Great video Mayuko! Very well articulated! Your self reflection is what a lot of people need to do (or will do at some point) in their lives. There's nothing wrong w/ being a Yappie and achieving milestones... but "Now what?". What will you do once you've gotten there? Props to you for being a software engineer.. but ALSO starting a YT channel! You are SO not a typical yappie, so give yourself more credit. Keep it up, hope to meet someday. -phil (UCSD pride)
I love the reflection. It's the absence of a safety net for immigrants that makes high percentage (safe) decisions compelling. As a group increases in size, then the safety to branch out into low percentage, high pay-off life options becomes greater. Think about it: if there's 10 people, the number of risk takers will be virtually 0 because the normal distribution suggests 95% will take the safe route. 0.5% will be super geniuses or super dopey and the balance will be a bit over or under. But as the numbers increase, those percentages might remain the same but meaningful clusters and echo chambers will have the opportunisty to form, explore and eventually translate to visible actions and role models. Thats theory anyway. Phil W, you're an inspiration and your social justice message in yappie is amazing and overdue. I like to think your pioneering work is like the Oprah for under represented minorities!
Wong Fu Productions I first totally agreed with the Yappie concept. While watching this video, I realize that it's not a Yappie thing, but in general a question/struggle for many young professionals, not necessarily Asians, but anyone possible. It's just whether this person raises this question to themselves. I am Chinese, born and raised in China, moved to Europe before 20 and am now over 30. I had this struggle too and I talked to friends in similar life phase. The difference I noticed between my international friends and local friends are that the people with international background do think more on this issue and I would say it's because they know there is other opportunities/possibilities because of their multicultural backgrounds. The majority of local friends have less struggles on it, because becoming young professionals is the (only) way they know and how it works with most people. Honestly, the majority people choose to "be safe" and they construct the functional society. So, I do think it's great to reflect on it, but we can also see it from a more positive perspective. It's because of our international backgrounds, we are given more perspectives, more opportunities to reflect. People who are able to and are determined enough to decide for a new way are still the minority in almost every society. It's great to raise question about it, but I do think we don't have to categorize it to a unique "Asian" issue. I am not sure if I am making my point clear enough. Just my thoughts while watching this video. Probably because there is no real Chinese minority group where I am living, I am not categorizing myself to a certain group with immigration background (there is no single China town in any sense in this country). And the situation you are facing in the US must be totally different. Maybe that's why you are promoting this awareness to Asian groups.
That’s true about the name yappie but the ... idea to get something that is stable is something I been set to achieve. I’m a yappie as well right now, but like I want more. Something that provides more purpose or something that goes beyond what I should be able to achieve.
I have the exact same thoughts! I know my parents and grandparents made so many sacrifices so that their children could get educated, and live a comfortable life. So it’s hard to balance making decisions based of fear of letting them down vs making decisions for myself and what I really want.
I'm a yappie. or i was. And then I decided to quit my job and move to another country to reconnect with my culture (Taiwan), study ecology and try to make a difference in the world. Do I still worry about family, stability, and money? yeah. i do, every day. But i feel like i'm making progress and slowly changing myself into someone that can be remembered for contributing to the world somehow. For the last year, I've been thinking about how to make a difference. And I like your message and your method. It might just be the push i need to start a new channel and maybe start making videos.
As a fellow Japanese-American yappie, this really hit home for me. When you talked about your thoughts and fears and insecurities, it strangely felt like it was myself talking. I really admire your honest self-reflection and courage in branching out and putting yourself out there, something that I still struggle with. Major props to you!
As a millennial with an immigrant background who studied engineering, I can really relate to the thoughts of "Am I playing it too safe?" The way I see it, it is my goal to provide the future generations of family with the financial foundation to attempt audacious, risky goals knowing that they have the financial safety net if it doesn't work out.
I wanted to strive to be a Computer Scientist in university just because I thought that it was the most practical job to benefit the society. I already had intense music roots and came from a very musical background and wanted to be a DJ since middle school. I am 21 years old now and I just dropped out of university and started to realize that deep inside my purpose was to create and mix music for people making them feel good their special days. I am striving to start my own business with my UA-cam channel here to help people with overcoming hormonal acne (random) and DJ business. I can only be really good at something that I am truly passionate about!! I am going to start producing music as well.
Sonia Anastasia Good for you! Taking risks is what leads to growth. We’ve been conditioned and programmed to play it safe. There are days that I wonder if working 9-5 is all there is to it.
I've tried to follow the same path as being a Yappie except my plan kinda fell apart. I did everything, study hard, go to a good college. I was studying CS but started to struggle so I switched to an easier, more useless major and graduated. I'm still trying to land a decent software engineering job, but I'm just not qualified right now. I'm in a weird situation of not being good enough to be a Yappie, and not passionate about anything else enough to deviate from being a Yappie. So lost
Oh man, thanks for sharing your story - it’s important to me that I hear these slightly different stories about a different perspective. Hope everything works out, wishing you the best 💖
I think Wong fu is playing up yappie to generate views. I would not want any labels on Asians. Did you read the report of pew research about the ethnic segment with the with widest disparity in income - Asians. So I am totally against the propagation of yappie in these videos. It’s too elitist a mindset that discriminates other Asians who may not be doing good as them and cause depression. At one point in time a report states that the most depressed Asians in the US are the Asian males in the US, especially transplants. Yappie is putting pressure on other Asians who don’t have it as good as mayuko. I wished even these yappies stop with the labeling. It’s not healthy. Even yuppie back in the day was considered a put down. If I recall correctly, the book American psycho also used it to mock the character in the book. Using yappie can bite you back in the a...
Actually, I'm just like you. I dropped out of CS because I was struggling, graduated in a non-CS major. Did Real Estate for a while. Got very bored of it. Started to study CS again. But this time it was not in school. I think I didn't like all the theory in my college classes. I wanted application. This time, I'm much more committed to my learning and I've gotten further than I've ever gone before. But also programming is what I picked for myself, not anyone else. CS/Programming is very knowledge based. You can't do what you don't know. It's also very vast. Find a field in CS that you are passionate about and learn everything about it. Once you know enough, the obstacles will no longer be obstacles.
I kind of went through a similar situation in school but really turned it around. I was in pure Math - Acturual science. Didn't even know what it really was but was told if you're smart and good with math you should do this. Turns out you need to have 0 personality to do that as a career and it's prob the safest of safe yappie careers. I switched to econ and graduated with an "easier and less useful" major and realized with an undergrad alone there's no real job. So I hustled super hard the year before graduation and talked to over 80 ppl in different consulting firms to land a job. That hustling have followed me since and I've always tried to talk to ppl through informational chats first to land the job. I find many Asians are shy to do this, shy to reach out to strangers. If you do it in a humble and respectful way that also show you're more hungry than other candidates, you can break in. Over the years I've managed to land jobs at McKinsey, Deloitte, Facebook, google, Uber, VC funds through this and have seen other friends from Arts majors that self taught engineering eventually end up at Google and FB. Hang in there and keep on hustling!
Computer hardware engineering student here. While getting my bachelors of science is important, what will happen afterward in terms of what jobs I will do is still very unsure and unknown. In order to help this, I am pursuing several internships. It is indeed scary to confront the unknown, however with the support of my family it is better. Your message of taking the safe route is very respectable. All of these people who are disillusioned into thinking they can make it on youtube or twitch need to watch this video. Keep up the good work.
I'm struggling with this exact problem, and I resonate so much with this video. A lot of the tangible things are easy once I just wait it out or keep working in tech. However the intangible things just stress me out because I REALLY want to do them (your list is literally a great one haha) but I have no idea how I can achieve them. This emotion kind of increased since I've started UA-cam but in tandem it's also opened up a lot of doors I've never realized. Thanks Mayuko for sharing your thoughts. This put things in words I never imagined.
I love how you ended this video and just connected it all together. I'm a new software engineer in LA just trying to find my way and your videos have really helped. Thanks :)
This is a great video. I love how transparent you are about your life and I totally understand where you are coming from and I am super excited for your next video! And your back drop is fire!!
I think that this "yappie"/"yi(2)ppie" (Young Immigrant/2nd Generation Immigrant Professional) approach to living is quite pleasant if you position yourself in a stable job that you actually enjoy. The financial stability and resulting mental stability that these kinds of jobs provide form a strong foundation for a happy life. As a person who quit a financially and mentally rewarding management consulting job in North America to start a business in Japan well outside of my area of expertise and in my second language to try something new, I often contemplate where I'm sitting in life from the opposite side of the mirror as you, Mayuko, and I wonder if I made the right decision to step through the glass. Jumping into the unknown is as scary as it is rewarding... except it may not necessarily be rewarding (speaking in terms of financial gain)! And honestly, I think it took making the jump to make me see the value in the yappie/yi(2)ppie lifestyle. Many of my friends have reaped the rewards of their parents' hard work (whether they were low income / start-from-scratch immigrants or born domestically in a low income bracket), and are now living comfortable lives that I envy in many ways. The benefits of my current position are autonomy, the satisfaction associated with making clearly visible impacts on the community and receiving recognition for it, and the influx of new skills I've acquired. The downsides are sole culpability for my failures, ongoing anxiety around growing and maintaining the business, and wondering if what I'm doing is sustainable or even desirable from a lifestyle perspective in the long run. Oh, and crappy paperwork. I think that which lifestyle is better for you really depends on your personality, but I also think that is an excellent idea to take a swing at more than one so that you know what's out there and can see from experience which road is optimal for you. You can always cut across the hedge back to the road you came from if what you see doesn't tickle your fancy. Whichever road we choose, we can make a big impact on the people around us by taking pleasure in the process of getting to our milestones and using that positive energy to work hard and give something back to everyone. Good luck with your thinking! Maybe I'll see you back on that side of the mirror one of these days to pick up even more kinds of wonderful human experiences. Charles
i had a similar experience as yours, and now i realize so much of it was rebelling against success and self sabotage. it is a weird thing humans do to themselves. lessons learned though. this is why i don't buy into the whole "asians only chase academic/financial succcess" thing. i feel like most of it is just jealous members of society trying to through us off track mentally, like to hate ourselves or something. who isn't chasing success? if we do it through academics that is because it is a merit-based system. there is plenty of racial prejudice (ie bamboo ceiling) in other areas. it's great other asians branch out into acting, music, etc, but to do it because somebody says you are otherwise a 'typical yappie' is plain toxic and being manipulated.
Hi Mayuko. I just left my job thanks to your video. This video has never been at a better timing til now, and I wanted to say thank you for reassuring me that the fear of unkown will be okay. You just got me as a loyal fan and subscriber and I am really looking forward to bingewatching your videos. Thank you for your kind words of wisdom.
i am sO glad i found your channel and you ! you basically explained everything im feeling so articulately! to see an asian woman who's out of college who already finished the path im currently on is so comforting and makes me so happy to know that this is a normal internal conflict to feel holy shit i am INSPIRED
Great video and wonderful insights! Taking risks is what leads to growth and discovering what you truly love and are meant to do. We’ve been conditioned and programmed to play it safe. There are days that I wonder if working 9-5 is all there is to it.
Mayuko, don't worry about the haters. Being a "yappie" is perfectly ok. Financial security now will give you the freedom to impact the world in a much bigger way. I can't understand the people who go to college and study something outside of STEM and then look down on those who do and say they are not cool or something like that. Ignore the haters.
jarji de unless you are going to fetch your own water, grow your own food and build your own shelter. Until then financial security's paramount to survival. Even beggars rely on the generosity of those more financially stable than they are. So it's pretty real actually.
That's like saying health is an illusion because you might get hit by a car and lose your legs and therefore keeping fit and healthy isn't important. Financial security is absolutely a real thing and more often than not, it is a positive influence.
It's interesting you say that people who study things outside of STEM look down on those who do because as somebody who did study something outside of STEM, I found my experience to be the complete opposite. Luckily my non-STEM studies was something that prepared me to be a lawyer. I work in public interest so I feel like I am doing work to help people who would not otherwise receive help, but we talk about self-care and making sure you yourself are taken care of first. You can't fully help other people if your life is too unstable.
You did an amazing job describing feelings and questions relatable to many people. I appreciate you sharing your thoughts. It's crazy how I came across this video just as I decided to to drop out of college and go the entrepreneurial route. The way I see it, there isn't a right or wrong in which path you should take. Yappie or not don't beat yourself up too much for not taking more risks. Im sure you get to experience those intangible goals and your already impacting the world in your own way.
"when you have a milestone and not a mission, you're lost when you achieve it" - TRUTH! This is exactly what I've been struggling with the last few years. Going from failing grades in elementary school (actually failing, not Asian fail) to top student by the end of highschool and getting into a top University, I thought all my problems would be answered. They were not. I was lost and had no sense of purpose because my whole life I've been told to get into a top school, I'm there and I had no idea what's next and completely messed up my first 2 years of undergrad. Then by the time I graduated I worked my grades up and hustled into a career in management consulting. I thought I'd be happy hitting that milestone but I was more sad than ever because consulting was just another way for me to delay commitment to a career. Fast forward 4 years, I did my tour in consulting, worked in corporate strategy for public company, joined a 120 ppl start-up in San Francisco as an exec, helped sell the company, joined another startup, helped sell that too, worked at a venture capital fund, now I'm working for a FB/Amazon/Goog and I'm still just as confused and unsure of my future and what everything means as the kid back in highschool. From the outside I'm becoming that one friend that ppl back home say " he really his shit tgt and I wish I can be him in XYZ" but I keep on telling my friends working 9-5 safe jobs and content with their lives that I'm really jealous and it's totally true. Anyways this is the longest post and the first comment I've made on UA-cam in years.
That soft shark pillow is what life's about. Also, I am so proud of a fellow Triton opening up about their life story. I went the medical school route after graduating from UCSD in 2015 and am now a third year. Thinking back though, it certainly seemed that my whole life was about min-maxing outcomes and following the "statistically best" path to reach wealth and success. It wasn't exactly a comfortable ride getting here, BUT I can confidently say it was still cushy relative to what my peers went through. I feel overly privileged, but at the same time entitled since 100% of my academic success was forged brick by brick with my own hands. Like Fung Bros said in their Yappie video, growing up in a nice box has its perks, but also immeasurable constraints.
Nothing wrong with being afraid or cautious in life. It's the Asian thing to do. You can take risks and still be cautious, but instead of taking risks in career, maybe take risks in activities, go out and do more random stuff. I'm proud to be a Yappie 👍 well, not the 'P' part yet, just a fresh grad.
This is the best video I’ve ever watched! I love you so much Mayuko. Just found your channel recently. I wished I found your channel back when I was in college, it would of help so much. I’m now struggling to find a job with a CS degree mainly because I didn’t retain much info during school. This video resonate with me so much! I’m a Yappie too!
I stumbled upon this video and another one about your cultural identity and i have to say - i love how well spoken and honest you seem. Just subscribed! I'm not a tech person, but i enjoy your videos on cultural identity issues 😊😊
Kudos to you for finding a new passion in youtube and following it. I am still a hardcore yappie, engineering software with a straight face all day, just because it pays well. Someday I hope to break out too...
Med student here, so not quite a Yappie yet, but on that trajectory. I can def relate to the whole internal monologue about making sure my decisions would be ones that were responsible for my family’s sake, but also really yearning for a means to make a positive difference in the world. Thanks for making this video, you are definitely having a positive impact on the world through these! I’m still searching for my route to have an impact, perhaps through blogging, hopefully I’ll find it as well!
Woah, you just said the EXACT same things I've been thinking about lately in terms of what I want out of life. Nice to hear it from another person/perspective.
I loved this. I’m not a Yappie but I am a white working class kid who was the first to go to uni - and in some ways those experiences can be the same (and in many ways not!!) where we yearn for stability and deprive ourselves of risk. Thanks for helping me step outside of my box but remembering it’s okay to play it a little safe.
You literally just went over everything that's been going through my mind lately. However I never got a job after I got my degree but I was working other 9 to 5 jobs and still had those things on my mind.
I think I’m at a point in my life where you probably were during university (before reaching the tangible milestones): Focusing on CS, trying to become a software engineer at a good company, and so on. However, I’ve come to realize that I’ve had that need to make an impact before my time is up, you know? As a son of immigrants who were in a similar situation to your family, I’ve also felt the need to play it safe. I just don’t want to end up with that “well now what?” feeling in the middle of a typical 9-5 day. I enjoy CS more than any other field, it’s pretty much a lifetime hobby as much as it is my major. Nevertheless, I want to share this passion with people around me. Thank you for sharing your story of being a Yappie. It’s really comforting to hear that there are people who were probably in my situation a few years back, and I can see myself reflected in your experiences, in a way. Hopefully, we can make the most of this.
I've had these exact same thoughts before! And living in a society that puts a lot of value in being a hard worker, its so easy for me to begin to forget that there's a lot more to an individual than what their day job is. Like the things they do to bring joy into this world, to make others laugh and smile. Thanks for sharing!
You had made impact to the world. Through one of your video, you inspired me to apply to Grace Hopper Conference and I did. I got a full scholarship to attend the conference this year. Please keep making the video! I’m a young female computer science student and I want you to help me represent US on UA-cam!
You summed up many of my thoughts, I’m subscribing. SAFE not a bad thing but I’m slowly increasing my risk evaluation in order to achieve “more” in my life. I suffered disillusionment as an ABC, had identity crisis, had a existential crisis in middle school. Risk adverse (fear) foster stagnation and reward challenge.
I'm in a simlar situation as you are. Although I'm not a full-on yappie right now, I've just started how I can make an impact in my life rather than just working a 9-5. Great stuff! This really vibed with me.
I think one of the biggest things about being a "yappie" is realizing is realizing that you are a "yappie". I'm totally generalizing, but growing up in an Asian-American household, we are usually given our goals and aspirations on a silver platter by our Asian immigrant parents. They instill in us the fact that we should be responsible (financially and morally) from when we are very young, so that we never really get a chance to think about what it would be like to deviate from those goals - which might be the fear of uncertainty that you talk about in your video. They force hobbies on us (piano, violin, etc.) which I am grateful for, but they don't really know how to cultivate hobbies and interests - because when they were young, they never had the time to do these things. This means that as "yappies" we need to start self-reflecting more and starting thinking about what it is to really pursue your a life purpose and to do something that will make you satisfied; whether it is a hobby outside of work or your career itself. A lot of my friends who are in the same mindset, "What now?", don't have any hobbies, aren't really passionate about anything, and don't do anything but hang out in the same bubble of friends outside of their 9-5 work life. I think that yappies should spend more time exploring interests, hobbies, and other things that give them a purpose and reason to be happy about. I really liked how you touched on everything though, and it seems like you're on the right track with the self-reflection and thinking about "what now?" Good luck!
Always enjoy watching your videos Mayuko :D! I'm learning CompSci and am gearing towards Software Engineering too and it's cool to have someone so relatable and experienced to learn from. Keep it up fellow yappie~
Hey mayuko, wonderful video and very insightful. I think a lot of us share the same questions, so it's nice to feel you can relate to someone. Like you, one reason I make videos is to try to find out more about myself. Lastly, I love how you tied the whole video into being a Young Asian Professional, really cool and important to speak about.
I'm a Yappie too in the software industry and have had similar thoughts. I used to think once I made $100k a year it would be "enough" and I'd be satisfied with my success. Well, I made it there in a hurry and realized nothing special happened. I was still the same old me. So I set the bar higher, $200k. The past two years I've reached $450k in annual income from my job, and at 30 years old I feel like nothing revolutionary has occurred in my life over the past decade. Sure, I can live in a slightly better neighborhood, afford more vacations, drive a better car, and the numbers on my financial statements grow larger. But lifestyle-wise I'm not making the kind of dough that is really life-changing. Then I realized the folks with true wealth ($1+ million in income per year with $25+ million net worth minimum) are NOT the ones working for someone else. To reach that point you gotta go out and do your own thing, which entails massive amounts of the exact thing that I've been underexposed to most of my life, and that you've mentioned in your video -- RISK. For now I'll keep collecting a comfy and fat paycheck but like you, there's always an anxiety that I'm wasting away years that I could be using to build true wealth...
But then again... what will you really gain (aside from money of course) by making $1 million+ per year and building "true wealth?" You can probably move to an even better neighborhood, take a few more vacations, drive multiple luxury cars, etc... but what else? Are you happy at your current job? Do you have other passion you wish to pursue? What kind of "lifestyle" are you looking for?
I love this Mayuko! Honestly first video of you I've seen, but the timing couldn't have been more perfect. I've been thinking about this so much now (as a Yappie myself), and I think so many of us are so much more creative than we think. There's definitely nothing wrong with it, but maybe it's time to use this and now explore! We have the opportunity now to take calculated risks and have fun with the human experience. Love the video, and excited to see where you go from here!
Thanks for sharing Mayuko! Love your reflection on the underlying reasons for letting fear drive those major decisions - that really resonated with me and inspired me to think about how I make my decisions in life. I think there’s nothing wrong with being a yappie - as long as you’re happy about it. Do what you think is right for you to make yourself happy, with no regrets. Keep up the awesome content! :)
Great inspiring video! Love the conclusion at the end and the tense you biuld up during the video. You should do more kind of stuff talking about things that other people are afraid of to look at. You make me feel much more comfortable, because I´m in your situation too. You have a great way of thinking the details out of a situation and coming to a satisfiying conclusion. That inspires me and took me to a personal journey during your video! Thank you!
Great video Mayuko! I am a French living in Shanghai and am not a subscriber, but, I came across this video and I relate to what you're saying. Thanks.
Im now doing a startup and have tons of hardships encountered. It puts me in quite a dilemma of thinking whether I fit for such a life or should I pursue financial security by working for big corporates. And Im graduating next year. The worries are striking me all at once. I feel like im struggling each day. Anyway, what you said really resonates me.
Excellent and very relatable video, loved it! I think the challenge is really trying to find that balance between a good working and paying job and a meaningful impactful life.
I used to think I was so different from all the yappies or yappies from other races (is there a term for that? I'm new to this terminology thing) because I was so frustrated with my comfortable 9-5 engineering job. So many people called me brave when I finally quit my job and across the border to the U.S. to do more school and switch to a career with more meaningful impact on the world, which turned out to be the best decision of my life and I regret waiting so long to do so. Seems like you and I are not so different and all the people I thought were perfectly happy being complacent are just playing it safe. You articulated my current frustrations so well about figuring out how to realize the intangible things. Good luck to you. I hope one day you will be able to fulfill your intangible goals as well.
Damn, I relate to this vid so well. I'm only in high school, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to end up taking the same path as a yappie. I don't think I could really see myself doing anything else though. For me, I think one of the reasons why computer science appealed to me so much was because of it's broad range of influence. Since you can create software for pretty much anything and/or anyone, it feels like it'll never be too late to have some sort of impact. But I think I'm definitely still in the process to find myself, and maybe then I'll find something worth taking a risk for. But for now, I think being a yappie is perfectly fine. Being stable has a lot of power to it, and sometimes that can be your pathway towards doing what you love, or putting you in a position where you can take risks.
I'm very much part of the "work to live" kind of crowd. If you're a young, high earning professional, that's a really good thing! Just make sure you're using your free time and money to do the things that you find enjoyable and/or meaningful.
I feel like I can relate to you a lot with the whole intangible goals and what we call milestones, as a young Chinese teenager growing up I've started to see challenges that different ethnicities face including my own, there's nothing wrong with playing it safe and I think UA-cam videos are a great way to express yourself and to unite people :) I just recently started my own channel and you inspire me to keep at it and work harder knowing that I'm not alone in wanting to make an impact to the world ♥️ thank you!
I’m largely a yappie too but I did try and delve into doing other things that did compromise my finances to a degree, but I’m glad I did those things mostly because I learned a lot, met very inspiring people, and became a more well rounded person. I don’t in any way think that there’s anything wrong with being a stable professional though, except that after watching your video I’m thinking that maybe many yappies feel like they have more to give and could have an even greater impact on the world.
Great video! It is very interesting how different cultures see success and self-realization in different ways. I am a mexican (living in México) CS student and I feel that, my goal is to master the skills to make it to Silicon Valley. It is hard, because in mexican culture, family is a really strong concept so it is hard to stay away from them, but If that means that I will be able to work in a meaningful and technical-challenging work, then I will do it.
hey mayuko, it's reina from seattle if you remember me! i understand your story, especially because our parents both came here as japanese immigrants with similar reasons. it was refreshing to hear my thoughts out loud through your video so thank you. as i am still in college, i am still figuring out what it means to be a yappie and where i fall into this spectrum but your video helps to add to my perspective. thank you again!
Omg Reina hi yes of course I remember you! Yeah totally, we probably have a lot similar experiences - I struggled thru this a lot (and still am, just in other ways) so if you ever want to talk let me know!
Hello Mayuko, I really liked your video and your way of seeing things. In my case I am living something similar to yours, in the sense that I have not yet graduated from university, but I already have a stable job. The truth is that at times it scares me to think about my future, to see myself as I am right now, only older. I have that small and great feeling at the same time to leave everything, make a business of my own and grow up and explore more of this life. Anyway, I just want you to know that your videos make me feel relieved, I think that all of us who watch your channel feel very comfortable and accompanied when we see you and hear you talk about life. I think we should all do it from time to time. Sorry for my English, it's not my native language, I'm from Guatemala and I speak Spanish, but I hope you have understood me. Greetings mayuko, now you know that you also have a fan in Guatemala :)
"But it turns out when you are that when you're striving for a milestone and not a mission, you can feel lost when you achieve it." Ooof. This hit me hard. I've been attempting to tow the line between making my milestone a mission and my mission being milestones. The result has been I feel like I've kinda/sorta succeeded but still feel like I'm just still rounding that corner towards the mission objective but still not quite there, and it's taken me so long to attempt to get there. I feel like I may even be passed my prime on the way there at this point.
IMO, you're just being responsible. The people who go out, take risks, and become influential almost always come from a wealthy family, and thus they have something to fall back on if things don't pan out. (I imagine that they usually don't, but wealthy individuals have huge networks that allow for greater success rates compared to attempts made by the less affluent). Look up any hugely influential person, and you will see the pattern. It sucks for the rest of us normal people, but that's life. Note however that you don't need to make an impact when you're young. Take care of yourself now, build up a safety net, then go out and do your thing. (This is my plan at least.)
It's cool to learn how you deal with all these kind of existential questions. I'm in a similar spot that you have been before so definitely can relate to what you say. We all must see the big picture, life's so vast to be summarized in just a job/career or financial stability. There's definitely plenty of things to make the most out of our short existence.
Asian culture do tend to focus on financial security but tons of jobs that's financially secure don't really impact the world in a positive way. I have Asian friends working as accountants, working some kind of engineer, and I hear how they're working only for the salary. I'm Chinese Canadian and I didn't pursue that path, I went for a job in health care and I don't see my job for its salary, but for its potential to help people. I think that's what most people should strive for - you can be an engineer, you can be an accountant, but ideally you want to put that in good use, to be making a "positive impact" for others. And you can. You can work for some kind of non-profit organization or an organization that's developing software that has a positive impact somewhere. If your current job isn't giving you that, you might want to pursue another company. I'm sure after a few years of experience switching jobs shouldn't be too challenging.
I love hearing how common problems like this are among all Asian-Americans! Thank you for sharing! - A Vietnamese-American software developer that is still going through the same things.
You have my respect for doing what you feel you need to do. No shame in going the safe route at all. Everyone has a contribution to society regardless of whether they are ""living the dream" or not. Although I am half asian, I don't think I can be a Yappie. Its just not "built" into me I guess. I was just barely able to pass my Kinder-highschool education due to my natural aversion to being in that kind of system. Despite repeated attempts, I figured out that I simply don't learn the same way others do. As strange as it might sound, I learn best when I'm constantly moving around and being in different places, hence I chose to be a traveler and learn different skills along the way. Why do I learn better this way? I don't know. I just do. Everyone has different learning and experiencing styles. If you have adapted yourself to thrive within the realms of safety, then thats awesome and you will likely do great things in life! As the matter of fact, you might be in a very advantageous situation to help others if you have that kind of stability. The rule of thumb is: Don't judge the poor man/woman who lives outside of societal norms. Also, do not judge the stable man/woman who lives within the realms of stability. Both have great things to offer the world.
I am a Taiwanese college student, most of the people I know are milestone-oriented, and I assumed it might be because of the educational system here, the education here put more emphasis on knowledge-cramming , learning or teaching for test, and getting high-salary job in the future , which makes big part of the students here have no idea what they really like, and what kind of innovation they can put on the profession they are learning. But after watching this video, I am thinking about whether all of this is due to the personality sake, some people could feel comfort to rest on the current situation , following the main society trend, while some others might not accept their life to be that normal, so they would have a big dream or goal and some ideas regarding to their profession since they were young, in my opinion, the main difference of them from normal people is that they're tend to keep inspired from anything that comes to their life, so that creative ideas will flow out from them.
These are all normal questions imo. I think I am two years older than you but you definitely have more accomplishments than me, and honestly, I am trying to get where you are in life. These questions are signs that you are trying to grow both intellectually and emotionally which is totally understandable and human. You have this thing called "life" more figured out than you think. You're miles ahead, and people like me, are just trying to catch up to you before its too late. By the way your dog totally flashed us at 5:01....
T_T I'm about to graduate the following semester as a computer science major, and this sort of hitting me hard right now. At this point I am stressing for both job security, but at the same time I also want to take a risk to open my own business, which has nothing to do with being a software engineer. At the same time I don't know if I would be comfortable just working a 9-5 job but I do want to do something where I would like to focus a majority of my time on, but on a bigger goal instead of working as a small employee of a company. Thanks for the video because it really hits home for me!
Wow,I also have almost similar case as yours,like my family, milestones etc. Thank you for sharing your experiences 😊. Btw i just found your channel,and this is my 1st video. I am glad I found your channel👍.
Ok, before I even finished the video, I love your shark in the background, really sweet. I remember seeing the same shark plush years ago, was it from IKEA?
I love the way you express how you feel, I personally agree and disagree by times, but i strongly believe that each one of us have the right to live as we want, and yours is a good one. Take care
My cohort had even tougher times, getting our degrees in the depths of the last recession where we had to get creative about how to survive post-graduation. For most of us that meant moving back in with the parents, fighting for a seat in grad school, and/or going abroad as an English tutor in Asia. For me and many in my unit then, even surviving a deployment into combat wasn't attractive enough for the few jobs available upon return. I'd imagine if you were still in high school and college during the recession, the parents would double down on having the kids take stable career paths. For my section of the Millennial generation, that exact notion deteriorated as our parents realized how even good grades in a good school and major can't guarantee prosperity, especially where automation threatens to reduce demand for new hires like in finance and office management. Many of my classmates ultimately ended up in occupations they actually desired, where they could still market their passion for the position since there was no stopping the retardation of our wealth from the lost early years anyway.
I thought you were going to talk about the Wong Fu series, so I watched the finale before this lol I hope I'll become a yappie too (for the professional part) after I finish my computer science degree. One more year to go!
Same here. Im being yappie for past 5 years and i quitted my five years job to work in better company. But the result is not really good. I got stuck on the new job, it didnt fit me and made me losing my balance work life. There was a morning i came to office and saw the empty room, i started wondering what im doing here but i couldnt do anything beside turned on computer. Until a few weeks ago i decided to leaving. Actually i dont have any plan now but i am just taking break and trying to reflect my life.
Love your video! You basically articulated what was on my mind after I watched the WongFu videos on Yappie. For practical reasons, I used to study Accounting and Economics. Then I worked in corporate tax for several years. I was ok with that job--mainly because of the financial stability. However, I always had a passion to help others so I eventually got into teaching and became an Accounting professor. Perhaps this may be something you are interested in doing in the future.
SE is pretty cool, you could achieve even greater heights if you’re a polymath. That’s like google APIs, many of which are unsurpassable by any private individual simply because they had resources to grab experts in physics and sciences and make them translate their work for software engineers, like the Fourier transform in speech recognition softwares, and they’ve only been improving out of grasp decades since
I can relate much with your story, even though I am from the other part of the world (Croatia, Europe)...I am also a software engineer, which is a career I've chosen because I was good at math and it looked promising. I've started my company (with my partner) and avoided 9-5 work style. Most of my decisions are also based on fear and family oriented. When I think about my life goals/dreams, my main goal is to die loved and full of love. But with my introvert nature, it's also one of the most challenging goals/dreams.
great video mayuko, i'm still thinking about moving to another country so, how you see the world gives me anothe point of view, still, i must think it well and twice
Great video Mayuko! Very well articulated! Your self reflection is what a lot of people need to do (or will do at some point) in their lives. There's nothing wrong w/ being a Yappie and achieving milestones... but "Now what?". What will you do once you've gotten there? Props to you for being a software engineer.. but ALSO starting a YT channel! You are SO not a typical yappie, so give yourself more credit. Keep it up, hope to meet someday. -phil (UCSD pride)
being honest tho, nobody heard of that term until you made that movie...
not a bad thing, i wanna be a yappie too now :(
I love the reflection. It's the absence of a safety net for immigrants that makes high percentage (safe) decisions compelling. As a group increases in size, then the safety to branch out into low percentage, high pay-off life options becomes greater. Think about it: if there's 10 people, the number of risk takers will be virtually 0 because the normal distribution suggests 95% will take the safe route. 0.5% will be super geniuses or super dopey and the balance will be a bit over or under. But as the numbers increase, those percentages might remain the same but meaningful clusters and echo chambers will have the opportunisty to form, explore and eventually translate to visible actions and role models. Thats theory anyway.
Phil W, you're an inspiration and your social justice message in yappie is amazing and overdue. I like to think your pioneering work is like the Oprah for under represented minorities!
pin this!! you got phil to comment
Wong Fu Productions I first totally agreed with the Yappie concept. While watching this video, I realize that it's not a Yappie thing, but in general a question/struggle for many young professionals, not necessarily Asians, but anyone possible. It's just whether this person raises this question to themselves. I am Chinese, born and raised in China, moved to Europe before 20 and am now over 30. I had this struggle too and I talked to friends in similar life phase. The difference I noticed between my international friends and local friends are that the people with international background do think more on this issue and I would say it's because they know there is other opportunities/possibilities because of their multicultural backgrounds. The majority of local friends have less struggles on it, because becoming young professionals is the (only) way they know and how it works with most people. Honestly, the majority people choose to "be safe" and they construct the functional society.
So, I do think it's great to reflect on it, but we can also see it from a more positive perspective. It's because of our international backgrounds, we are given more perspectives, more opportunities to reflect. People who are able to and are determined enough to decide for a new way are still the minority in almost every society. It's great to raise question about it, but I do think we don't have to categorize it to a unique "Asian" issue.
I am not sure if I am making my point clear enough. Just my thoughts while watching this video.
Probably because there is no real Chinese minority group where I am living, I am not categorizing myself to a certain group with immigration background (there is no single China town in any sense in this country). And the situation you are facing in the US must be totally different. Maybe that's why you are promoting this awareness to Asian groups.
That’s true about the name yappie but the ... idea to get something that is stable is something I been set to achieve. I’m a yappie as well right now, but like I want more. Something that provides more purpose or something that goes beyond what I should be able to achieve.
"Live your dreams, but do it responsibly"
"when you're striving for a milestone and not a mission, you can feel lost when you achieve it"
That hit way close to home.
the backdrop is killer
also thanks for sharing!
I can't believe no one recognized you yet. So i'll be the first one
hi
free willy! willy, be free!
Jarvis Johnson _Jarvis is trying his best_
Alex Avila come on man ? WTF ? Jarvis is trying his best.
I have the exact same thoughts! I know my parents and grandparents made so many sacrifices so that their children could get educated, and live a comfortable life. So it’s hard to balance making decisions based of fear of letting them down vs making decisions for myself and what I really want.
I'm a yappie. or i was. And then I decided to quit my job and move to another country to reconnect with my culture (Taiwan), study ecology and try to make a difference in the world. Do I still worry about family, stability, and money?
yeah.
i do, every day.
But i feel like i'm making progress and slowly changing myself into someone that can be remembered for contributing to the world somehow.
For the last year, I've been thinking about how to make a difference. And I like your message and your method. It might just be the push i need to start a new channel and maybe start making videos.
" I want to cry about things I didn't even know I could cry about" I'VE NEVER RELATED TO ANYTHING MORE THAN THIS STATEMENT
I am yappie too, Young Asian Procrastinating...
HAHA
I guess you could be worse, you could be a paddy
As a fellow Japanese-American yappie, this really hit home for me. When you talked about your thoughts and fears and insecurities, it strangely felt like it was myself talking. I really admire your honest self-reflection and courage in branching out and putting yourself out there, something that I still struggle with. Major props to you!
As a millennial with an immigrant background who studied engineering, I can really relate to the thoughts of "Am I playing it too safe?" The way I see it, it is my goal to provide the future generations of family with the financial foundation to attempt audacious, risky goals knowing that they have the financial safety net if it doesn't work out.
I wanted to strive to be a Computer Scientist in university just because I thought that it was the most practical job to benefit the society. I already had intense music roots and came from a very musical background and wanted to be a DJ since middle school. I am 21 years old now and I just dropped out of university and started to realize that deep inside my purpose was to create and mix music for people making them feel good their special days. I am striving to start my own business with my UA-cam channel here to help people with overcoming hormonal acne (random) and DJ business. I can only be really good at something that I am truly passionate about!! I am going to start producing music as well.
Sonia Anastasia Good for you! Taking risks is what leads to growth. We’ve been conditioned and programmed to play it safe. There are days that I wonder if working 9-5 is all there is to it.
I've tried to follow the same path as being a Yappie except my plan kinda fell apart. I did everything, study hard, go to a good college. I was studying CS but started to struggle so I switched to an easier, more useless major and graduated. I'm still trying to land a decent software engineering job, but I'm just not qualified right now. I'm in a weird situation of not being good enough to be a Yappie, and not passionate about anything else enough to deviate from being a Yappie. So lost
Oh man, thanks for sharing your story - it’s important to me that I hear these slightly different stories about a different perspective. Hope everything works out, wishing you the best 💖
I think Wong fu is playing up yappie to generate views. I would not want any labels on Asians. Did you read the report of pew research about the ethnic segment with the with widest disparity in income - Asians. So I am totally against the propagation of yappie in these videos. It’s too elitist a mindset that discriminates other Asians who may not be doing good as them and cause depression. At one point in time a report states that the most depressed Asians in the US are the Asian males in the US, especially transplants. Yappie is putting pressure on other Asians who don’t have it as good as mayuko. I wished even these yappies stop with the labeling. It’s not healthy. Even yuppie back in the day was considered a put down. If I recall correctly, the book American psycho also used it to mock the character in the book. Using yappie can bite you back in the a...
Actually, I'm just like you. I dropped out of CS because I was struggling, graduated in a non-CS major. Did Real Estate for a while. Got very bored of it. Started to study CS again. But this time it was not in school. I think I didn't like all the theory in my college classes. I wanted application. This time, I'm much more committed to my learning and I've gotten further than I've ever gone before. But also programming is what I picked for myself, not anyone else. CS/Programming is very knowledge based. You can't do what you don't know. It's also very vast. Find a field in CS that you are passionate about and learn everything about it. Once you know enough, the obstacles will no longer be obstacles.
I kind of went through a similar situation in school but really turned it around. I was in pure Math - Acturual science. Didn't even know what it really was but was told if you're smart and good with math you should do this. Turns out you need to have 0 personality to do that as a career and it's prob the safest of safe yappie careers.
I switched to econ and graduated with an "easier and less useful" major and realized with an undergrad alone there's no real job. So I hustled super hard the year before graduation and talked to over 80 ppl in different consulting firms to land a job. That hustling have followed me since and I've always tried to talk to ppl through informational chats first to land the job. I find many Asians are shy to do this, shy to reach out to strangers. If you do it in a humble and respectful way that also show you're more hungry than other candidates, you can break in. Over the years I've managed to land jobs at McKinsey, Deloitte, Facebook, google, Uber, VC funds through this and have seen other friends from Arts majors that self taught engineering eventually end up at Google and FB.
Hang in there and keep on hustling!
yeah play up views and put down fellow asians. that's just idiotic to me.
Computer hardware engineering student here. While getting my bachelors of science is important, what will happen afterward in terms of what jobs I will do is still very unsure and unknown. In order to help this, I am pursuing several internships. It is indeed scary to confront the unknown, however with the support of my family it is better. Your message of taking the safe route is very respectable. All of these people who are disillusioned into thinking they can make it on youtube or twitch need to watch this video. Keep up the good work.
I'm struggling with this exact problem, and I resonate so much with this video. A lot of the tangible things are easy once I just wait it out or keep working in tech. However the intangible things just stress me out because I REALLY want to do them (your list is literally a great one haha) but I have no idea how I can achieve them. This emotion kind of increased since I've started UA-cam but in tandem it's also opened up a lot of doors I've never realized. Thanks Mayuko for sharing your thoughts. This put things in words I never imagined.
Yayyyyyy! Loved the distinction between "milestone" and "mission." Also oh my goodness I love when you move and your pup is just sleeping there!
I love how you ended this video and just connected it all together. I'm a new software engineer in LA just trying to find my way and your videos have really helped. Thanks :)
This is a great video. I love how transparent you are about your life and I totally understand where you are coming from and I am super excited for your next video! And your back drop is fire!!
I am Yappie too : Young African Professional.
Sofiane Koud lol
So am I. We're all Yappies
No niga a for Asian
The term is directed at Asians, there’s no such thing as what you’re referring to
There is now, they just conceptualised it.
I think that this "yappie"/"yi(2)ppie" (Young Immigrant/2nd Generation Immigrant Professional) approach to living is quite pleasant if you position yourself in a stable job that you actually enjoy. The financial stability and resulting mental stability that these kinds of jobs provide form a strong foundation for a happy life.
As a person who quit a financially and mentally rewarding management consulting job in North America to start a business in Japan well outside of my area of expertise and in my second language to try something new, I often contemplate where I'm sitting in life from the opposite side of the mirror as you, Mayuko, and I wonder if I made the right decision to step through the glass. Jumping into the unknown is as scary as it is rewarding... except it may not necessarily be rewarding (speaking in terms of financial gain)!
And honestly, I think it took making the jump to make me see the value in the yappie/yi(2)ppie lifestyle. Many of my friends have reaped the rewards of their parents' hard work (whether they were low income / start-from-scratch immigrants or born domestically in a low income bracket), and are now living comfortable lives that I envy in many ways.
The benefits of my current position are autonomy, the satisfaction associated with making clearly visible impacts on the community and receiving recognition for it, and the influx of new skills I've acquired. The downsides are sole culpability for my failures, ongoing anxiety around growing and maintaining the business, and wondering if what I'm doing is sustainable or even desirable from a lifestyle perspective in the long run. Oh, and crappy paperwork.
I think that which lifestyle is better for you really depends on your personality, but I also think that is an excellent idea to take a swing at more than one so that you know what's out there and can see from experience which road is optimal for you. You can always cut across the hedge back to the road you came from if what you see doesn't tickle your fancy.
Whichever road we choose, we can make a big impact on the people around us by taking pleasure in the process of getting to our milestones and using that positive energy to work hard and give something back to everyone.
Good luck with your thinking! Maybe I'll see you back on that side of the mirror one of these days to pick up even more kinds of wonderful human experiences.
Charles
Holy wow, thanks for sharing your incredible story!
i had a similar experience as yours, and now i realize so much of it was rebelling against success and self sabotage. it is a weird thing humans do to themselves. lessons learned though. this is why i don't buy into the whole "asians only chase academic/financial succcess" thing. i feel like most of it is just jealous members of society trying to through us off track mentally, like to hate ourselves or something.
who isn't chasing success? if we do it through academics that is because it is a merit-based system. there is plenty of racial prejudice (ie bamboo ceiling) in other areas. it's great other asians branch out into acting, music, etc, but to do it because somebody says you are otherwise a 'typical yappie' is plain toxic and being manipulated.
My name is Charles (Charlie) and this comment really hit home for me as a Filipino-American. Thanks for posting!
Hi Mayuko.
I just left my job thanks to your video. This video has never been at a better timing til now, and I wanted to say thank you for reassuring me that the fear of unkown will be okay. You just got me as a loyal fan and subscriber and I am really looking forward to bingewatching your videos. Thank you for your kind words of wisdom.
Thats cool! What did u work as?
Love it! Thank you for being so honest and so open about your insecurity and doubts! Definitely inspiring and making a positive impact on me!
i am sO glad i found your channel and you ! you basically explained everything im feeling so articulately! to see an asian woman who's out of college who already finished the path im currently on is so comforting and makes me so happy to know that this is a normal internal conflict to feel holy shit i am INSPIRED
💖💖💖 girl YES you got this 💪💪💪
Lol 20 minutes before Wong Fu dropped season finale
(Edit) :
Seriously loved the honesty and advice you gave Mayuko!❤
Great video and wonderful insights! Taking risks is what leads to growth and discovering what you truly love and are meant to do. We’ve been conditioned and programmed to play it safe. There are days that I wonder if working 9-5 is all there is to it.
Mayuko, don't worry about the haters. Being a "yappie" is perfectly ok. Financial security now will give you the freedom to impact the world in a much bigger way. I can't understand the people who go to college and study something outside of STEM and then look down on those who do and say they are not cool or something like that. Ignore the haters.
jarji de unless you are going to fetch your own water, grow your own food and build your own shelter. Until then financial security's paramount to survival. Even beggars rely on the generosity of those more financially stable than they are. So it's pretty real actually.
jarji de that's true. That's why owning assets is most important. Letting all your money sit in a bank is probably not the way to go long term.
That's like saying health is an illusion because you might get hit by a car and lose your legs and therefore keeping fit and healthy isn't important. Financial security is absolutely a real thing and more often than not, it is a positive influence.
It's interesting you say that people who study things outside of STEM look down on those who do because as somebody who did study something outside of STEM, I found my experience to be the complete opposite. Luckily my non-STEM studies was something that prepared me to be a lawyer. I work in public interest so I feel like I am doing work to help people who would not otherwise receive help, but we talk about self-care and making sure you yourself are taken care of first. You can't fully help other people if your life is too unstable.
You did an amazing job describing feelings and questions relatable to many people. I appreciate you sharing your thoughts. It's crazy how I came across this video just as I decided to to drop out of college and go the entrepreneurial route. The way I see it, there isn't a right or wrong in which path you should take. Yappie or not don't beat yourself up too much for not taking more risks. Im sure you get to experience those intangible goals and your already impacting the world in your own way.
"when you have a milestone and not a mission, you're lost when you achieve it" - TRUTH!
This is exactly what I've been struggling with the last few years. Going from failing grades in elementary school (actually failing, not Asian fail) to top student by the end of highschool and getting into a top University, I thought all my problems would be answered. They were not. I was lost and had no sense of purpose because my whole life I've been told to get into a top school, I'm there and I had no idea what's next and completely messed up my first 2 years of undergrad. Then by the time I graduated I worked my grades up and hustled into a career in management consulting. I thought I'd be happy hitting that milestone but I was more sad than ever because consulting was just another way for me to delay commitment to a career.
Fast forward 4 years, I did my tour in consulting, worked in corporate strategy for public company, joined a 120 ppl start-up in San Francisco as an exec, helped sell the company, joined another startup, helped sell that too, worked at a venture capital fund, now I'm working for a FB/Amazon/Goog and I'm still just as confused and unsure of my future and what everything means as the kid back in highschool.
From the outside I'm becoming that one friend that ppl back home say " he really his shit tgt and I wish I can be him in XYZ" but I keep on telling my friends working 9-5 safe jobs and content with their lives that I'm really jealous and it's totally true.
Anyways this is the longest post and the first comment I've made on UA-cam in years.
That soft shark pillow is what life's about. Also, I am so proud of a fellow Triton opening up about their life story. I went the medical school route after graduating from UCSD in 2015 and am now a third year. Thinking back though, it certainly seemed that my whole life was about min-maxing outcomes and following the "statistically best" path to reach wealth and success. It wasn't exactly a comfortable ride getting here, BUT I can confidently say it was still cushy relative to what my peers went through. I feel overly privileged, but at the same time entitled since 100% of my academic success was forged brick by brick with my own hands. Like Fung Bros said in their Yappie video, growing up in a nice box has its perks, but also immeasurable constraints.
Nothing wrong with being afraid or cautious in life. It's the Asian thing to do. You can take risks and still be cautious, but instead of taking risks in career, maybe take risks in activities, go out and do more random stuff. I'm proud to be a Yappie 👍 well, not the 'P' part yet, just a fresh grad.
This is the best video I’ve ever watched! I love you so much Mayuko. Just found your channel recently. I wished I found your channel back when I was in college, it would of help so much. I’m now struggling to find a job with a CS degree mainly because I didn’t retain much info during school. This video resonate with me so much! I’m a Yappie too!
I stumbled upon this video and another one about your cultural identity and i have to say - i love how well spoken and honest you seem. Just subscribed! I'm not a tech person, but i enjoy your videos on cultural identity issues 😊😊
Kudos to you for finding a new passion in youtube and following it. I am still a hardcore yappie, engineering software with a straight face all day, just because it pays well. Someday I hope to break out too...
"I want to cry about things that I didn't even know I could cry about" hit me good man, great video and keep up the good work!
Med student here, so not quite a Yappie yet, but on that trajectory. I can def relate to the whole internal monologue about making sure my decisions would be ones that were responsible for my family’s sake, but also really yearning for a means to make a positive difference in the world. Thanks for making this video, you are definitely having a positive impact on the world through these! I’m still searching for my route to have an impact, perhaps through blogging, hopefully I’ll find it as well!
Woah, you just said the EXACT same things I've been thinking about lately in terms of what I want out of life. Nice to hear it from another person/perspective.
I loved this. I’m not a Yappie but I am a white working class kid who was the first to go to uni - and in some ways those experiences can be the same (and in many ways not!!) where we yearn for stability and deprive ourselves of risk. Thanks for helping me step outside of my box but remembering it’s okay to play it a little safe.
i'm so interest with your topic took up to lately. it caused i'm in the exact problem, even thought in different point. keep it up mayuu !!
You literally just went over everything that's been going through my mind lately. However I never got a job after I got my degree but I was working other 9 to 5 jobs and still had those things on my mind.
I think I’m at a point in my life where you probably were during university (before reaching the tangible milestones): Focusing on CS, trying to become a software engineer at a good company, and so on. However, I’ve come to realize that I’ve had that need to make an impact before my time is up, you know? As a son of immigrants who were in a similar situation to your family, I’ve also felt the need to play it safe. I just don’t want to end up with that “well now what?” feeling in the middle of a typical 9-5 day. I enjoy CS more than any other field, it’s pretty much a lifetime hobby as much as it is my major. Nevertheless, I want to share this passion with people around me.
Thank you for sharing your story of being a Yappie. It’s really comforting to hear that there are people who were probably in my situation a few years back, and I can see myself reflected in your experiences, in a way. Hopefully, we can make the most of this.
I've had these exact same thoughts before! And living in a society that puts a lot of value in being a hard worker, its so easy for me to begin to forget that there's a lot more to an individual than what their day job is. Like the things they do to bring joy into this world, to make others laugh and smile.
Thanks for sharing!
I am a Yappie too, and I can strongly relate to this video. Lots of love from the Philippines! Stay awesome Mayuko!
You had made impact to the world. Through one of your video, you inspired me to apply to Grace Hopper Conference and I did. I got a full scholarship to attend the conference this year. Please keep making the video! I’m a young female computer science student and I want you to help me represent US on UA-cam!
You summed up many of my thoughts, I’m subscribing. SAFE not a bad thing but I’m slowly increasing my risk evaluation in order to achieve “more” in my life. I suffered disillusionment as an ABC, had identity crisis, had a existential crisis in middle school.
Risk adverse (fear) foster stagnation and reward challenge.
I'm in a simlar situation as you are. Although I'm not a full-on yappie right now, I've just started how I can make an impact in my life rather than just working a 9-5. Great stuff! This really vibed with me.
I think one of the biggest things about being a "yappie" is realizing is realizing that you are a "yappie". I'm totally generalizing, but growing up in an Asian-American household, we are usually given our goals and aspirations on a silver platter by our Asian immigrant parents. They instill in us the fact that we should be responsible (financially and morally) from when we are very young, so that we never really get a chance to think about what it would be like to deviate from those goals - which might be the fear of uncertainty that you talk about in your video. They force hobbies on us (piano, violin, etc.) which I am grateful for, but they don't really know how to cultivate hobbies and interests - because when they were young, they never had the time to do these things.
This means that as "yappies" we need to start self-reflecting more and starting thinking about what it is to really pursue your a life purpose and to do something that will make you satisfied; whether it is a hobby outside of work or your career itself. A lot of my friends who are in the same mindset, "What now?", don't have any hobbies, aren't really passionate about anything, and don't do anything but hang out in the same bubble of friends outside of their 9-5 work life. I think that yappies should spend more time exploring interests, hobbies, and other things that give them a purpose and reason to be happy about.
I really liked how you touched on everything though, and it seems like you're on the right track with the self-reflection and thinking about "what now?" Good luck!
This 1000%!!!
Always enjoy watching your videos Mayuko :D! I'm learning CompSci and am gearing towards Software Engineering too and it's cool to have someone so relatable and experienced to learn from. Keep it up fellow yappie~
Hey mayuko, wonderful video and very insightful. I think a lot of us share the same questions, so it's nice to feel you can relate to someone. Like you, one reason I make videos is to try to find out more about myself. Lastly, I love how you tied the whole video into being a Young Asian Professional, really cool and important to speak about.
I'm a Yappie too in the software industry and have had similar thoughts. I used to think once I made $100k a year it would be "enough" and I'd be satisfied with my success. Well, I made it there in a hurry and realized nothing special happened. I was still the same old me. So I set the bar higher, $200k. The past two years I've reached $450k in annual income from my job, and at 30 years old I feel like nothing revolutionary has occurred in my life over the past decade. Sure, I can live in a slightly better neighborhood, afford more vacations, drive a better car, and the numbers on my financial statements grow larger. But lifestyle-wise I'm not making the kind of dough that is really life-changing. Then I realized the folks with true wealth ($1+ million in income per year with $25+ million net worth minimum) are NOT the ones working for someone else. To reach that point you gotta go out and do your own thing, which entails massive amounts of the exact thing that I've been underexposed to most of my life, and that you've mentioned in your video -- RISK. For now I'll keep collecting a comfy and fat paycheck but like you, there's always an anxiety that I'm wasting away years that I could be using to build true wealth...
But then again... what will you really gain (aside from money of course) by making $1 million+ per year and building "true wealth?" You can probably move to an even better neighborhood, take a few more vacations, drive multiple luxury cars, etc... but what else? Are you happy at your current job? Do you have other passion you wish to pursue? What kind of "lifestyle" are you looking for?
I love this Mayuko! Honestly first video of you I've seen, but the timing couldn't have been more perfect. I've been thinking about this so much now (as a Yappie myself), and I think so many of us are so much more creative than we think. There's definitely nothing wrong with it, but maybe it's time to use this and now explore! We have the opportunity now to take calculated risks and have fun with the human experience. Love the video, and excited to see where you go from here!
Thanks for sharing Mayuko! Love your reflection on the underlying reasons for letting fear drive those major decisions - that really resonated with me and inspired me to think about how I make my decisions in life. I think there’s nothing wrong with being a yappie - as long as you’re happy about it. Do what you think is right for you to make yourself happy, with no regrets. Keep up the awesome content! :)
Great inspiring video! Love the conclusion at the end and the tense you biuld up during the video. You should do more kind of stuff talking about things that other people are afraid of to look at. You make me feel much more comfortable, because I´m in your situation too. You have a great way of thinking the details out of a situation and coming to a satisfiying conclusion. That inspires me and took me to a personal journey during your video! Thank you!
Great video Mayuko! I am a French living in Shanghai and am not a subscriber, but, I came across this video and I relate to what you're saying. Thanks.
I have to say that this was one of the most inspiring videos I've ever seen to motivate myself!
Im now doing a startup and have tons of hardships encountered. It puts me in quite a dilemma of thinking whether I fit for such a life or should I pursue financial security by working for big corporates. And Im graduating next year. The worries are striking me all at once. I feel like im struggling each day. Anyway, what you said really resonates me.
Excellent and very relatable video, loved it! I think the challenge is really trying to find that balance between a good working and paying job and a meaningful impactful life.
When I saw the title of this video I though it was going to be something like joma's "I'm a brogrammer" video. But then I watched it and wow
I used to think I was so different from all the yappies or yappies from other races (is there a term for that? I'm new to this terminology thing) because I was so frustrated with my comfortable 9-5 engineering job. So many people called me brave when I finally quit my job and across the border to the U.S. to do more school and switch to a career with more meaningful impact on the world, which turned out to be the best decision of my life and I regret waiting so long to do so. Seems like you and I are not so different and all the people I thought were perfectly happy being complacent are just playing it safe. You articulated my current frustrations so well about figuring out how to realize the intangible things. Good luck to you. I hope one day you will be able to fulfill your intangible goals as well.
She’s basically Jaden animations without the animations.I love it!!.
Damn, I relate to this vid so well. I'm only in high school, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to end up taking the same path as a yappie. I don't think I could really see myself doing anything else though. For me, I think one of the reasons why computer science appealed to me so much was because of it's broad range of influence. Since you can create software for pretty much anything and/or anyone, it feels like it'll never be too late to have some sort of impact. But I think I'm definitely still in the process to find myself, and maybe then I'll find something worth taking a risk for. But for now, I think being a yappie is perfectly fine. Being stable has a lot of power to it, and sometimes that can be your pathway towards doing what you love, or putting you in a position where you can take risks.
I'm very much part of the "work to live" kind of crowd. If you're a young, high earning professional, that's a really good thing! Just make sure you're using your free time and money to do the things that you find enjoyable and/or meaningful.
"But it turns out that when you're striving for a milestone and not a mission, you can feel lost when you achieve it."
You're very wise.
I feel like I can relate to you a lot with the whole intangible goals and what we call milestones, as a young Chinese teenager growing up I've started to see challenges that different ethnicities face including my own, there's nothing wrong with playing it safe and I think UA-cam videos are a great way to express yourself and to unite people :) I just recently started my own channel and you inspire me to keep at it and work harder knowing that I'm not alone in wanting to make an impact to the world ♥️ thank you!
I’m largely a yappie too but I did try and delve into doing other things that did compromise my finances to a degree, but I’m glad I did those things mostly because I learned a lot, met very inspiring people, and became a more well rounded person. I don’t in any way think that there’s anything wrong with being a stable professional though, except that after watching your video I’m thinking that maybe many yappies feel like they have more to give and could have an even greater impact on the world.
Mayuko this is the first video I've ever seen of yours; I'm subscribed!
Great video! It is very interesting how different cultures see success and self-realization in different ways. I am a mexican (living in México) CS student and I feel that, my goal is to master the skills to make it to Silicon Valley. It is hard, because in mexican culture, family is a really strong concept so it is hard to stay away from them, but If that means that I will be able to work in a meaningful and technical-challenging work, then I will do it.
hey mayuko, it's reina from seattle if you remember me! i understand your story, especially because our parents both came here as japanese immigrants with similar reasons. it was refreshing to hear my thoughts out loud through your video so thank you. as i am still in college, i am still figuring out what it means to be a yappie and where i fall into this spectrum but your video helps to add to my perspective. thank you again!
Omg Reina hi yes of course I remember you! Yeah totally, we probably have a lot similar experiences - I struggled thru this a lot (and still am, just in other ways) so if you ever want to talk let me know!
Hello Mayuko,
I really liked your video and your way of seeing things. In my case I am living something similar to yours, in the sense that I have not yet graduated from university, but I already have a stable job. The truth is that at times it scares me to think about my future, to see myself as I am right now, only older. I have that small and great feeling at the same time to leave everything, make a business of my own and grow up and explore more of this life. Anyway, I just want you to know that your videos make me feel relieved, I think that all of us who watch your channel feel very comfortable and accompanied when we see you and hear you talk about life. I think we should all do it from time to time.
Sorry for my English, it's not my native language, I'm from Guatemala and I speak Spanish, but I hope you have understood me.
Greetings mayuko, now you know that you also have a fan in Guatemala :)
Luis, your English is fantastic, don't you ever worry about it.
"But it turns out when you are that when you're striving for a milestone and not a mission, you can feel lost when you achieve it." Ooof. This hit me hard. I've been attempting to tow the line between making my milestone a mission and my mission being milestones. The result has been I feel like I've kinda/sorta succeeded but still feel like I'm just still rounding that corner towards the mission objective but still not quite there, and it's taken me so long to attempt to get there. I feel like I may even be passed my prime on the way there at this point.
IMO, you're just being responsible. The people who go out, take risks, and become influential almost always come from a wealthy family, and thus they have something to fall back on if things don't pan out. (I imagine that they usually don't, but wealthy individuals have huge networks that allow for greater success rates compared to attempts made by the less affluent). Look up any hugely influential person, and you will see the pattern. It sucks for the rest of us normal people, but that's life. Note however that you don't need to make an impact when you're young. Take care of yourself now, build up a safety net, then go out and do your thing. (This is my plan at least.)
It's cool to learn how you deal with all these kind of existential questions. I'm in a similar spot that you have been before so definitely can relate to what you say. We all must see the big picture, life's so vast to be summarized in just a job/career or financial stability. There's definitely plenty of things to make the most out of our short existence.
Asian culture do tend to focus on financial security but tons of jobs that's financially secure don't really impact the world in a positive way. I have Asian friends working as accountants, working some kind of engineer, and I hear how they're working only for the salary. I'm Chinese Canadian and I didn't pursue that path, I went for a job in health care and I don't see my job for its salary, but for its potential to help people. I think that's what most people should strive for - you can be an engineer, you can be an accountant, but ideally you want to put that in good use, to be making a "positive impact" for others. And you can. You can work for some kind of non-profit organization or an organization that's developing software that has a positive impact somewhere. If your current job isn't giving you that, you might want to pursue another company. I'm sure after a few years of experience switching jobs shouldn't be too challenging.
I love hearing how common problems like this are among all Asian-Americans! Thank you for sharing!
- A Vietnamese-American software developer that is still going through the same things.
You have my respect for doing what you feel you need to do. No shame in going the safe route at all. Everyone has a contribution to society regardless of whether they are ""living the dream" or not. Although I am half asian, I don't think I can be a Yappie. Its just not "built" into me I guess. I was just barely able to pass my Kinder-highschool education due to my natural aversion to being in that kind of system. Despite repeated attempts, I figured out that I simply don't learn the same way others do. As strange as it might sound, I learn best when I'm constantly moving around and being in different places, hence I chose to be a traveler and learn different skills along the way. Why do I learn better this way? I don't know. I just do.
Everyone has different learning and experiencing styles. If you have adapted yourself to thrive within the realms of safety, then thats awesome and you will likely do great things in life! As the matter of fact, you might be in a very advantageous situation to help others if you have that kind of stability.
The rule of thumb is: Don't judge the poor man/woman who lives outside of societal norms. Also, do not judge the stable man/woman who lives within the realms of stability. Both have great things to offer the world.
I am a Taiwanese college student, most of the people I know are milestone-oriented, and I assumed it might be because of the educational system here, the education here put more emphasis on knowledge-cramming , learning or teaching for test, and getting high-salary job in the future , which makes big part of the students here have no idea what they really like, and what kind of innovation they can put on the profession they are learning. But after watching this video, I am thinking about whether all of this is due to the personality sake, some people could feel comfort to rest on the current situation , following the main society trend, while some others might not accept their life to be that normal, so they would have a big dream or goal and some ideas regarding to their profession since they were young, in my opinion, the main difference of them from normal people is that they're tend to keep inspired from anything that comes to their life, so that creative ideas will flow out from them.
yoo your hair looks amazing!!! great story as well!~ I can relate so well to this.
These are all normal questions imo. I think I am two years older than you but you definitely have more accomplishments than me, and honestly, I am trying to get where you are in life. These questions are signs that you are trying to grow both intellectually and emotionally which is totally understandable and human. You have this thing called "life" more figured out than you think. You're miles ahead, and people like me, are just trying to catch up to you before its too late.
By the way your dog totally flashed us at 5:01....
I always go to your channel to motivate myself into finishing business IT, thank you!
Love Love Love! This video spoke to my soul. All the best to you on your evolutionary journey :)
T_T I'm about to graduate the following semester as a computer science major, and this sort of hitting me hard right now.
At this point I am stressing for both job security, but at the same time I also want to take a risk to open my own business, which has nothing to do with being a software engineer.
At the same time I don't know if I would be comfortable just working a 9-5 job but I do want to do something where I would like to focus a majority of my time on, but on a bigger goal instead of working as a small employee of a company.
Thanks for the video because it really hits home for me!
Wow,I also have almost similar case as yours,like my family, milestones etc. Thank you for sharing your experiences 😊. Btw i just found your channel,and this is my 1st video. I am glad I found your channel👍.
You are a very likable person. I can see you succeeding in whatever you decide to do. Great video.
Just got my subscription. Crazy how similar the lives and experiences of children of African and Asian immigrants are. Thanks for sharing.
Ok, before I even finished the video, I love your shark in the background, really sweet. I remember seeing the same shark plush years ago, was it from IKEA?
WOW. Relate so much to this vid. This makes me think about when I used to take risks. I need to go back to doing that!
omg i love your content! Subscribed! Watch you become super famous in no time
found u in the comment section of Wong fu’s video and so glad I came over to your channel. loving your content ❤️
I love the way you express how you feel, I personally agree and disagree by times, but i strongly believe that each one of us have the right to live as we want, and yours is a good one. Take care
Thanks for making this video! The yappie topic really resonates with me too
My cohort had even tougher times, getting our degrees in the depths of the last recession where we had to get creative about how to survive post-graduation. For most of us that meant moving back in with the parents, fighting for a seat in grad school, and/or going abroad as an English tutor in Asia. For me and many in my unit then, even surviving a deployment into combat wasn't attractive enough for the few jobs available upon return.
I'd imagine if you were still in high school and college during the recession, the parents would double down on having the kids take stable career paths. For my section of the Millennial generation, that exact notion deteriorated as our parents realized how even good grades in a good school and major can't guarantee prosperity, especially where automation threatens to reduce demand for new hires like in finance and office management. Many of my classmates ultimately ended up in occupations they actually desired, where they could still market their passion for the position since there was no stopping the retardation of our wealth from the lost early years anyway.
I thought you were going to talk about the Wong Fu series, so I watched the finale before this lol
I hope I'll become a yappie too (for the professional part) after I finish my computer science degree. One more year to go!
Same here. Im being yappie for past 5 years and i quitted my five years job to work in better company. But the result is not really good. I got stuck on the new job, it didnt fit me and made me losing my balance work life. There was a morning i came to office and saw the empty room, i started wondering what im doing here but i couldnt do anything beside turned on computer. Until a few weeks ago i decided to leaving. Actually i dont have any plan now but i am just taking break and trying to reflect my life.
What advice would you give to someone who is torn between the decisions of becoming a yappie or something else? I'm not sure which path to go.
Love your video! You basically articulated what was on my mind after I watched the WongFu videos on Yappie. For practical reasons, I used to study Accounting and Economics. Then I worked in corporate tax for several years. I was ok with that job--mainly because of the financial stability. However, I always had a passion to help others so I eventually got into teaching and became an Accounting professor. Perhaps this may be something you are interested in doing in the future.
I like your eyebrows!
uggggh I love your videos Mayuko!
SE is pretty cool, you could achieve even greater heights if you’re a polymath. That’s like google APIs, many of which are unsurpassable by any private individual simply because they had resources to grab experts in physics and sciences and make them translate their work for software engineers, like the Fourier transform in speech recognition softwares, and they’ve only been improving out of grasp decades since
I can relate much with your story, even though I am from the other part of the world (Croatia, Europe)...I am also a software engineer, which is a career I've chosen because I was good at math and it looked promising. I've started my company (with my partner) and avoided 9-5 work style. Most of my decisions are also based on fear and family oriented.
When I think about my life goals/dreams, my main goal is to die loved and full of love. But with my introvert nature, it's also one of the most challenging goals/dreams.
I am big fan of yours.. i am prepairing myself for software engineering. Now i work on my ielts then may go to canada for study
great video mayuko, i'm still thinking about moving to another country so, how you see the world gives me anothe point of view, still, i must think it well and twice
Why am I gettin` this feeling Miss Mayuko will soon gonna be in an episode on a Wong Fu' video.