Work Week

Today marks the first time in a bit for a post, as well as my first official week of work done in the United Kingdom. And it was certainly a success. While I wish I could say that I learned a whole lot about a cool and very exciting industry, I think I learned something a bit more important.

I am now in working at a position that falls closely with what I was doing in Electronic Health Records (EHRs) at the hospital back home. I am getting to see the production side of all the systems that healthcare providers are switching to and be involved in a movement of technology in healthcare, both of which are passions (and should be mixed, within reason – a blog post for another time). I also had the privilege to speak with the international team lead about Meaningful Use (Google it if you are bored) and speak with her about the direction of healthcare and technology which was great.

The important lesson I would like to share though, is in regards to humility. I came over to England hoping to jump head first into a new field and get paid quite a hefty sum of money right out of the gate. In retrospect, you don’t think about the fact that you are an expat in another country, that you are changing fields completely, and its a bit of an up-hill battle on your first job after obtaining a visa. Since I started, I kept thinking I was too good for the position and was destined for something else. The first week of training appeared to follow the same vein: I kept thinking I was meant for more. What I failed to digest was the fact that I landed a job within a month of moving to the United Kingdom; while not being paid huge sums, I am making decent money for wifey and I to live; I am able to continue working in the field that I am passionate about and use my previous work experience towards something new, and meet some new people around the city where I live.

It’s difficult to squash the ego down when you are trying to keep the positivity and confidence up for job hunting. It’s a stressful time where you become emotionally drained and mentally dumbed from doing nothing all the live long day. And while I am quite good at entertaining myself, a month home alone can be quite boring. Instead, I had to constantly remind myself to look at the bright side and kill the thoughts that said I was “overqualified” and “too good”.

C.S. Lewis said: “A proud man is always looking down on things and people: and, of course, as long as you are looking down you cannot see something that is above you.”

It’s definitely not an easy task to manage and I can now see why my father struggled after losing his esteemed role in a  company and taking a step back in his career at a late age. But the beauty to see is not in your career and financial gains, but the pleasures it brings to your life. Yes, my dad made his money but now he is 15 minutes from home, has much less stress and does his job with ease while meeting pleasurable people and being able to spend time with his wife (and family when his kids are around). Likewise, I get the pleasure of working next door to my wife, riding/running into the office and having a laid back job that I can perform in and learn more about the industry I’m passionate for.

I also like to see it as an ongoing challenge furthering me towards a more important goal, as Paul urged:

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.”

Oh, and I gave myself a hair cut.

Before

Middle (Fav)

Ending