I grew up never really knowing what I wanted to be. It was in grade 10 when I decided I had aspirations to finish school and study to become a Lawyer. It was a little into my second semester of study when I was offered my first position as a Secretary. Safe to say, that was when I realized, that career path was not for me. I was the unhappiest I had ever been and I knew I needed a change.
I realized it was time for a fresh start. I had to wait until I found some sense of direction or fell completely in love and passionate about something to further my career. After months and months of my father nagging me, I finally agreed to work with him for his business. It didn’t come as a shock to me the workload and what was expected from me, as I grew up around my father’s businesses. I did enjoy working with my father and some of my other relatives, but I came to a sense of realization that I was most definitely not cut out for that kind of work.
That night, after my realisation, I read an article about travelling the world alone, in order to find yourself and find what you’re passionate about. So that’s what I did. One ticket to Europe and off. I finished up my travels after around 4.5 months and ventured back to Australia. It was the biggest awakening of my life, although I didn’t find what I was passionate about career wise. I did learn copious amounts of information about myself though, which I found to be a start.
It was when I came back from Europe, I knew I needed a new job. Unemployed and just travelled Europe.. not the best predicament I’d say. I was then asked if I’d like to apply for a position at HTG, working in Retail, at the Helensvale Telstra Store. I jumped at the opportunity and was extremely enthusiastic about the role. After sending off my application, days were passing which turned into weeks and I thought to myself, I surely hadn’t got the job.
Then finally, I was called in for my first interview. I was extremely nervous and didn’t know how I’d go. After all, it had been a very long time since I had had a proper interview. Then I kicked things off my greeting my interviewer with the wrong name. What a way to start my potential time at HTG…
I walked out of that interview thinking I surely would never hear back, because I was a nervous wreck. To my surprise, I was called back in for my second round of interviews. They went a lot better than the first interview I must say. But then, 3 weeks passed by and I hadn’t heard anything. I was beginning to get worried. Until the next week, I got the call and fondly enough I got the job. To say I was ecstatic would be an understatement.
I have now been with HTG for 6 months and I couldn’t thank HTG enough for pushing me out of my comfort zone to learn so much more about myself. I now work with a team that seem to be more like family to me, than it felt like working with my REAL family. I think that has a lot to say in itself.
But the biggest thing I would love to thank HTG for is for giving me a sense of direction and belief in myself. As I mentioned earlier, I didn’t know where I was going in life, but now I have the opportunity for development and support that is going to guide me through life.
So moral of the story I guess is that if you seem a bit lost in what direction you want for a career, take a step back and first discover yourself and I highly recommend doing this by means of travel. Who knows, maybe when you get back you’ll find a job waiting for you here.
Brittani Mcmahon
Customer Advisor – Telstra Store Helensvale