I graduated from WIS in 2012 and began my five-year academic journey at Stellenbosch University in South Africa the following year. On paper it was a simple progression, but, like many, before applying to universities I didn’t have the faintest idea of what I wanted to do. My brilliant IB English teacher, Henry Mensah, guided me in the right direction. I graduated with an Honours degree in Translation and an MA in General Linguistics, both testaments to my love of language.
I went out into the big wide world in the hopes of landing an editing job of sorts in Europe. Turns out it’s not easy getting a “yes” when you’ve had zero work experience. Thanks to a good connection and some luck, I ended up working as an assistant to a member of the German Federal Parliament in Berlin. While it was a priceless learning experience, it still wasn’t the working environment I’d set my sights on.
The following year I jumped on a plane with a friend, headed to a place I had never (ever) pictured myself living in Hanoi, Vietnam. Here I did a brief stint of English teaching before getting that all desired “yes” from a destination management company. I worked at the company for a year as their Executive Content Editor and got to travel to a few Southeast Asian countries as a wonderful by-product. Despite a tough, unpredictable phase during the pandemic, today I still continue to work for my former employer’s sister companies on a freelance basis. I do a bit of copywriting, web content, translation, editing and market research.
What did I learn at WIS and beyond? Hard work, respect, kindness and creativity will already get you half-way – if not further – to where you need to be. And that it’s ok not to know exactly where you’re going, or what you’re doing, and that the possibilities of a very long life (you could live to 100+, after all) are endless.
Comentarios