How did I get to my “brilliant career”?
It was a long journey, coming from a farming family and achieving well at school, well enough to qualify for entrance to university and many other options, including Military aviation.
There was quite a significant divide at schools and society in New Zealand at the time, as progress and options were all based on academic achievement. For example, at that time only 1% of high school students went on to undertake a tertiary education! And it was free!! The other “elite” career option was to join the Military as a pilot trainee. Approximately 1000 applicants applied every six months to undergo selection as a military pilot. Of those applicants, 80 were invited to final selection, and 35 were offered places. In the end only 8 graduated from the original 1000 applicants!! Another 1% club.
However, despite my wanting to be a military pilot and make this my career, it wasn’t to be. The “career” was very non-family and led me to the decision that this wasn’t going to be my “brilliant career”.
As I have written about before, in my piece on discrimination, migration to Australia led me to a career in Sales and Information Technology, also in Finance. I had never considered Sales as I equated that to being a “Bon Brush” salesperson, very much considered to be the bottom of the barrel in careers and positions in society!!
However, this was my only option and I found that I was good at cold calling, meeting new people and creating business relationships. I initially sold business systems for small businesses and then moved on to hardware sales, selling one of the first IBM AT computers.
Eventually this became my career. I changed jobs (companies) every 3 years approximately, in doing so never rising to management in any company. However, my salary continued to rise and provided our one-income family with a comfortable living.
Another addition to my sales career became necessary. Each time I changed jobs I was paid the base salary only and, until I reached 70% of my target NO commission. An opportunity arose to become a home loan writer. This became our top up salary whilst I was achieving my targets, which I eventually achieved.
The amazing aspect of my Sales and IT career was that, as it was client focussed and I won some large accounts (BHP, ICI, GMH), it offered the opportunity to have some people-based fun, such as coffees with clients, lunches with clients and best of all, golf. One company I worked for was a member of Moonah Links on the Mornington Peninsula. I eventually became the annual golf day organiser where we gathered up to 100 clients for golf and lunch.
Eventually my Sales and IT career came to an end. I was managed out of the role as I had just turned 60 (Ageism). So, I took up a role for some friends selling to small business again. This did not work at all. I was also doing home loans for my employer of many years part time to help him out and put a little cash in my pocket. Eventually with no other job prospect, I walked into his office, announced that I was now working there permanently, and stayed full time until my retirement!!
The sales role provided me with many opportunities, for a migrant who was discriminated against and told to go away and get the dole in New Zealand, to live comfortably in Melbourne, raise a family and for my wife to eventually achieve her dream of becoming a registered Psychologist. We were financially secure and retired….. another career story!!
James Davey
June 2024
It was a long journey, coming from a farming family and achieving well at school, well enough to qualify for entrance to university and many other options, including Military aviation.
There was quite a significant divide at schools and society in New Zealand at the time, as progress and options were all based on academic achievement. For example, at that time only 1% of high school students went on to undertake a tertiary education! And it was free!! The other “elite” career option was to join the Military as a pilot trainee. Approximately 1000 applicants applied every six months to undergo selection as a military pilot. Of those applicants, 80 were invited to final selection, and 35 were offered places. In the end only 8 graduated from the original 1000 applicants!! Another 1% club.
However, despite my wanting to be a military pilot and make this my career, it wasn’t to be. The “career” was very non-family and led me to the decision that this wasn’t going to be my “brilliant career”.
As I have written about before, in my piece on discrimination, migration to Australia led me to a career in Sales and Information Technology, also in Finance. I had never considered Sales as I equated that to being a “Bon Brush” salesperson, very much considered to be the bottom of the barrel in careers and positions in society!!
However, this was my only option and I found that I was good at cold calling, meeting new people and creating business relationships. I initially sold business systems for small businesses and then moved on to hardware sales, selling one of the first IBM AT computers.
Eventually this became my career. I changed jobs (companies) every 3 years approximately, in doing so never rising to management in any company. However, my salary continued to rise and provided our one-income family with a comfortable living.
Another addition to my sales career became necessary. Each time I changed jobs I was paid the base salary only and, until I reached 70% of my target NO commission. An opportunity arose to become a home loan writer. This became our top up salary whilst I was achieving my targets, which I eventually achieved.
The amazing aspect of my Sales and IT career was that, as it was client focussed and I won some large accounts (BHP, ICI, GMH), it offered the opportunity to have some people-based fun, such as coffees with clients, lunches with clients and best of all, golf. One company I worked for was a member of Moonah Links on the Mornington Peninsula. I eventually became the annual golf day organiser where we gathered up to 100 clients for golf and lunch.
Eventually my Sales and IT career came to an end. I was managed out of the role as I had just turned 60 (Ageism). So, I took up a role for some friends selling to small business again. This did not work at all. I was also doing home loans for my employer of many years part time to help him out and put a little cash in my pocket. Eventually with no other job prospect, I walked into his office, announced that I was now working there permanently, and stayed full time until my retirement!!
The sales role provided me with many opportunities, for a migrant who was discriminated against and told to go away and get the dole in New Zealand, to live comfortably in Melbourne, raise a family and for my wife to eventually achieve her dream of becoming a registered Psychologist. We were financially secure and retired….. another career story!!
James Davey
June 2024
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