I always get asked this question - is there anything you miss about BlackRock?

I used to say - yes, the people and the culture.

But now that I’m about to give birth?

Damn, I really miss having corporate medical benefits.

Now every single doctor’s visit and the entire hospital bill is out of my own pocket.

And it’d be nice to be able to take maternity leave and completely shut off for a couple months and hand everything off to someone.

Now I truly understand why people stay in corporate jobs at this stage of their life.

And yes while the bills hurt and planning for my maternity has not been easy

Would I ever go back to a corporate job? No.

Because I realised that I valued other things about my career much much more than just corporate benefits

Corporate benefits come with strings attached.
❌ You force yourself to stay at a job you don’t love just because of the benefits
❌ Once maternity leave is over, you’re expected to return fully to work - there’s no slow progression back, no flexibility around how you might want to balance work and family

Today -
✅ I have the flexibility to give birth in HK and spend 6 months (or even more) here
✅ I’m building a business I’m truly passionate about and find so much meaning in

And the freedom and sense of purpose are worth way more than any free medical appointments

So don’t let sexy corporate perks distract you from what you really want from your career.

It’s easy to get caught up and stay because of the shiny benefits (whether it's medical benefits, paid time off, free food, etc.)

But true career happiness doesn’t come from benefits

True career happiness comes from actually getting clear on what’s most important to you and building a career that’s optimised for that.

So if you’re looking to build a career that’s truly aligned with who you are? Contact me “ALIGN”.

I’ve guided many others from companies like Accenture, DBS Bank, Google and more to find their values and I’m sure I can do the same for you.