NAME: Min Young Kang

AGE: 30-something

LOCATION: Detroit

COMPANY YOU WORK FOR: General Motors

JOB TITLE: Creative Designer

HOW LONG YOU’VE BEEN AT IT: 2.5 years

 

Describe what you do.

I have worked on the Hummer HX concept team, the Cadillac exterior team and the Chevy exterior and interior team. My first project here was designing a small, fuel-efficient Hummer, which was finally revealed at the North American International Auto Show last month. Currently, I am working on refining some of the exterior design features of future vehicles.

What do you drive?

A Pontiac G6.

What do you find most fulfilling about your work?

Certain things give me daily fulfillment at work, such as being around great people. But the most fulfilling moment is when one of my designs becomes alive and is transformed into a scale model.

How do people react when you tell them what you do?

At first, people are very surprised to meet a woman in such a man’s world. But then they get interested and just start to ask a lot of questions.

What’s it like to be a female in the auto industry?

It is very tough! The auto industry is male-dominated and very competitive. When starting out in design school, I was trying to compete with my male colleagues. But soon I realized that it was much more important for me to develop my own style, which incorporates some feminine aspects. The key was for me to develop confidence in my work and have my own style. Otherwise the work becomes too stressful.

Describe your path here.

After graduating from Jeju National University with a degree in economics, I began work as an investment banker in Korea. I thought I was happy doing investment banking, but there was something inside me that really wanted to express my creativity. So in 2001, I decided to take a chance and moved to the United States to pursue a career in automotive design. Immediately after graduating from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit with a degree in transportation design, I took a job with General Motors.

What other jobs have you held?

I have a bachelor’s degree in economics. I worked for two years at one of Korea’s largest investment firms.

Are there challenges you didn’t expect?

In school, teachers would never have stopped a student before they were actually finished with her design. However, at work it is completely different, so you have to become flexible and quickly adapt to new requirements and ideas.

What are the perks?

I love to test drive the cars and, of course, I don’t need to pay for my design printouts at Kinko’s anymore.

What is the best euphemism you’ve heard for your job?

Sexy, stunning and slick!

Do you have a work philosophy?