As I head into my last week of work, I reflect on how my work experience has led me to becoming a Peace Corp Volunteer and how my experience will influence my time in Namibia.
Job 1: This was a temporary contract assignment I got. I worked from home as a data analyst. This just happened to be the first offer I got, so I took it. The work was uninteresting, but I did enjoy the autonomy.
Job 2: After my contract job, I got a full time offer as a business analyst with a small supply chain/logistics software company. At first I enjoyed the work. I worked directly with clients to identify their needs and utilized our software to deliver results. Unfortunately the job became very stagnant. I became more of a robot where all I did was send the same reports to the same clients each day. Instead of analyzing I was just pushing buttons. I couldn't stand it and decided to leave.
Job 3: My next job, while only a temporary one, was actually pretty good. This company was a start up in the mobile payments industry. They were doing some real cool work, and I got to be a part of it. I worked directly with the CFO and assisted in creating revenue/cost models. Though I'm not interested in finances, it was really interesting work. I also loved the start up work environment.
Job 4: For the job I am about the leave, I work as an external project consultant for Santander Bank. In just 1 year, I gained significant experience here working on application development/implementation and process improvement projects. The one thing that was hard to get over was the fact that I was working for a large corporate bank, one of the last places I wanted to be.
Regardless of where I was or what I was doing I felt stuck on a career track that didn't suit both my abilities and interests. I found aspects that I enjoyed such as working autonomously, working with people, and working on projects, but at the same time, I found that the typical business job is just not for me. Most importantly, I just was not passionate about the work I was doing. The past 2 years has left me with no doubt that the Peace Corps is the right opportunity for me. I think that as a Peace Corps Volunteer I will be able to utilize my skills, be passionate about my work, and be positioned to learn more than I can imagine. Furthermore, I believe that this experience will open many new doors for future career opportunities.
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