Alumni Spotlight: Connecting School, Work, and Life
Michelle Yung (MSSM ‘17) and her journey in creating connections both with her work at LinkedIn and the iii community
By Hannah Brelsford
Michelle Yung began her career in finance before working at a startup. At the startup, she wore many hats, one of which exposed her to the product and engineering side of the industry and, in turn, sparked a new interest.
This curiosity led Michelle to the Integrated Innovation Institute’s Master of Science in Software Management Program (MSSM), based at CMU’s Silicon Valley campus.
Michelle’s Journey to the iii + Beyond
- Graduated from the MSSM Part-Time program in 2017
- Secured job at LinkedIn through an iii connection
- Works at the intersection of engineering and product
- Creates impact by sharing her knowledge and journey
⚙️Connecting at the iii
Michelle grew up in the Bay Area so it always felt like home. Even though the Bay is synonymous with “Big Tech,” Michelle hadn’t had much exposure to the industry - until she joined the CMU community and unlocked this facet of her hometown.
The key to doing so was the relationships that Michelle cultivated between her peers and her professors.
“I built a lot of connections with my classmates and professors that persisted after graduation. Those connections were crucial for getting my foot in the door at LinkedIn,” Michelle said.
“My professor Dr. Catherine Fang connected me to a mentor who worked at LinkedIn and helped me get my career started. I didn't even know the ‘Technical Program Manager’ position existed before the program.”
Dr. Fang encouraged Michelle to learn more about the TPM role to see if it was the right fit.
When asked about her former student, Dr. Fang said, “Michelle made a deep memory on me with her genuine passion for technological advancement and product design. She excels in both conceptual thinking and practical implementation. I vividly recall an instance in my Cloud Computing course where students were tasked with integrating a computer vision service on cloud platforms. Michelle returned after just a week with not only one but a cluster of implementations and a business pitch on the best use cases for entity recognition.”
💻 Bridging Product & Engineering
Michelle has worked at LinkedIn since graduation, continuously learning and growing with each position over the years. She is currently a Senior Staff Technical Program Manager.
At LinkedIn, Michelle keeps the product and engineering teams aligned. She works with engineering leaders to identify the top technical challenges the teams and programs are currently facing, formulate plans, and identify risks. When conflicts naturally arise between engineering and product, Michelle establishes resolutions and bridges the divide to improve the long-term outcome and maximize impact. Michelle relies on the relationships that she has built with her teams to keep the teams and programs on track.
To balance multiple teams with varying priorities, Michelle has to consider the bigger picture from all sides including architectural, product, and marketing perspectives.
Sacrifices have to be made to ensure quality products, and Michelle decides what those might be. “Ruthless prioritization means that we need to make difficult trade-offs for one of these axes to ensure that our short-term and long-term deliverables are met.”
She has worked on rebuilding LinkedIn’s sales and payment platforms, as well as improving enterprise and customer workflows. Her efforts have helped grow the LinkedIn community to reach over $10 billion in revenue.
“I enjoy what I am doing right now. It is the cross-section between engineering and product. When I want to be more technical, I have that luxury, and if I want to be on the product side, I have that opportunity as well.”
🗣️ Making an Impact
The iii feels like family to Michelle. She doesn’t hesitate to reach out to her professors even still, and she gives back to the CMU community by guest speaking in classes, including Agile Marketing, Business Model and Strategy, and Metrics for Software Managers this past year.
Michelle has also hosted workshops for students on how to level up their LinkedIn and personal branding.
“Leading workshops for iii was incredibly fulfilling for me because the experience came full circle. I benefited from similar workshops when I was in school, and I enjoyed being able to pass that on.”
She appreciates the opportunity to give students feedback in real-time and to bridge her academic and professional worlds in a meaningful way that positively impacts students' careers.
Additionally, within the industry, she has had the opportunity to represent women in tech. She has co-led workshops at the Women in Technology Summit and given multiple Tech Talks that focus on how women can leverage their skills within their careers.
Michelle was chosen to represent LinkedIn at Grace Hopper, a conference celebrating women in computing. This opportunity allowed her to engage with many different professionals and learn about their paths through the tech industry.
Her career path into tech was not traditional so meeting with other professionals who also shared unique career paths inspired her.
“I left Grace Hopper with a renewed sense of confidence, a host of new skills, and a deeper appreciation for the vibrant community of tech enthusiasts.”
It’s fitting that Michelle landed at LinkedIn; her passion is connections. She strives to build a better world one connection at a time and to share her network and knowledge in support of growing women’s presence in the tech industry.