FiT Feature: Robel Paguio

Name
Robel Paguio

Title
Product Designer

Age or Age Range (20s, 30s, etc)
30s

 Company
Momentive (maker of SurveyMonkey) 

How long have you been in tech?
For the past couple of years now.

 How did you know you wanted to get into tech?
I’ve known since I was pretty young, having grown up with the internet and designing websites as a teen. I kept my fascination and passion for technology to the side when I ultimately pursued Psychology and Business in college. When I graduated, I worked in Higher Education and then quickly transitioned into a role with a “tech-adjacent” startup (WeWork). Supporting a community of tech startups and entrepreneurs solidified it as an industry I wanted to pursue. 

How were you able to make the career pivot to Product Designer?
I, like many others looking to make the transition into Product Design, opted to join a bootcamp as a way to build foundational skills and knowledge. I knew I needed the structure, accountability, and peer support that a bootcamp could offer, and I wanted the transition itself to be my full-time focus as opposed to doing it on my own or joining a part-time program. While the bootcamp was helpful, what helped in making the pivot successful was getting actual work experience through freelance and volunteer projects for real clients/companies. Having real “stakes” and feedback was crucial in building my process and portfolio of work.

 Were you supported by your family to get into tech?
Yes— I definitely had some “moral support” from my family when I shared with them that I planned to make the pivot. Since I had already saved enough on my own to afford not working for 6 months and had a general timeline of when I might (realistically) land a job, they didn’t have too much pause with the decision. They also understood that “tech” was where the money was, so I didn’t receive a lot of pushback there! 

Do you feel represented in tech?
Short answer— no, but it can depend on where you land. Since I had made the transition into tech, diversity and representation at all levels were harder to find with smaller startups, especially as some organizations’ hiring is influenced or informed by their primarily white investors. Even as I moved into a much larger organization, I found myself being the only Filipinx employee in our larger Product, Research, and Design org (until we hired another Filipinx designer last year). In general, I barely ever see Filipinx leaders in C-Level roles, let alone featured as guests on my favorite tech podcasts, so I’d say there’s still a lot of opportunity when it comes to representation.

Do you feel supported by the Filipinos in tech community? (in general not this org).
In general— yes! I like to assume we as a community like to see each other succeed and will go out of our ways to help others achieve their goals. For instance, there was a Senior Designer (who was previously featured in this community) who was a helpful mentor during my transition into Design who happened to be Filipina. While our Filipinx identity wasn’t something that we explicitly called out in our interactions— I definitely felt a sense of shared solidarity and understanding in how we engaged with each other. 

 What advice do you have for other Filipinos in tech that are having issues growing and obtaining promotions at their company?
it can be helpful to recognize that there may be habits or attitudes innate to our culture that might be working against our own growth or ability to self-advocate at work. We were often taught to stay quiet, respect our elders, and not to brag— much of that coming from our previous generations’ need to survive. When we can acknowledge those as learned habits or attitudes, we can start to separate that from who we are as individuals (with our own capabilities) and build the muscle for self-advocation. It may be incredibly uncomfortable at first to speak up and take up space if we’re not used to it, but the more we practice it, starting softly and often, the stronger that muscle becomes. 

What advice do you have for other Filipinos that are interested in making a career transition to Product Designer?
If you’re thinking about pivoting into Product Design, especially now, be sure to make that decision with the same weight and thoughtfulness as if you were pivoting into any other industry or role (e.g. finance, engineering, marketing, etc.). More than ever, there are countless “quick and easy” pathways to Product design being marketed heavily, driving a lot of buzz and interest around the field. It’s being positioned as a high-paying, creative, job that anyone can do and find success in “in a matter of months”. Like any other job, Product Design can be… just like any other job, so if you do plan to make the pivot, ask yourself how much of that is being driven by the hype around the field vs your own general interest in the role/craft. Are you ready for the really good and really bad days to come learning and working in the field? Past the pixels and visual design, are you just as interested in the presenting, facilitating, negotiating, and compromising that goes into the work?

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
In 5 years, I’d like to be able to look back and see growth in the important areas of my life—  traveling to countries my husband and I haven’t been to, continuing to build a more honest relationship with my parents and brother, expanding my skillset as a Product Designer, and taking opportunities to help other aspiring Designers break into the field. 

How can people reach you and for what?

I love connection more than anything and am always open to a coffee chat, deep conversation, or even a quick LinkedIn add. Feel free to email me at robel.paguio@gmail.com or add me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/robelpaguio. I also welcome any aspiring Product Designers to reach out if they have any questions at all about breaking into the field having just navigated through that experience myself not too long ago!