Sam Frida in a nutshell

In think In the professional world we tend to have these “expectations” of where someone should be at a certain point in their career. We look for these levels as we view their resumes and make our judgements. But that’s not the way my journey has been. 

I was born and raised in Singapore where structure was in our DNA. The best of me didn’t come through when placed in box and assessed by a grading system. My family relocated to Melbourne, Australia where I had spent the last 2 years of my high school years there.

My journey began on the traditional route. I completed my Bachelor of Arts at La Trobe University. The year I graduated, I lost my dad. One of his wishes for me was to attend law school, so I did. I attended University of Leeds, UK to complete a 2 year LLB program. Then, I went on to complete the UK Bar in London and was called to the UK Bar, with affinity to Lincoln’s Inn.  My Mother, being the High School Geography teacher she was, I was so inspired by how she taught me and what I learned, I grew wings on my feet and explored the world through travel.

And that’s where the “traditional” line came to an end and the real journey began. While traveling  in Europe, I was offered and accepted my first professional job at Philips Electronics in the Netherlands. My title was “Domain Name Attorney”; a title that no one else had at the time. This began my passion and career journey in the domain name space. 

Eventually, my curiosity got the better of me. Instead of fighting against it, I allowed myself to flow along with it. This led me to learn domains from the ground up and was the start of 19+ years in the industry before I began my journey into the world of data.

I won’t include all the other “career” details in this space because this is not my resume. You’re free to view my LinkedIn profile if you’re wondering more about the different positions that I held between then and now.

I don’t want to be put in a box. In fact, I don’t think there should even be a box! I mean, where did this box even come from? Here are some of the unique ways that I view life and work:

Understanding is key for me. If I take on a responsibility, I drive myself to learn the subject matter from the ground up. This helps me connect the dots beyond what I’m paid to do. I start to see the bigger picture of how a service/product helps the end user. One example of this is I recently completed coding classes. I was always interested in understanding the principles, logic, use and power behind the different coding languages. I dedicated myself to 16 weeks of intense learning including 9 hours of in-class learning a week and 10 hours of outside class time participating and working on team projects in addition to my regular work schedule. I came out on the other side a better communicator and forming a different relationship with the web.

My biggest driver is empathy. I lead by heart and with that comes a sensitivity to protect. I see people as people, not numbers, client files, or potential sales. I can empathize with how a customer feels when a product or service is in front of them. As a result of the ability to empathize naturally with an end user, I enjoy creating that explanation  that resonates with many. It should be communicated simply.

I’m a dot connector. I believe it’s important to build trust with people both within and outside of an organization. This helps me align my efforts within my role as well. Authenticity is key to building trust so I invest my efforts wisely.

I desperately want to bridge the gap between the tech industry and the rest of the world. By focusing on the knowledge gap that exists between the two, I’m able to communicate more clearly with those that don’t know the intricate details and jargon of the tech world.

I mean what I say and say what I mean which allows me to connect authentically with people. When I work on something, I strive to become the subject matter expert

There you have it. A glance at the real Sam Frida.