15 Years & Counting
Not sure why this request for an update caught my eye. The question was "what did you want be when you were 15?".
I am now 57 and still not entirely sure. James Callaghan had just moved into No. 10 and inherited austerity measures from Harold Wilson, put in place to shore up the economy in the wake of "Heath's finest hour" (joining the EEC). I was working as a casual in a supermarket earning bugger all. So Wilson's promise not to affect the pound in my pocket didn't really resonate.
Hmmm... what did I want to be? Whatever it was - I wanted it to be somewhere else. The bleak economic climate there was beginning to match the standard British one. I saved some money and buggered off around Europe for a while, hitching and training it to sunnier climes. I met Germans for the first time, young and old. Until then, Germans had been the ones that had killed the Dad's uncle, 30 years before... Travelling broadened my mind - one encounter with a lovely middle aged couple in Darmstadt revealed an apartment full of books, with a notable inclusion of Mein Kampf - triggering a civilised, passionate and apologetic discussion into the small hours. That one conversation and the relaxed attitude to life found in Greece and Italy were true revelations to a 15/16 year old.
On my return to England, I had made up my mind to move away permanently. I chose Australia and it took a little while at that time (3 years of waiting, 1 of planning) to get a permanent residency visa. In the meantime I took up with computers - always a passionate subject for me in theory (inspired by the Dad) - a natural career choice.
When I got to somewhere else, it was time to think a little about what I wanted to be. I was in a new country....nobody knew me and I could literally do what I wanted.
The last 37 years have been bliss. I met a beautiful Aussie, we got married and produced 5 lovely little Aussies.
I have been helping businesses realise their technology dreams for over 30 years and would not change it for the world. When I think about it, LinkedIn has been an increasingly big part of that for about the last 10. I find it a brilliant tool for finding new business. It's now an integral part of my day.
#wheniwas15
Mark Buckingham is a partner with Mark 2 Creative; a dynamic Sydney based integrated marketing agency. They are experts in branding and digital delivery, and are able to seamlessly merge the two disciplines together to deliver cutting edge solutions that set them apart from the competition. Their imaginative and innovative approach provides clients with a real presence in their marketplace that gives them exactly what they need from their marketing – more business.