Another Achievement to Add to the Hat

I have another achievement to add to this year as the first entry for this month, Sept. I am going to be the Project Manager for Asia Pacific next month in a new company. Yep, you heard it right, I’m jumping ship again. No more large corporate organizations, no more hierarchies and no more office politics even though I have to admit that I have not been in this Singapore telco long enough to feel if any politics existed at all. Furthermore, office politics happens everywhere, big or small. It is the intensity that varies.

I will not be able to disclose the new company as I have yet to leave my current employment. Thus, here I shall talk about the things I will miss when I leave before I embark on a journey of self-discovery towards my new career venture. Yes, indeed this is a smaller outfit in which I will have to take up more responsibilities and do various tasks along the value chain. However, I take it as a great learning opportunity that will move me closer towards my career goals and my entrepreneurial dreams.

List of things I will miss in my old company:

1. Fresh cappuccino brewing from the ever-reliable coffee machine and cookies during teat time (no tea, mind you)
2. Cheap and I repeat, cheap food and drinks in their subsidized cafeteria. Imagine getting carrot juice for SGD1.20 everyday, no wonder the girls here have such good complexion.
3. FREE and I repeat in caps, FREE gym and swimming pool that is only 5 mins walk from the company. Imagine being able to work out during lunch and remain fresh throughout the day.
4. Fast and easy transportation to work. Thanks to the fact that I stay only 10 mins away from work specially selected when I got the offer to work in this company.
5. Potentially great friends who some can even be my soulmate, just that I do not have sufficient time to get to know them better. Who knows, hope we can still come out for some ‘ice-blended green-tea’ (hehe, my favourite drink in Starbucks) in the future and talk both business and personal. Trust me, these people including my boss are incredibly nice and helpful people.
   Some freebies like movie tickets and entry to clubs during launches of their events.
6. Sports events that I do tend to join not to win but just for the fun of it. Pressure but good chance to know more staff in the company.
   

All in all, I am leaving behind a pampered lifestyle in which I do not have to think of how to improve the company’s profit or how our competitors are crouching into our turf, where you only need to think about what to eat for lunch or what to do this weekend; into an environment that I have to be good in both technical and commercial when talking to customers and worry about both the company and my performance everyday, and work might not stop over the weekend. Scary but exciting at the same time. I have lots of people to thank for helping and motivating me to take this step.

Just the other day, I was thinking about how Life can be so unpredictable but so amazing at the same time. And sometimes things happen to you when you don’t look for it. You just have to keep trying your best in whatever you do. I like this phrase I have heard "I choose to live by the decisions I make everyday." Never have I taken so much risk in all aspects of my life and been put so many uncomfortable zones but doing so grows me and gives me more of the values an entrepreneur should have. Last but not least, always believe in yourself. That is the only way you can live your dreams.