In Search of Happiness

One of my friend’s back home recently wrote a blog post about his current job search in Vancouver. So many of my friends are currently wrapping up their degrees and starting on the search for a full time job. I’m definitely been there and know what its like.

This particular blog post was about not settling for a job any less than what you want. In many ways, when I took my first job after graduating, I felt like I settled. Between me being broke and my parents pushing me to find a job, I accepted a position that I was less than thrilled about. And you know what? It showed in everything I did. I tried to hide it – in fact, after awhile, I managed to figure out how to hide it well. Only my friends knew how truly unsatisfied I was feeling. This was not the job that I spent 4 years of my life working towards. This was not how I imagined life to be.

In the spur of the moment one evening in early February in the midst of a reflection on my life, I decided it was time. Time to make a change. Time to get control of my life. Time to chase my dreams. I have been talking about going on exchange the moment I joined AIESEC. It was my ultimate goal. I had been dreaming about working abroad for years. Why not now? Why couldn’t I make it my reality?

In less than a week, I signed myself up for review board, attended review board and passed. I was on my way.

I had heard of a job in Budapest through the VP Outgoing Exchange in Victoria. The CEO of a small start up had emailed her asking if she had any candidates for two internships they had open in management. I asked her to get in contact with them and the next thing I know, they wanted a resume, then an interview. It turns out they were doing 2nd round interviews already and I was thrilled to hear that they wanted to add me into the mix.

Once this happened, things started moving very quickly. In less than two weeks I accepted a job as the Chief Operating Officer in a country half a world away, in a place that I’ve never been to and know nearly nothing about. For the longest time, I questioned whether or not I was making the right decision. This was the first job I had looked seriously into on the AIESEC database. Was I making a decision too quickly? What if there was something else out there for me? Something that was more aligned with what I want to do? After my experience with my job at the time, I was determined NOT to settle. I wanted the job.

In the end, the only good reason for me to not accept the position was my fear of it being too quick and it being the first job I looked into seriously. The job description sounded amazing. The company cultured looked like an atmosphere I wanted. The place was right in the region I wanted to be. It was all falling into place – just at breakneck speed.

In my gut, I felt it was the right choice for me and I am so glad that I decided to follow my gut feeling. There has been no regret. I’m really enjoying the work that I do from day to day. My coworkers are great. In many ways, I am my own boss. I control what I do and when I do it. As long as my work gets done.

In hindsight, my previous job was a good stepping stone to what I’m doing right now. Without my previous experience, I don’t think I would have been offered the job I have now. Even though I feel like I settled in the pass, it was an important part of my growth and contributes to my developing career. Everything comes together in the end.