Employment Experience

[SCPL]

Happy Wednesday! I hope all of you are having a good week.
In the chapter titled “Wings,” Tan discusses how at 18 years old he moved to Manchester for a few years with his family. He mentions that in those few years he had 24 different jobs, some for only one day. As he puts it, “I didn’t know where I was going in life, but I knew I wanted to make money, obvs” (p.75). Can you relate to the way Tan tried a variety of jobs before committing to a career in fashion? How did his various employment experiences influence the way he ran his fashion business?

[Heidi]

Okay, the 24 jobs in a few years thing is crazy. I know people like that and I know they’re searching. I personally couldn’t handle the stress of that many interviews. That’s not necessarily a good thing. I’ve stayed in some jobs that I don’t enjoy for too long because I don’t want to bother with the interview process. Still, 24 jobs takes a lot of guts and a lot of confidence to sell yourself. I tend to look at people who have held that many jobs as instable and unreliable but it’s highly possible that it’s the opposite. They’re just not willing to settle and that is awesome. Tan talks about how he knew immediately if he would like a job or not. I suppose there's no point in staying if you know you won't be happy but it still seems crazy.

[SCPL]

It does seem like a lot of jobs in a short period of time, but I agree with you that there is something to be said for not settling for a job that isn't the right fit.