change your mind. 

Maybe in a few years, I’ll decide I want to return to the food industry. Or maybe I’ll fall in love with this job and want to stay. Whichever direction, I’m giving myself permission to change my mind. We live in a pretty toxic culture where achievement is rewarded above all else, so changing your mind can feel like taking a step backwards. And I think women especially are taught that changing your mind is an indication of flakiness or indecisiveness. But there’s nothing wrong with keeping your options open.

You know who’s really super supportive of me going back to a corporate job? Every single one of my chef friends. Y’all know how hard I worked, and I know how hard YOU work. Thank you for continuing to be the very best support system.

For anyone out there who’s thinking about taking the leap and trying something new, I hope these tips are helpful and that reading this newsletter gives you the extra boost you were looking for 💗 I’m rooting for you!!!

What dinner at my house looks like, lately

As our family adjusts to my new work schedule, DIY meals are now on constant rotation: DIY tacos, DIY hand rolls, DIY rice bibimbap. Basically any meal where I just prep and serve a bunch of ingredients, and everyone is responsible for constructing it themselves.

But last week, I had an intense craving for Hamburger Helper, a dish my working mom used to reach for whenever she was short on time. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s essentially a box of pasta with a powdered sauce that you combine with ground beef (bought and cooked separately) to make a complete meal. Like Kraft macaroni and cheese, it’s one of those dishes that feels gross now but carries delicious memories.

So I made my own “healthy” version!

I posted my homemade Hamburger Helper to my Instagram stories the other night and so many people asked for the recipe! I based it off a one-pot version from Half-baked Harvest with some modifications:

• I used 3 cups of low sodium beef broth and 1 cup of lactose-free milk

• I added 1 yellow pepper, diced, together with the onions

• I left out the chili powder and garlic powder

• And to reduce the dairy, I omitted the cheddar cheese. I threw in a parmesan rind while everything was cooking and then finished the dish with 2-3 tablespoons of nutritional yeast.

Enjoy!

Happy Mid-Autumn from my family to yours

“I love mama, papa, my little brother, grandpa, grandma and myself. I wish you a Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!” - my daughter 💛💛💛