After leaving the health insurance company where I worked during my years as a university student I had a hard time finding something in my field. Or no, let’s be honest, I just gave up on my childhood dream of working in the field of development aid… Or I made peace with the fact that the economy was shitty and this field was one of the first things to disappear off of every country’s list of priorities. Completely understandable too… And the fact that NGO’s were no longer hiring westerners to set up projects but working with local people was only a good thing. In a way it is exactly what these projects usually have as a final goal anyway, right?
Anyhow, I am straying completely off track. My point is that somehow, I ended up working at a local car dealership. First for three months, covering for someone on maternity leave but in the end I stayed there for nearly two years. It was simple administrative work, a lot of excel sheet magic and a daily routine that was surprisingly enjoyable. The work atmosphere was very different from the health insurance company I worked before and again, I learned all sorts of new things about myself, about people and about (work)life.
Which lessons, I hear you say? Well to name a few:
- I enjoy being part of a predominantly male workforce
- MS Excel is a blessing and a curse,depending on the time of day and task at hand
- I am actually no good with numbers
- A dirty mind can be a great asset, in the right context
- I do not enjoy having to look “presentable” every day
- Everything they say about car salesmen is true
- They can be nice guys, nonetheless (just never trust them 😛 )
- Guys gossip just as much as girls do
- Cars are serious business
- Volkswagen drivers and Audi drivers come from completely different planets and can be recognized from a mile away
- Audi Q-series are cool rides, but I am too small to feel completely comfortable driving one
- Men are better at parking on average, I’m not even going to deny it
- There are always exceptions
- I can drive any car
- Audi A1 (in Shiraz red) is my dream car
- A VW Polo would make me very happy as well…
I could have worked there for many more years and would have had a better income than I do now, but at the end of the day I just got fed up with working in such a materialistic environment. I realized that I was getting way too comfortable doing uninspiring work. I decided to quit and travel for a while, and I’m still so happy I did!
Epiphany 