The Goodway Life: Be Challenged to Keep Learning Every Day

Yen Nguyen headshot for keep learning profile

What’s it really like to work at Goodway Group?

Q&A with Yen Nguyen

Yen Nguyen, a Digital Media Trader based in Fayetteville, Arkansas, shares her experience in the dynamic ad tech industry and how she is able to keep learning every day.


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After dipping my toe into the media waters with a few news organizations, non-profits and institutions, I excitedly jumped off the deep end with Goodway. Cannonball!

There are lots of ad tech companies to work for, so why Goodway Group?

What first caught my attention about the job post was the phrase, “willing to train if you’re a fit.” To me, it was a clear statement that this company wasn’t just looking for resumes to fill skill gaps;  they were looking for real human beings that would fit the company culture.

When friends and family ask what you do all day, how do you explain it?

I usually lose my parents before I can finish the first sentence, but I tell my more tech-savvy friends that I get to spend millions of dollars each month analyzing data points that allow me to pinpoint the needs of a particular audience and match those needs with my client’s products.

How has Goodway Group helped you Keep Learning to grow personally and professionally?

When I graduated, I wanted a challenging profession; and in ad tech, I got it. At Goodway, a huge part of my success has been due to the excellent training programs, peer review system and mentorship pairing. With Goodway’s support, I started as a media coordinator a little over a year ago and was promoted to media trader after just five months.

Why do you care about what we do at Goodway?

I like to be the first to know about change, and the more I work in this industry, the more I think it’s a good fit for my curious nature. Digital media changes fast, and adapting to industry change requires constant learning. Goodway doesn’t merely adapt, here we are encouraged to be pioneers.

What has surprised you most about working here?

You don’t often see the president of a company dancing at center stage with his employees, and I surely didn’t receive a personal congratulation on my promotion from any other executives I worked with in the past, but Goodway’s President, Dave, is a different kind of leader.

How does this remote work thing actually work?

Working virtually means I spend less time preparing for and stressing about my workday — no make-up time, no road rage, no fear of inclement weather — every day starts with me being in my best work mindset. Here are just a couple of the other perks: I can take my time drinking the whole pot of coffee and fish is always an option for lunch! Seriously though, the best part about working virtually is the flexibility that I have with my actual work location. I have the freedom to move back home to take care of my parents when needed, the freedom to support my boyfriend if he needs to relocate for his job and the freedom from office cubicles everywhere I go. I think the biggest impact of working virtually is how the power of choice liberates me to have the adventure of a lifetime anytime I want.

What hours does everyone have to work since you’re all in different time zones?

My team is very good at catering our work hours to our clients’ needs. All of my team members log in during our clients’ normal work hours. Management is also pretty lenient about time zone differences, in my opinion. I think it’s due to the fact that everyone here is trustworthy and honors their end of the bargain.

What do you miss about office life?

I honestly don’t miss anything about office life, aside from the occasional junk-food fest, which is probably a good thing for my waistline.

If you’re working from home, how are you not tempted to watch Netflix all day?

My focus is the same, if not better, when working from home since there are no office distractions. The workload at Goodway is not light, which requires me to be truly efficient in managing my time. Once I start work, I tune out all distractions and only focus on the task at hand. I used to try listening to podcasts or music while working, but formulas don’t just pop up in my head if Freakonomics is stressing about barefoot running. I knew when I signed up for Goodway that I wanted the work equivalent of a Himalayan hike, not a Bahamas cruise. And I’m so glad that’s what I got . . . . Plus, my boyfriend would be mad if I get ahead of him on our Netflix binge.

If we stopped by your house next Saturday, what would we find you doing?

You probably wouldn’t see me there — weekends are my outdoor adventure time! Rain or shine, I go for a long hike or a mountain bike ride, followed by a trip to the library and a brewery tour. While I have many hobbies, going 20 mph down rocky trails for hours on my mountain bike never gets old. When I’m not outdoors, I’m cooking. I know they say taco is life, but Vietnamese cuisine is the Zeus of food. The Goodway Life Series The Goodway Life: Inspiring Self-Discovery in Your Career The Goodway Life: Make Work from Home Actually Work for a Family The Goodway Life: Explore the Realities of Remote Work