This is going to be a long blog, so if you don't want to read all the pre-amble and waffle, just jump straight here for more on the big news...
The first (almost) 6 years of my working life (Summer '94 through to end of '99) was for a company called Bytron, based out near Humberside Airport, they specialised in developing software for Air Traffic Control and Flight Data Management systems. I owe so much of my career to my time at Bytron, I was taken on straight out of college as a trainee programmer. I learnt so much, both professionally and personally and I have so much to thank the MD at the time, Stephen Bailey, for. As we approached the turn of the century, I started to feel I had got as far as I could and I needed a change. Grimsby isn't exactly a tech hub and I knew I needed to move away, but I was torn - I was very much a homeboy and didn't want to leave Grimsby - My home, my family, my partner, Richard.
Imagine my delight when I found what sounded like the perfect job, working for a company called Sphinx CST who had offices based in Matlock, I was employed as a Technical Consultant. The great part about this job meant I could stay in Grimsby as I would be provided with a car and a laptop and the role consisted of travelling all over the country to our customers, so home was my base.
I started my role on January 3rd, 2000 - The world hadn't imploded from the turn of the Millenium and we were safe and I was venturing on a new challenge. I spent a week in Matlock before being given my first customer assignment...in London! Most assignments were for 2-3 days, this one however was for 3 months. So here I was, looking for a job that kept me in Grimsby, but was being sent on a long term placement in London...D'oh!
A week later and there I was - a young, naive 23 yr old taking his first commute across London into the city to Moorgate and a company called SAMS (Strategic Asset Management Solutions). To say I was petrified was an understatement! The sights, the sounds, the hustle and bustle and most of all working in the capital, something that to be honest I didn't really want to do. If someone had said to me on that first day, that this would be the first day of two decades of living and working in London, I would have laughed and brushed it off with a "Not a chance"...How soon things change...
Those 3 months became 6, then 9, then 12. The assignments at SAMS came to an end. During those first 3 months my relationship with Richard also came to an end. Things were beginning to change and I was strapped in and ready for the journey. I had fallen in love with London and decided I didn't want to leave. 3 months later, March 2001 and I moved into my own place in Greenford and left Sphinx CST and started my first job employed by a London company, a company called MarchFirst. That was a strange move and one that only lasted around 4 months - a month into the role and it came to light that the company was in trouble and was starting the process of shutting down. My then boss couldn't have been more apologetic, stating had he known this was on the cards he wouldn't have employed anyone, that said he was very accommodating and gave me lots of support and assistance in finding a new role so I could move on before being made redundant.
August 2001 and I started at Warner Bros. Such a huge company to work for and having my name on a business card with the famous WB logo was such a proud feeling. Had I finally made London work for me? Working at WB taught me a lot, and gave me amazing opportunities to travel to Tokyo and Hong Kong to name a few. Great friendships were formed, and despite not looking to change jobs, 5 years later I spotted a job opportunity that I just had to apply for...at the BBC!
Nov 2006 and our family was rocked when Dad passed away. Not the best time to be changing jobs, but it felt like everything was happening for a reason (My career that is!) and so I carried on with the interviews and got the job, so Dec 2006 I started my role working for BBC News and Sport Online, sitting on the 7th floor of Television Centre looking out on the famous building that I had seen all through my childhood on TV, and here I was - working IN IT!
My time at the BBC was the best, I made so many new friends and had some incredible experiences, I progressed in the role and became a Team Leader, I got to be Best Man for my best friend and BBC colleague, Tom, as he married Jo in their home in Australia. I worked through the night on elections, I saw the rise of the likes of iPlayer and I passed Bruce Forsyth in the corridors of TVC and said "Good Morning" without a second thought.
At the start of 2008 I felt I wanted to do something a little different, so I decided to quite randomly sign up to do a Massage Therapy course, and in Sept 2008 I qualified as a Massage Therapist. A little side job that I thrived in, to the point that I also taught for a while and studied more techniques over in Thailand, where I fell in love with Asia. All the time, still working at the BBC. I liked to keep myself busy!
The next big step for me happened in 2010 when I managed to get on the property ladder and finally buy my own place in South Ealing, over in West London.
Things started to change in 2012, the pressures at work handling the Olympics and various management changes started to make it a less than enjoyable role, and I felt it was time again for me to move on, I didn't move far though, just across the road to a company called Net-A-Porter - many will know them as an online luxury fashion store.
This role saw me take a drop in title (No longer a Team Leader) but my salary stayed the same. An easier life for a little while, giving me more space to carry on with my Massage Therapy outside of work and at weekends.
As part of my role at NAP I needed to find some software to improve some of our databases, and I started working with some software called Tungsten, by a company called Continuent. This company intrigued me. The tech guy that assisted me with the deployment worked from home, and all of the team seemed scattered around the world.
I jokingly said to the tech guy "Are you recruiting by any chance?" - The response - "Actually, yes we are". Three Skype interviews later (Whilst I was in South Africa) and a job offer came through to be a Technical Pre Sales Engineer. The job offer was simply incredible and I could not turn it down - with almost a 40% pay rise and working from home 24/7/365, it almost seemed too good to be true!
So May 2015 I left NAP and started my new role. Continuent at the time were part of VMWare - a massive multi billion dollar US company. This wasn't a relationship that seemed to go well, and in 2016 Continuent and VMWare parted ways. All of the team were given a choice - stay with VMWare and take a new role somewhere within the company or, follow Continuent and be a part of the new company - I was one in a team of what was endearingly named "The Magnificent Seven" that decided to follow our CEO, Eero, and in October 2016 the split was official, my new role was "Director of Professional Services, EMEA & APAC"
Sitting here now writing this, I'm still thinking back to that first commute, 20 years ago, how nervous I was - This young boy from Grimsby, with no University education, thrust into the frenetic fast paced lifestyle of London, if only I knew then what the next 20 years was going to offer...
20 YEARS!!!! WHERE HAS THAT GONE!!?!?!
I'm still in my job at Continuent and have no plans to go anywhere anytime soon. This job has opened opportunities I never thought possible. Working from home really changes the way you work - it has to - you have to have routine and discipline - Working from the sofa in your pants whilst watching daytime TV is NOT a look that I can sustain for 5+ years!
I have travelled a lot - twice a year the company all get together for face to face meetings - I think of it as a chance to remind myself what my colleagues look like, and with no offices, we always stay in nice hotels, eat at some amazing restaurants, and we collectively get to choose new destinations each time. From Boston, Cape Cod, Burlington, Budapest, Madrid, Amsterdam and in March 2020, New Orleans. I can't complain! The freedom to work where I want is great - as long as I have internet connectivity and can be reached by mobile, I can live/work wherever I want, summer 2018 for example I went on a 4 week road trip driving around Europe, working from the road. Jan 2019 I spent 4 weeks in South Africa.
So, here we are, if you skipped straight to the end, this is where you rejoin. 20 years on from that first commute to Moorgate and the time has come for a new change, a new challenge, a new adventure. I'm about to make a giant leap into the somewhat unknown..why you ask? Why not? I respond.
It's very easy in our lives to be consumed by work and the rat race, especially in London. I love London, such a multi cultural city with SO much to offer, it has given me opportunities that I will be eternally grateful for, and I have made so many friends that I will always remember with great fondness (mostly!).
Love has come and gone, friends have come and gone, jobs have come and gone. London will always be there - ever louder, ever bigger, ever busier and even more expensive year on year. A fantastic city. but a city that can also be a very lonely place. So, it's time for me to bid farewell and leave London, and I want to leave it with memories of the good times and experiences I've had.
For those that followed this blog will know that in 2014 I ventured to South Africa for the first time to volunteer at a place called Cheetah Experience - a place that was to feel like a second home and over the last 6 years I have visited them many times. If you know me and follow me on Facebook, you will know how much love I have for CE and everyone there - both Human and Feline alike.
During my visit back in January 2019 and again in November 2019, I spent a lot of time talking with Riana, the founder, and whilst my Mum was with me in November we had some serious conversations, and a decision was made that set all of this in motion
Once settled in Grimsby, Phase 2 can begin. I will start the process of applying for my Visa for...South Africa. Yes, I'm going to move to CE. Visa restrictions mean I can only be there for 3 years - well, technically I could re-apply but 3 years as a starting point is a good marker. The Visa will allow for multiple entry/exits and I will continue my job with Continuent (Yes, this job is so good, the CEO has given this move his blessing). So to keep things easy and to take into account the face-to-face meetings I have with work etc, I will be spending 9 months of the year in SA and 3 months of the year in the UK.
I can't wait to be out there with Riana and the team and being a part of an amazing project caring for and raising Cheetahs. I don't know when Phase 2 will happen - I'd love to be booking my flight and going tomorrow but there's a lot to do and at any stage in the process things can go wrong. In my mind, I would like to be out there by the summer, but lets see what happens!
I could be making a huge mistake, it could end in disaster, my job could go sideways (hence being mortgage free is one safeguard I need) but I have to try. I don't want to be sat here in 5, 10 or even 20 years time and not be able to write a blog filled with equally amazing achievements as those I have been incredibly lucky to have had over the past 20.
I wasn't going to make this public until my home had sold, but I thought sod it, 20 years is a big milestone and in some way putting this down on print makes it feel more real!
So, here we go...Wish me luck!
Watch this space (or Facebook) for updates and more importantly for details of my leaving party in London!
Chris
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