Homework #7

This week I interviewed Frank, sterile processing manager at Sherman Hospital in Elgin Illinois. Most of our conversation was about how he achieved success and some of the obstacles he encountered during his journey. Frank achieved his success by "working his way up the cooperate ladder." I found this very interesting because I always thought he had went to school for at least six to eight years to get to where he is today. He started out as an engineering major and left school three years in to pursue a career in management. Money was his original motivation for wanting a career in engineering, but through working what seemed like just a minimun wage job to pay his way through school a passion for management grew in him and thats how he found out what he really wanted to do with his life. About ten years into his career, Frank was loving his work and happier than he had been when he was in school. Unfortunately he found himself laid off and unable to find a job for an entire year. He went through a period of extreme discouragement and blamed his misfortune on his lack of schooling. Nonetheless, he eventually found the job he is working at now which he describes as "the best job he has ever had in his life." I interviewed Frank because he just always looked successful. I always imagined having a life like his and I thought it would be interesting to find out exactly how he got the life he wanted and to my surprise his journey was not as technical as I had expected it to be. He found something he liked and relied on his skills, intelligence, and his network to get into the career he wanted.