Emma Vaggo

Where are you working currently, and what do you do there?

I work at TikTok in London as a Program Manager, focusing on strategic programs across Europe.

Can you tell us a bit about your education and career background?

I’m originally from Sweden but moved to the US for college. I studied Economics, with a minor in Visual Arts, at Harvard University and started off my career in media in New York.

I started out working in strategy and analytics at various media agencies (Digitas, Huge) before I transitioned into more of a content strategy and operation’s roles (at BuzzFeed and then Culture Trip).

I love working at TikTok, which is at the intersection of content and product.

What motivated you to start digital skills training with BrainStation?

Working at a tech company in hyper-growth mode, I wanted to ensure I stayed relevant and joined this course to learn the skills, tools, and processes needed to build killer products.

I have always had a passion for content, user experience design, and product innovation, and I wanted to grow my skills in those areas even further.

What was the highlight of your learning experience?

The amazing and highly engaged Instructors!

I was at first skeptical to do a course remotely and spend even more hours on zoom, but I was extremely impressed by the great Instructors and how they are able to facilitate collaboration and feedback online.

What were your thoughts about the online learning experience? How did it compare to any others you might have participated in?

This was my first online course and Brainstation really impressed me with their online program. You could tell everyone was there to learn and had a purpose for taking the course, which made it super engaging and collaborative. Lots of people from various backgrounds allowed for some very interesting discussions.

How has your BrainStation experience impacted your career?

BrainStation has given me a deeper understanding of all things product, which has been invaluable in my role as Program Manager at TikTok.

It’s enabled me to really support our teams, helping them build products and solutions in the best way possible that serves our amazing creator community.

What advice would you give to professionals considering a BrainStation course?

Do the work and spend time exploring the concepts you learn.

The Product Management course really gives you an opportunity to test out and apply new skills and concepts while getting support and feedback from helpful Instructors.

If you already have a product or problem you’d like to solve in class, great! If not, spend some time before the course thinking about something you’d be interested in exploring for your final project. That way, you'll have more time to build out a product idea.