Downing’s Post

What Keeps Me in the Student Housing Market After All These Years? (Throwback to when I did a studio demo video for Downing as a blondie 👱♀️!) When I first started in 2020, I was driven by passion—an ex-student wanting to help fellow Chinese students navigate the challenges of studying abroad. At the time, the journey from China to a destination country was tough, marked by limited support and a lack of representation in universities for Chinese students as a minority. That desire to bridge the information gap and make even a small difference ignited my journey. 🤔 But as time went on, I began to ask myself: 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒌𝒆𝒆𝒑𝒔 𝒎𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒏𝒐 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒔𝒕𝒖𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕? As the industry grew and more people began contributing to this space, I paused to reflect —💭was there still a unique value I could bring? Could someone else do this better? The turning point came during my year of freelancing before joining VIVA CITY - WeChat Mini Programs. Without the backing of a company or title, I spoke to brands one-on-one, stripped of pretence. Those honest conversations revealed something crucial: many brands truly dedicated to customer care were being overlooked in a sea of noise and competing information. That’s when I reconnected with a deeper purpose. As Cal Newport describes in 𝑺𝒐 𝑮𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝑪𝒂𝒏’𝒕 𝑰𝒈𝒏𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒀𝒐𝒖, building a career isn’t just about following passion —it’s about adopting a “𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐞𝐭” and focusing on what you can offer the world. Passion often follows as you build skills and confidence, leveraging your “career capital.” Over time, I’ve found a new passion in honing my craft and helping brands connect with their audiences in a meaningful way. Whether it’s holding marketing workshops, conducting brand audits, or crafting tailored content plans, each project feels like a step toward amplifying the voices of those who deserve to be heard. Sharing Chinese student housing insights here on LinkedIn is just one way I continue to contribute. And every time I see those insights make a difference, it reminds me why I chose to stay in this industry—and why I’m excited to keep growing within it! #PBSA #studenthousing #internationalstudent #studyabroad #chinesemarket #marketing #studentaccommodation #BTR