December 26, 2018
Tell us about how your job career started? Have the jobs that you have experienced to date, fullfilled your expextations when you left college? How old were you when you started working, and how old are you now?
Tell us about how your job career started? Have the jobs that you have experienced to date, fullfilled your expextations when you left college? How old were you when you started working, and how old are you now?
Comments
In high school, together with two friends, we thought it would be naïve to stay in our country, what 98% of people do, when the world is so much bigger.
We wanted to wake up with sunshine and kind a live in paradise. It´s good to have dreams. Every year we would travel to a tropical country for vacation but also to see how it would be to live there. Checking the rules a certain country has on owning property, possibilities to work as a foreigner, how to get residency but also even more basic things like how is the food, security, the people, culture, et cetera.
After finishing Japanese studies and Philosophy at the university of Erasmus Rotterdam, it was time to work, to be able to realize the dream. Since 1997, I worked 7 years with Cap Gemini, a big consultancy firm, which was great fun with internet booming. I worked 3 more years at two smaller consultancy firms with the idea to harvest some more money to put to use when going abroad. The switch was tougher than I thought, cause in a new company one has to prove oneself again. That takes a lot of energy especially when in the back of your mind you already have proven your value in the former company.
That was a good lesson and a great reason to push forward with the dream of living in the tropics. I had lost about 50 thousand euro on the stock exchange (yeah, the internet bubble of 2000) but still had about 50 thousand euro saved up. And when is it enough? I decided not to focus too much on the amount of money but on the amount of energy. My theory was that to be able to build up a completely new life, one has to have enough energy to build it up (no matter how much money). Just before 35 years would be a great age I thought; still young but already experienced. With all the countries visited and scores filled in for each one of them, for me the Southern Pacific coast of Mexico came out as most attractive – far enough from the USA to not be too expensive but close enough to have some rules.
In 2006, at the age of 34 I gave a goodbye party and went to Mexico. The first five years I built from scratch and ran two bar/restaurants on the beach. I still own one that I rent out but for the last 7 years I have dedicated my life to construction. More foreigners have that dream of living in a tropical environment and I help them build their paradise house being a language/culture bridge between them and a builders crew. Good fun to design a smart house that fits in the environment and then actually have it build.
To be able to fill in your own day, one has to be disciplined but the satisfaction is great. No dependencies on others nor on money makes living pretty stress less. From the other two high school friends one ended up in Malibu beach USA because his passion is music and there he has the possibility to work with the greatest artists. The other is a pilot and visits us once in a while.
Roland
Hi Roland, very few people do what you did. And at an early stage in your working life. We’ve spoken a great deal about your story in the editorial meetings and I think you will see it back in the book. Many regards,
I found myself in the logistics industry completely by accident. It was a temporary position pending my age eligibility to join the Hong Kong Police force. 37 years later, I finally decided to move on.
Once I had realised that transport was in my blood and was approaching my 10th anniversary, I set myself a mental target that I would not stay any longer than 35 years. As it turned out during my 34th year I was given a challenge that I could not refuse so I continued for 3 further years.
One day I arrived at work to find the building abuzz with rumours and gossip. A major global transportation company was about to launch a takeover bid for the company. I had no desire to work for the potential acquiring company so in the following few days came up with a name for my new company, purchased a web domain and registered the new company with Companies House in the UK. All I needed now was to ensure that my team was secure and to come up with a business plan. I now knew that I was going, but was in no particular hurry. I had always wanted to start a business and to see if I could make a successful living on my own and it seemed logical that I should engage in something that I was passionate about. In my case it was the ‘Integrity of the Global Supply Chain’. A real niche business within a niche.
A year later I was still with the company. The take over bid had been referred to the EU Competition Department, my team appeared to be secure in their positions and I was on a senior executive development course. During the course we had a fabulous tutor who took us for a session on ‘Clarity of Thought’. That was my eureka moment. I flew home on the Friday evening and resigned on my very next day back in the office.
When I look back, you have to be brave and have a lot of belief in yourself to jump from a comfortable corporate lifestyle to signing your own pay cheques. I always believed that I could make a living on my own and had been taught some wonderful skills during my career, the most important of which are cost management and budgeting. Building a relevant network is probably the next most important.
I am now coming up to 5 years on my own and have not looked back for a single moment. I miss many of the people that I worked with but am now in the fortunate position to have some of my old team working with me in the two companies I am now involved in running.
Loving life.
Hi Martin, thank you very much for responding to our blog. I have witnessed your story from nearby and it’s exciting to see the rationality AND emotion behind your decisions. Your move towards independent working and portfolio approach is a great example of the thrill making such a leap.
My career started eons ago! Far too long ago to mention. It has morphed over the years from a clinical to a commercial role, and finally now merges both in a way that I could never have envisaged when I left univeristy. It has skipped across countries and continents, each bringing new lessons and altered perspectives.
The biggest leap of faith in myself came later in my career. Jumping from a good position in an interesting company to going back to university to study for a Master’s degree might be labelled as a “mid-life crisis” but it turned out to be a saviour. I was fortunate that being unemployed for a year wouldn’t matter to my lifestyle.
That year of studying served to re-define myself and my professional interests. I met some amazing people that I would never have crossed paths with. Thereafter, a short stint in a large company confirmed everything I disliked about the corporate world, and I dived into working in a small consultancy that I later became partner of. We work virtually, which would not suit everyone, but certainly suits me. Virtual working allows us to transcend geographic divides, cultural barriers and to dream beyong the confines of the rigid office structure.
This journey has been exciting and exhilarating, and a way of working that I strongly recommend. However, this recommendation comes with a caution: Virtual workers need to have disciplne, a passion for what they do (that overrides the passion for sleeping late, playing TV games etc) and a vision.
Make work into a passion!!!
Here is a very reduced business history. I grew up in what was Rhodesia 1948 to 1974. All schooling and the start of my business career. I left school in June 1965 at 18yrs. I certainly did not know what I was going to do. My mother said I must do an apprenticeship. A friend who worked at a Engine Repair shop got me an interview and I started. On the 11 Nov 1965 I was made redundant with a few others. My mother through a friend got me an interview at a garage so I started there in Dec 1965 and fulfilled my apprenticeship in Dec 1970. In 1969 was was chosen as apprentice of the year at the technical college we attended to write the Exams for City and Guilds of London. My experience was on Land Rover and Peugeot. In 1972 I left Africa for the fist time and did a 4 month travel in Europe and USA. A mind changing experience. In 1974 I was married and left again and I had a job to go to in France across the border of Geneva. This lasted 2 months and my wife who was working in Geneva found me an interview at the importer of Mazda. A summer job doing upgrades to the Wankel engine. Started in June 1974. I did not stop looking for a better job with better pay. Again through a friend that was now working at Caterpillar Overseas SA I applied for a job as a Technical communicator . I was turned down due to not having the right education level but they did say they would keep my file on record. Just 3 weeks after this I was called and asked if I wanted to come in for an interview for a Warranty Claim Technician. This I did and got the job. I started on the 3 Nov 1975. Many years later I found that my warranty boss was the one that convinced the 3 others that I could do the job even though I did not have a college degree. Two years later I moved to do the job I first applied for. Another two years I was moved to the Service Engineering group as a Assistant to a Engineer. This was a job I really enjoyed as now I visited job sites for machine inspections to report back to the main office. I also got involved in warranty procedures for Skid pack going to Turkey. IN 1981 I was selected to go fora 3 month training programme in the USA. My first field assignment was Paris in Dec 1983 covering France, Holland and Belgium. In 1985 I returned to Geneva and covered Eastern Europe as Service and Parts Rep. This assignment ended in 1995 and I was the a Parts marketing rep covering Maintenance products. After years of this I went back to the technical dept. covering large Wheel Loaders for all Europe, Africa, M.East. On my second attempt I got a job offer as Mining Technical Rep for Southern Africa . So happy to go back to South Africa my place of birth. From April 2003 to March 2009 I was in Johannesburg. I was asked to retire so I decided to stay and and enjoy the great animal parks in the country. While I did not have a degree for any subject I did have practical experience and new what customers wanted. Caterpillar did a great job of giving training that was requested. I did not want to get into Management just enjoyed the end user contact and having to be honest with them of what can and cannot be done. Cheers John