All posts filed under: Career

New Beginnings – Columbia

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The past month has been a whirlwind, from my departure from the City of Los Angeles, my cross-country roadtrip, to my first week at Columbia University. A lot has changed. I am no longer engaged in building public policy or writing feasibility studies. Everything has become a blessing after the hardships I endured the last eight months. There is much truth in the idea that new beginnings allow you to do something new and be someone new or even to feel something new. I have never worked so hard or felt as assured in my life, from handling grad school coursework to really trying to organize and bond our cohort together. This change really came from the lesson during my time at DCP, especially the last months. The importance of knowing the people you see and work with everyday cannot be understated. Babak, Cally, Nina, Jason, Iris, and Angela you taught me so much during the last few months we spent together. I cannot thank you enough. Though everyday has been pretty much a 9 …

Transit Oriented Communities Affordable Housing Incentive Program

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On Friday, September 22, the Transit Oriented Communities Affordable Housing Incentive Program (TOC) – implemented by Measure JJJ last November – became effective. This has been a project I have worked on for most of this year and it has been very exciting to see it become a reality. With the rising housing costs in Los Angeles, it has been crucial to develop initiatives that spur more residential housing development. This program can be viewed as a super Density Bonus, which is an ordinance that allows for increased density in exchange for the provision of affordable housing. Affordability is defined as 30% (very low), 50% (low), and 80% (moderate) of the area median income. Though the program is limited to a half-mile radius around Major Transit Stops, as defined by the California State Public Resources Code Section 21064.3, many developers are excited because this new program allows for the possibility of a density increase up to 80% off the base zoning, along with a variety of incentives such as reduction in parking and increase in …

Analyzing Density Bonus Developments in the City of Los Angeles

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On February 22, 2016, I started the GIS Specialization Course with UC Davis through Coursera. For those of you who have paid attention, I have started the final course of the specialization: Geospatial Analysis Project. As with other Coursera specializations, this is a Capstone project that is the culmination of the previous courses. For this project, I have to propose, design, analyze, and present a geospatial analysis project from start to finish. This week requires the creation of my project proposal, which is as follows (if any of you have suggestions on data sources and/or analysis, please feel free to comment): What is Density Bonus? Density Bonus is a program through which a developer can apply for a project with a unit density greater than that allowed by the current land use zoning, as calculated from unit floor area and floor area ratio (FAR). In exchange for the higher density, the developer must set aside a certain number of units to be affordable: this is by restricting the rent levels or sale prices to targeted income levels …

Half-Year Review – All that Work 就說到做到

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About four months ago, I wrote about goals to achieve by the time my birthday rolled around. Well, my birthday came and went on the 8th of June and here I am today, looking back and looking forward. Before we start, big shout out to my friends with their surprise cakes. First, let’s review my goals and how much I completed: Learn Spanish – I am at 50% fluency on Duolingo! Learn to write Chinese – I am halfway there. Still in progress Complete Data Science Specialization with Coursera – Completed! Complete Half of the GIS Specialization – Yup, got them certificates! Complete a site suitability study – Done, I actually completed two but only one is public on LoopNet! Check under attachments. Write and submit poetry to Poetry Foundation – Done, but haven’t heard back yet. Work-out regularly – Almost everyday and I run on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Also started bouldering and biking from Venice Beach to Santa Monica. Practice violin everyday – Doing that as well, though been on a break the last couple …

Short Post: Biology and Life

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I have been looking for a steady job now for almost a year now and one of the questions I get asked the most is why? Why am I pursuing or want to pursue a career in such and such? People really want to know where you are coming from and what your vision of the future is. Honestly, even though I know my answers, sometimes I have to look back to the beginning and ask myself why? Why am I now fascinated by the use of space in cities and urban environments? Why am I pursuing a career in understanding the urban? Like most stories, there is a beginning. As a young child, I was always chasing after butterflies, digging up earthworms, and collecting fish. Their movements and their features fascinated me. Metamorphosis, the transformation from an ugly caterpillar to a beautiful butterfly, captivated my imagination and in many ways it is a metaphor for life. I never though much of it until high school, where I met a wonderful biology teacher by the …

Courtyard by Marriott – Arc Atlantic Regional Center

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As Arc Atlantic Regional Center’s Project Coordinator, I work on various aspects of their Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in Monterey Park development. My responsibilities are split between project coordination, marketing data analysis, and marketing. I took initiative to create the company’s online presence. In collaboration with Suen Labs, I re-developed Arc Atlantic Regional Center’s website which launched on Feb 26. I created both the Chinese and English content for the website and provided design directions for the appearance of the website. My other work in marketing includes creating various media items such as monthly newsletters and press releases and I coordinate with local media such as TV Stations and newspapers in creating advertisements. I also provide Chinese-English translations for our marketing materials as needed, such as adding Chinese subtitles in the introduction video for investors. In terms of project coordination, I help the Project Manager in contacting various utilities and contractors relevant to the construction and development of the project. For example, I reached out to Southern California Edison and AT&T for their underground cables and pipeline …

WLM Financial Marketing and Branding

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During September 2015 to January 2016, I worked as a Marketing Coordinator/Analyst for the real-estate broker WLM Financial. Based in Inglewood, CA, the company focused on providing first-time home buyers with financial advice and loans needed to purchase their home. Using my knowledge of GIS and demographics, I identified the locations of their target markets. I proposed ten cities in the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area that they can look to expand marketing operations into. On the broker side of business operations, I looked at home sales data, mortgage data, and property prices to locate other states that WLM Financial can look to apply for broker licenses. After getting to know their operations, targets and goals better, I created a marketing and a branding plan for the company. In terms of brand building, I used their current website and Facebook page as points of interest and set goals to be reached by July 2016 and July 2017. I created a social media schedule for them to post select content and to generate more reach and views to …

Half-Year Goals – 2016

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As I write this, almost one-sixth of the year has already passed. This also means…as fast as time flies, my birthday is right around the corner. In the spirit of summer babies and half years, I have set out a list of goals I want to achieve by the time I turn 27. A man/woman without goals is not living but merely surviving. Since I moved to Los Angeles last summer, much of my time has been consumed by job hunting. I have been stressed out because of a lack of productivity, a lack of stability in terms of my visa, and a lack of direction. I stopped being who I was: cheerful, fun, adventurous, enterprising, passionate, curious, to name a few generic/unique traits… In order to rectify that, I am going to set some goals. I want to learn new skills and continue to become a better person. I know that every year I am gaining more experience. Every year, I have grown and become a better man. This year, I am writing this down and posting …

The Power (or Lack of) of Internships

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There is always something to learn in every situation – depending on your perspective. Some might say it is always better to get an internship at a large corporation for its name recognition, connections, and employment opportunities. It is true. A lot of times, having a big name on your resume (much like a degree from a renowned academic institution) can stack the odds in your favor during a job hunt. Yet, I believe being an intern at relatively new or small companies provide special opportunities to learn and grow. The current company I am working for is small. We have two owners, nine employees, and two interns including me. I am the marketing intern and I work with two others, making up a three-person marketing team. The small size of this company meant that I was actually handed much more responsibilities and allowed much more involvement in the business than the average intern. As of today, I am in charge of operating and managing the company’s market research and analysis, Facebook Ads, and Google Ads …