Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kevin Tan-Perkins. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Kevin, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you tell us about an important lesson you learned while working at a prior job?
The most important lesson I’ve ever learned in my life is time management. I learned this early on in childhood from playing sports at a young age and school. Throw in a season of piano in there and now I have to learn how to juggle homework, being a good student, and learning how to compete in the numerous sports I played growing up. Fast forward through my high school and collegiate years where being a student-athlete we are constantly told learn how to manage your time and this will help you in your professional work career. There never was a truer statement for me.
Kevin, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I feel as though I’ve always been a jack of all trades and wearing so many hats. I would say I’m very much adaptable and versatile. I will give my 110% to anything I put my mind to. However, I have never limited myself to just one thing and again that can be attributed back to my days of youth multi-tasking. So I can shift from tennis, then have an audition and lock in during that time and still maintain my focus to carry out my job as data/financial analyst. The title student-athlete is literally broken down into two parts. Student. Athlete. So you have to balance both and give your all when doing each role. So that carried over into my day-to-day life and now my professional life.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I think from a corporate POV, you have to be resilient every day. I remember graduating with my MBA and it taking me a few months to find a job that required the experience. I had the undergraduate and master’s degree but didn’t have the experience since most of my 20s was when I was a tennis pro. I used to pray that someone gave me a shot to prove myself and the skillset I bring to their company. It finally happened and it was a great feeling. I learned a lot in that year at that company then I bet on myself again and leveled up to another company with a bigger role that would push me to work harder and learn more. Without this resilience of hearing the no’s and not getting interviews definitely makes you tougher and built for it. The same goes with my acting career, hundreds of audition with 99% no’s but man that 1% of hearing yes, you booked the role is an amazing feeling. That resilience has truly helped me with my daily life. It’s not that you aren’t good enough, it’s just not the right time or fit but that doesn’t mean you’re not a good candidate. But you just can’t let that get to you. You have to know your worth.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
I had to unlearn something that a college professor told me in undergraduate studies. He told me I know you are a student-athlete and you are involved in other campus extracurricular activities but it will be tough for you to sustain multiple things in the “real world”. I was so puzzled by this statement because I was expecting a more positive statement yet that is not what I was met with. I always remember this when I would go from working my financial job and then going to the studios for an audition or going to film on location. It can be done so I had to unlearn those words from that professor for situations like this.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @kevotnao
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-tan-perkins-mba-19431286/
- Twitter: @kevotano