Lisa Su has been the CEO of for 10 years, taking the company to a $190 billion artificial intelligence powerhouse — and boosting her net worth to $1 billion in the process.

The turnaround wasn't easy, but Su faced the challenge head on, she said during a at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on May 10. The best piece of career advice she ever received was to "run towards the hardest problems," said Su, 55. "That's where you find the biggest opportunities, where you learn the most, where you set yourself apart, and most importantly, where you grow."

The advice, which came from IBM executive John Kelly, is exactly what drew her to AMD, Su said: "When I joined, it was clear the company had a mixed track record. But I saw the potential, the people, the vision and the opportunity to help lead a company that mattered ... It was actually my dream job."

Su and her family immigrated from Taiwan to the U.S. when she was 3 years old. The daughter of a , she graduated from the Bronx High School of Science in 1986 and attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. There, she received bachelor, master and doctoral degrees in electrical engineering.

She worked at Texas Instruments, IBM and Freescale before taking the helm of AMD in December 2014, according to .

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Difficult challenges are worthwhile because emerging from them is the "most rewarding," she said.

"Hard problems stretch you, they demand focus, creativity and determination ... They give you confidence, they give you growth and they give you impact," said Su. "When you choose the hardest challenges, you choose the fastest path to growth and the greatest chance to make a difference."

She expects a similar work ethic from her employees, setting extremely high expectations for the people around her, Su in December. Executives at AMD, including Su, occasionally review memos after midnight and , Time reported.

Su's advice doesn't mean you should pursue something solely because it's hard. Instead, look for opportunities to learn new, challenging skills that interest you and to "make an impact," she said.

Doing work that you're genuinely curious and excited about can motivate you to put your best foot forward and lead to longer-term happiness, rather than pursuing a hard major or prestigious job only because it looks good on your resume, for example. Rampant curiosity has helped business leaders from to Uber CEO bolster their careers and stand apart from their peers.

Su also recommended looking for challenges that require you to collaborate with like-minded individuals, allowing you to learn from other people's perspectives and grow your network.

"You can't solve big problems alone. No one has a monopoly on good ideas. The challenges we face today are too complex to be solved by one person," said Su. "They actually really demand teamwork and collaboration because meaningful progress happens when people with different perspectives, skills and experiences work together to solve real problems."

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