Joseph Kao, Ph.D.

I'm a mid-career professional with 10+ years experiences in the chemical and consumer electronics industries. Throughout my career, I've evolved from R&D scientist roles to a people manager and successfully pivoted from engineering to program/product management. Recently, I applied for MBA and gained admission to the top programs to develop entrepreneurship for my newfound passion on sustainability.

About Me

Up until 4 years ago, I was just like many other techies in the Silicon Valley working 60+ hours/week on my "dream job" in one of the FAANG companies. My hard work paid off where I was promoted to lead a 10-people team to develop top-priority products on company roadmap. The work-life balance was dissatisfactory but the "golden handcuff" and the people management opportunity kept me going day after day. However, it didn't last long.

During the pandemic, I could no longer ignore my mid-career malaise and I started revisiting the purpose of my career from within. I was clueless at the beginning but I decided to take one small step at a time. I started taking online trainings that led to a successful switch of my job function that I enjoyed doing. Outside of work, I gradually picked up the community activities that I always wanted to do where I found immense passion on recycling. My plastic recycling volunteering experiences gave me new perspectives and inspired me to apply for MBA programs to explore entrepreneurship for circular economy. After long hours of test prep, essay writing, networking, and interview prep, I eventually gained admission to INSEAD MBA, Kellogg 1Y MBA, and Stanford GSB MSx. I'm now having the best time of my life developing new ventures for sustainability in the Stanford GSB MSx program!

So why am I here? It sounded easy to pivot to a different career path and apply for MBA programs mid-career in writing but it actually wasn't...... There were so many times that I wished to have a coach as my sounding board and advisor. Hence, I want to give back to the mid-career professionals who are experiencing the same challenges as I did. The strategic frameworks and resource repository that I've built for career advancement, career change, and MBA application will help you effectively navigate through your life and career. Together we can convert your mid-career challenges into the golden opportunities that will transform the next chapter of your life.