Me overlooking Interlaken after 9 hours of travel to get here lol
Hey there, I’m Justine, the career strategist for high-achieving professionals who feel stuck, confused, or in transition.
I help them land roles they actually want, whether that means switching industries, negotiating better offers, or moving abroad for work or study.
But The Bumpy Career didn’t start that way.
Back in 2015, I was a 19-year-old with terrible grades, no org experience, and a 5-month summer break. I decided to find an internship. Only to realize there were 0 real guides online about how to do it in Manila. So I started writing my own. Filled with what I learned through trial and error, The Border Collective (as it was called back then) was born.
Since then, this blog has helped hundreds of Gen Z professionals get where they want to go.
From FMCG jobs in the Philippines to master’s programs in Germany, Japan, and Australia. Some ended up in their dream roles like as the art curator for a private collector in Australia or Southeast Asia’s preeminent policy analyst in Washington, D.C.
It’s grown far beyond internships since then. And so have I.
But you came here to know a bit more about me.
On the extremely personal front, the first thing you need to know is that I love taking assessments. So, in a nutshell, I’m
Myer Briggs: ENTP
Strengths Finder: Positivity, Activator, Communication, Woo, Adaptability
Enneagram: 8 (The Challenger)
HBDI: Yellow (Big Picture)
I am a fast-talking, fast-thinking person, and I bring that energy into every room I’m in, be it a conference room or a Zoom call.
The second thing to know about me is what I’ve been doing outside of The Bumpy Career
✨ Justine LT Chua’s Background
🎓 MBA, Rotterdam School of Management (Netherlands)
🎓 BS Management, major in Communications Technology – Ateneo de Manila
🎓 HS and GS diploma, Immaculate Conception Academy
🏢 Former Unilever Philippines Management Trainee (2 years in IT project management, 2 years in category management)
💼 Currently at Cargill Netherlands, working in marketing
👞 Started (and sunset-ed 🥲) Leviathan Shoes, a Marikina-based men’s oxford brogues leather shoe brand
✈️ Moved abroad at 26 with my then-boyfriend-of-4-years with no EU connections or prospects at all. Built a new life and career from scratch.
I didn’t graduate with honors. I was never the valedictorian. I was never a shining star at school, regardless of what school I was in.
But I’ve learned how to turn a “bumpy career” into a bold one. And I help others do the same.
The fun fact I always use in icebreakers here in Europe: I’m ethnically Chinese, but born and raised in the Philippines. Like 4th-generation already. And I took a DNA test that confirmed I am 98% Chinese and 2% Japanese/Korean.
And that’s it. Thanks for reading!