Chris Howe
Why did you choose your program at UBC and what did you enjoy most about it?
I first came to UBC for the opportunity to play sports, and received a scholarship to go to UBC Okanagan, which was the perfect campus for me to attend coming from a small town. When I started, I honestly thought I was most interested in business, and entered into UBC Okanagan’s business management program.
Upon transferring to our Vancouver campus after two years, my credits mostly transferred into Arts. While I say I fell into the Arts program at UBC, I really fell in love with the content and I can’t imagine getting any other degree. My professors truly cared about the students and what they were teaching, some of which I still bump into. I’m amazed they somehow remember my name.
What were some of your most meaningful experiences at UBC?
As an Arts major, what holds meaning for me now was the amount the professors cared about helping the students develop their own understanding and love for the content. As a student-athlete, what was meaningful was the standard I learned to hold myself to during that time while juggling many passions. As president of the Thunderbird Athletes Council, it still gives me shivers seeing our varsity community of athletes together and proud to lead the UBC student body on their first Great Thunderbird Trek to Homecoming. I’m very grateful to have been able to explore such a variety of many meaningful experiences through one University.
Photo: Rich Lam
What choices did you make at UBC that contributed to your career success / journey?
The choice to get involved!
At UBC Okanagan, the campus was (and is) still relatively small compared to UBC, and therefore it had a significant need to develop sister programs to its big brother in Vancouver. I took opportunities to get involved in student government, volunteer programs, and founded the Okanagan’s version of the Athlete’s Council I became president of in Vancouver later on. While most of the things I became involved in only lasted a day or a week, I’m so glad to have taken the leap into university life beyond my studies to meet so many wonderful students and contribute to causes I believed in.
What was your first job after graduation and what other jobs did you have before your current position?
I worked at Lululemon as an events manager, helping to coordinate a 10,000-person half marathon around the seawall. I held many roles over the years, and the people and working culture fundamentally shaped my approach to work and life. After that, I worked at a food delivery company for over three years helping their Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton operations get off the ground. My time at Foodora developed my systems-level approach to solving human problems using technology, and I can say I’m currently hooked!
Is your current career path as you originally intended? What challenges did you face in launching your career?
Not even close to my original path, and I hope it continues to evolve with me as I grow!
The challenges that come to mind involved not getting too fixated on a path, and having a practice of goal setting. While the things I pursue may change slightly as my circumstances change, the core values that underlie the goals that I strive for do not.
What do you like about your current job and what do you find challenging? How does it relate to your degree?
I love the constant change and the team mentality we all have in solving the current challenges. All problems are rooted in people. If I don’t have a strong emotional intelligence, it will be difficult to articulate and understand the needs of the people I strive to support through the technology I am building.
From your experience, what has been the value of having an Arts degree?
Developing an ability to understand the points of view of other people and hold multiple diverse points of view in my head, communicate from each and find the best path forward given a situation are skills I couldn’t have developed as easily with any other degree.
What advice would you give to students and alumni interested in breaking into your industry?
Engage! As a person much wiser than me told me once, “What you study in your education isn’t nearly as important as what you do while you’re getting an education.”
I would encourage everyone in their undergrad to get curious and get involved in things. Find other people who feel the same way, and build relationships. Most of my skills and relationships have come from engaging in something meaningful to me while I was getting a degree, not just in the classroom itself. UBC has a wealth of diversity of experiences and people who are willing to connect you with exciting programs. You just need to have the courage to get curious with yourself about what interests you. Start there, and don’t look back!
Chris Howe
Why did you choose your program at UBC and what did you enjoy most about it?
I first came to UBC for the opportunity to play sports, and received a scholarship to go to UBC Okanagan, which was the perfect campus for me to attend coming from a small town. When I started, I honestly thought I was most interested in business, and entered into UBC Okanagan’s business management program.
Upon transferring to our Vancouver campus after two years, my credits mostly transferred into Arts. While I say I fell into the Arts program at UBC, I really fell in love with the content and I can’t imagine getting any other degree. My professors truly cared about the students and what they were teaching, some of which I still bump into. I’m amazed they somehow remember my name.
What were some of your most meaningful experiences at UBC?
As an Arts major, what holds meaning for me now was the amount the professors cared about helping the students develop their own understanding and love for the content. As a student-athlete, what was meaningful was the standard I learned to hold myself to during that time while juggling many passions. As president of the Thunderbird Athletes Council, it still gives me shivers seeing our varsity community of athletes together and proud to lead the UBC student body on their first Great Thunderbird Trek to Homecoming. I’m very grateful to have been able to explore such a variety of many meaningful experiences through one University.
Photo: Rich Lam
What choices did you make at UBC that contributed to your career success / journey?
The choice to get involved!
At UBC Okanagan, the campus was (and is) still relatively small compared to UBC, and therefore it had a significant need to develop sister programs to its big brother in Vancouver. I took opportunities to get involved in student government, volunteer programs, and founded the Okanagan’s version of the Athlete’s Council I became president of in Vancouver later on. While most of the things I became involved in only lasted a day or a week, I’m so glad to have taken the leap into university life beyond my studies to meet so many wonderful students and contribute to causes I believed in.
What was your first job after graduation and what other jobs did you have before your current position?
I worked at Lululemon as an events manager, helping to coordinate a 10,000-person half marathon around the seawall. I held many roles over the years, and the people and working culture fundamentally shaped my approach to work and life. After that, I worked at a food delivery company for over three years helping their Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton operations get off the ground. My time at Foodora developed my systems-level approach to solving human problems using technology, and I can say I’m currently hooked!
Is your current career path as you originally intended? What challenges did you face in launching your career?
Not even close to my original path, and I hope it continues to evolve with me as I grow!
The challenges that come to mind involved not getting too fixated on a path, and having a practice of goal setting. While the things I pursue may change slightly as my circumstances change, the core values that underlie the goals that I strive for do not.
What do you like about your current job and what do you find challenging? How does it relate to your degree?
I love the constant change and the team mentality we all have in solving the current challenges. All problems are rooted in people. If I don’t have a strong emotional intelligence, it will be difficult to articulate and understand the needs of the people I strive to support through the technology I am building.
From your experience, what has been the value of having an Arts degree?
Developing an ability to understand the points of view of other people and hold multiple diverse points of view in my head, communicate from each and find the best path forward given a situation are skills I couldn’t have developed as easily with any other degree.
What advice would you give to students and alumni interested in breaking into your industry?
Engage! As a person much wiser than me told me once, “What you study in your education isn’t nearly as important as what you do while you’re getting an education.”
I would encourage everyone in their undergrad to get curious and get involved in things. Find other people who feel the same way, and build relationships. Most of my skills and relationships have come from engaging in something meaningful to me while I was getting a degree, not just in the classroom itself. UBC has a wealth of diversity of experiences and people who are willing to connect you with exciting programs. You just need to have the courage to get curious with yourself about what interests you. Start there, and don’t look back!
