Asian Ancestry & Your Career | Asian American Poll

ASIAN ANCESTRY & YOUR CAREER
(Updated Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008, 05:23:09 PM to reflect the 100 most recent valid responses.)

What's the most important way in which your Asian ancestry hurt your career?
I wasn't considered for some assignments and/or promotions. | 32%
I was excluded from opportunities to socialize. | 35%
I was burdened with more work demands than my colleagues. | 12%
I was subtly put down for being different. | 16%
I was singled out for sexual harassment. | 5%

What's the most important way in which your Asian ancestry helped your career?
My linguistic/cultural skills were key to my success. | 2%
My ancestry caused me to focus on fields that later proved highly lucrative. | 1%
It filled me with the drive and determination to succeed. | 97%

What's the most important way in which your Asian ancestry influenced your career choice?
My career choice was motivated by the desire to defy stereotypes. | 46%
I chose a field that would best utilize my cultural skills. | 3%
I chose the field dictated by my family. | 0%
My ancestry didn't influence my career choice. | 51%

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WHAT YOU SAY

[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]

WASP with an Asian Wife and Hapa Kids,

In the USA, I don't think many people would understand. They just take a personal day. I guess you could tell the Jew "If you give up your high holidays I will give up my Chinese holidays."

Well more power to you.

Actually, in Asia Chinese New is traditionally 2 weeks long. But most people take 1 week off. That is also annoying for me, because the USA is not off. So I can not contact the asian offices during that time.
AC dropout Saturday, January 12, 2002 at 19:51:13 (PST)

The Darker Side of Asians,

The first sentence of the first paragraph is what I'm trying to get insight to. The rest of the paragraph I don't give it much credibility. I seen Jews of different groups compete against each other in NYC. Just because we are competitive doesn't mean we should help each other out. If that was the case coroporations would not exist in asia. Even black people complain "A black male is brought up to be an individual and not a team player, hence, korean grocers are able to make a living in our community." All races spout some version of the theory you propose. I think there is just something more.

Chinese are called "Jews of the Southeast." Because Chinese have taken monopolies in markets in other southeast asia countries, by making deals with past monarchies. Priority in school and family and an added characteristic of affinity to associate with other Chinese caused this perception. But that's in southeast asia. What happens in the USA?

Also in NYC, chinese are known overall to undersell white merchant and koreans merchants are also know for overall selling compare to whites. Still doesn't explain anything about asian dynamics in corporate america.

Corporate America said the same thing to me during the review period. "Not having the opportunity to demostrate mangerial skill may need to extend promotion period to manger for another year." When I got that review I had success implemented a Y2K change with a team of 20 consultants under me. Unknown to the company I was working for I was working on my own start up in the manufacturing market for 3 years already. Had offices in Asia in the and USA and was managing my own employees on the side. I was also privy to promotion review session of people who I was supervising. Although I was not able to attend the promotion review session for myself, I have a pretty good idea the people who nixed me and what they said. It is mostly a perception issue, and not grounded in reality. I left the firm at the 3.5 year mark and devoted my energy to my company. Which has steadily expanded to the "mid-size" level within 2 years, with offices in 3 countries.

I guess I should thank the people who nixed me, because I motiviated me to try an untested idea of mine on a full time basis. But I know not every asian who is squeezed out of an up-or-out-fast-track corporate culture company will be a fortunate as myself, especially in today's overall market. So I just wanted to see if other asian had the same problem of locating mentors above them, while mentoring people below them.

Naki,

I whole heartly agree, with your statement. I it just I don't see how the dynamics will work in reality here in the USA. The company I work for had 5 general level in it. Analyst, Consultant, Manager, Associate Partner, Partner. It was an international company. So of course there were Asian at the Partner level in every Asian office. The problem in the USA. Is at the USA offices. I only saw asians at the Manager level mostly, none at the Associate Partner level. And only noticed an Asian name plate as a partner. Turn over in the industry was around 25-30 percent, so I don't know if any asian will hang around long enough in the company to become an enthnic orientated mentor, because every asian manager I met left the company 6 months to 2 years after I met them.
AC dropout Saturday, January 12, 2002 at 19:45:50 (PST)

The Darker Side of Asians,

amen to that. great post! so often asians care so much about how others (mostly white americans) perceive them. When are we going to stop caring how other people feel about us and start helping out each other. We are minorities and should be helping each others. blacks do it. jews do it. and its self-destructive that asians don't do it and even backstab each other.

i really think though that this is another symptom of the famous asian inferiority complex.
whatever Friday, January 11, 2002 at 20:07:22 (PST)

Wasp,

The reason is because many Westerners both Christians and Jews believe Asians are part of the Judeo-Christian tradition. Many of us are not. In addition, there are many different types of Asians, not all celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year. And yes, I once had a Jewish supervisor who raised a stink about me taking off for Chinese New Year. I never even took a day off for Good Friday, but yet somehow, he made a big deal about taking off for Chinese New Year. I didn't think he was trying to be an a*s*, but he was just ignorant and insensitive, discounting non western traditions like many.

First of all, we need to educate these non-Asian people about our traditions. We need to be much more aggressive with the Westerners, not out of hostility but for respect. I live in New York and I hope Micheal Bloomberg being this new and soft Mayor unlike the hard Giuliani Administration will be part of the Chinese New Year Celebration so hopefully Westerners will become more aware of our traditions...

You raised a good point about asking for days off for Asian holidays. When an Asian person interviews for a job, he or she should address that at all means, and not just salaries, hours, benefits..etc.
NYC will be better Friday, January 11, 2002 at 11:02:06 (PST)

WASP,

Right on, mate! I think it's incredibly hypocritical for Jews who take days off on Jewish holidays to whinge about Asians observing Asian holidays.

Of course, it may well be that the particular Jewish employer you spoke to did not observe Jewish holidays himself or did not allow Jewish employees to observe holidays. In that case, it's a little harder to complain. But at any rate, kudos to you for speaking up and challenging him!
Asian Dominatrix Friday, January 11, 2002 at 10:41:47 (PST)

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