2020 was extraordinary in every sense of the word. While the year ranged from “unprecedented” to “wtf,” it was also remarkable to witness the incredible feats of perseverance and resilience from family, friends, colleagues, and humanity itself.

As we embark on a new year and see a glimmer of light at the end of this dark tunnel, I find myself thinking about major moments both traumatic and enlightening throughout my career, and what I want to remember and learn from moving forward.

This may sound like ancient history to some of you, but I finished undergrad in May of 2008, right on the eve of the Great Recession. I was fortunate to get hired mere weeks before the market crashed and managed to survive the chaos of layoffs and cost-cutting that ensued in the months and years to follow.

At the tender age of 22, I had already witnessed a lot of tough decisions that I wouldn’t fully understand until years later.

Moments like that—and the one we are still in right now—are unbelievably hard for young professionals. The anxiety of job security is real, and it can be difficult to understand your role and value, especially if you’re working from home. It might feel like you can’t function as your authentic self, since you’re trying to stay under the radar and not step on any toes.

I hope that those professionals who find themselves lost or in anguish can seek guidance, support, and solace in personal and professional networks. For me, I am indebted to ongoing support of my friends, peers, and mentors I have gained through my participation in ULI, especially with Young Leaders Group (YLG).

I started with YLG seven years ago, mostly to gain access to the learning events. At the bare minimum, organizations like this are invaluable for filling in some of the real-world lessons that education doesn’t teach and helping young people build the foundations of their professional networks. By happy accident, I started raising my hand for various opportunities that came up within ULI. Over time, my involvement grew and grew, and by 2019, I was co-leading a group of 800 young real estate professionals in the Washington, D.C. area. With a little extra involvement and dedication, an organization like this can offer tangible benefits to your career and invaluable personal growth such confidence-building and leadership skills.

YLG has given me access to respected professionals and leaders within my industry and beyond with whom I may have never been able to connect otherwise. Even more importantly, it’s given me a support network and a great group of friends beyond a professional context.

That same network recently helped me make a big move in my life. Millennials like myself, on average, hold six to eight jobs by the time they’re 30. Throughout my entire professional life until now, I’ve held two. More power to the job hoppers, but I felt that a different path was right for me. I spent the last eight years at a firm I truly loved, doing work I was passionate about with a group of people that I admire and respect beyond measure.

But with 2020 shaking things up in every imaginable way, I decided to take a little bit of a risk for myself. I closed out the previous chapter of my career and jumped at a new opportunity to take on more responsibility in a different realm of the CRE industry. I was compelled by the chance to learn about a new world. But more than anything else, I was drawn to the challenge and the possibility of reinvention.

On top of all this, I have one more change on the way, as this is my last year as YLG Chair. I’m going to miss the role, but I want you all to know how much I’ve appreciated being able to help with your professional development and grow alongside you.

We all would’ve preferred if the past year had been less tumultuous. But hopefully, as you move forward in your careers, these times can also be formative—just as the harrowing days in 2008 and 2020 were for me.

Diana Shin
Senior Vice President – Regional Marketing Director at Transwestern
Chair, Young Leaders Group

In ULI Washington’s new Leadership Insights column, ULI Washington will regularly feature member leader’s thoughts and insights as we adjust personally and professional to a “new normal.”