|
This reading may seem slightly long-winded but, it is
important that you follow along because it will inevitably
illustrate that I not unlike most of you have spent much of my
life grabbing at straws.
For such a
long time, I was a disgruntled, frustrated, angry and confused
young man. This, as I’m sure anyone will tell you, is no way to
go through life. It was my firm belief that I had accomplished
all of the necessary preparations required to have a successful,
prosperous, interesting and fulfilling career, family and
personal life. Nevertheless, these promises of happiness proved
to be a myth to and for me.
And so it
began…
Immediately, upon finishing high-school, I had enrolled in and
worked my way through college. Worked my way through at that
time meant went to school AND worked. At the time I was studying
Hotel, Restaurant and Catering Management. What an exciting
future lay ahead. But… soon after graduating the true face of
the future presented itself via a cold slap from reality. Our
city was experiencing a drastic economic down-sizing and the
Hotels, Restaurants and Caterers were closing down and leaving
town faster than the government chases after a tax dollar!
Being all
of 18 yrs old at the time and owing a substantial amount of
money to the local bank, not so much for the safety and security
of a good education a job and future but rather… in lieu of. I
was stuck in a bad place and forced to go to work for a
concrete, asphalt and lawn repair business. There, I was paid
slightly less than minimum wage for the most strenuous,
backbreaking, monotonous labor and longest hours imaginable.
About a
year later however, my luck was to change. I had achieved entry
as a laborer into the city’s most affluent factory. A spice
plant. During my studies in Restaurant management I had become
accustomed to some very appealing aromas. Yet, the amalgamation
of all of the world’s spices accumulating beneath one roof was
an exercise in nauseation. So much so, as you can see, It became
necessary for me to create a whole new word for it!
And so it
went. Although the money wasn’t a great deal better than the
pittance I was paid for my “chain gang” experience with the
asphalt company, at least there was opportunity for advancement.
And advance, I did. Soon, I had achieved a better position
although it was still within the confines of the factory floor.
But, now I had an opportunity to attend night-school to “better
my self” and in the process… better the company.
So, off to
night school I went. I studied Industrial Management and at the
end of two years… I had obtained certification as a professional
in Industrial Management. What an elated and industrious fellow
I had felt myself to be! Now, with an education in Hotel,
Restaurant and Catering Management as well as Certification in
Industrial Management … the future belonged to me.
However, my
future seemed to continue unfolding before me much as had been
the case prior to all of my educational accomplishment. It
became apparent that the triumphs of my academic achievement
mattered to no one person beyond myself. And so, I immersed
myself within the extra-curricular activities of the “corporate
machine”. I joined and soon after acquired the role of
“Chairman” for their Health and Safety Committee. I enlisted in
the corporate drive for improvement and dedicated myself to
finding and recommending improvements to efficiency, safety,
profit and the unending attainment of employee satisfaction.
The company
realized a great many improvements as a result of my
contributions and my superiors realized a great many “slaps on
the back” by way of bonuses, profit sharing, budget increases,
etc.. as a result of these same contributions. I on the other
hand … didn’t receive much of anything. Actually a short time
later, I was terminated as a result of an injury I had sustained
when the company “outgrew” their limited warehouse capacity. Now
there’s appreciation and mutual respect at its finest!
Back to
night-school I went. This time I studied Logistics. Logistics is
the management of the flow of goods, information and other
resources, including energy and people, between the point of
origin and the point of consumption to meet the requirements of
consumers. Logistics involves the integration of information,
transportation, inventory, warehousing, material-handling, and
packaging.
Following a
lot of time and hard work, I received professional accreditation
as a Logistician and soon thereafter professional accreditation
as a Professional in Materials Management. This was followed by
another job with a Medical Device developer/supplier. However
the experience was lacking in far too many ways and I soon
parted ways with them .. before I went out the hard way… again!
I had
always enjoyed a passion for learning and a desire for
higher-education. Between my work life and night-school
curriculum, I had also pursued interests in the computer field
and in the process had acquired certification as a Computer
Support Specialist and Computer Network Administrator.
Despite all
of these pursuits… a successful, enjoyable, well-paying and
rewarding career had always eluded me. It was my education of
the fact that most times “it’s not what you know but rather who
you know” that proved to be the most demoralizing learning
experience of all.
The
beginning of a “real” education;
Contact
Us ...
email |
..
