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Published: Feb. 8, 2021, 3:36 p.m.

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In 2016, I had the privilege of being appointed project manager on a project that will see me recruiting over 70 employees.

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I had to swift through hundreds of Curriculum Vitaes (CVs) for interview shortlisting and eventually appoint the right type of persons.

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Eric Ilunga's CV was amongst the pile we were reviewing for a construction supervisor position.

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Eric's CV puzzled me. He had a national diploma and bachelor's degree in electrical engineering. He was quite old when compared to other prospects. Yet here he is, working at a construction site as a semi-skilled laborer.

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After having an interview with him, I found that he was a brilliant electrical engineer. He was unfortunate not to receive his break. He did not have much working experience, but I decided to take a chance on him.

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Eric did not have a lot of confidence at the beginning of his supervisor role. He would often lack assertiveness and the ability to reprimand wrongdoing employees.

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Having noticed that, Eric was one of the persons we took to supervisor training. From this training, Eric, the supervisor, was born.

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He quickly adapted to his new role, having obtained some training and further coaching from me.

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A friend of mine had an electrical consulting business, and I thought it would be an excellent opportunity for Eric. When the construction contract ended, he managed to secure a job with my friend's company. He was now a step closer to realizing his dream of being a high-flying electrical engineer.

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Eric had many challenges in securing a job in his home country and South Africa.

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Having paid the high price of sacrificing his pride, He now works as a Network Support Analyst for a Czech Republic company. He will soon be working as an electrical engineer for another company in the Czech Republic.

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His new role will see him working as an electrical engineer on projects around the world.

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In hindsight, Eric was just a brilliant electrical engineer. He only needed that one opportunity to take his career to the next level.

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Episode 2

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In this episode, I continue my conversation with Eric. We talk about his struggles in South Africa and how one opportunity help propels his career to the point where he now works in the Czech Republic.

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Eric's story is one of sacrifice. His life story demonstrates that sometimes you have to go backward to go forward. His life story proves that sometimes you have to put your pride aside to achieve your greatest desires.

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I hope that this episode can inspire an engineer, technician, or artisan struggling with getting that opportunity to propel their career to new heights.

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Conclusion

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Thank you for listening to the second part of my discussion with Eric.

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Eric's story is very inspiring because I saw where it started and where it is today. I am sure he will fly even higher soon.

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I would appreciate it if you could rate this episode and share it with friends and colleagues who might find it interesting.

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Thank you again for listening, and I will catch you in the next episode.

\\n\\n--- \\n\\nSend in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/engineering-in-africa/message"