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Taking your first step out of school and into the world is one of life’s great adventures, but it can be daunting and, for most people, it is anything but straightforward. It can take time to find a career that suits a person’s individual personality and passions. With that in mind, we asked some local business people and employees for their views on their own career journeys, and we thank them for their generosity in sharing their experiences and what they have learned along the way.
Mark Macky runs the northern based real estate business Bayleys, which has 12 offices from Silverdale to the top of the North Island. This involves just over 100 agents and just under 200 staff in total. Bayleys sells houses, farms, commercial buildings, lifestyle and waterfront property, and also has a large property management book. “I own and run the business, have a couple of great business partners and an awesome team of people who I really love working with,” Mark says. “I’m also on the board of directors for Bayley Corporation, the holding company for Bayleys in New Zealand.”
I went to a school called Saint Kentigern College in Pakuranga in Auckland. I was a boarder and loved boarding school. My first job was milking cows, scrubbing thistles and as a bottom-of-the-rung labourer on the family dairy farm in the Waikato. I love farming, but didn’t love being in the shed and decided it wasn’t for me.
I went to Waikato University and got a BMS management degree and then got a job with the Dairy Board (now Fonterra) in Wellington. After a year there, I was posted to Singapore, essentially marketing milk powder to Asian housewives. I worked there for two years and had some great experiences, but wasn’t passionate about the product. My next job was in the UK for the sporting goods company Dunlop Slazenger. I was in the racquet sports division and loved it. Two years there and then I moved to the US with Dunlop to be the marketing director for the Americas. After two years I got approached to be the marketing director for Bayleys Real Estate in NZ, and returned for that role. I loved the real estate thing, it’s a really dynamic market and you never get bored, and after a few years doing the marketing for Bayleys I decided to buy a Bayleys franchise, with the first one being Bayleys in Warkworth in April 2007. It was only then, in my early 30’s, that I found what I wanted to really do.
Do you ever wish you had done something different?
I never had a clear idea of what I wanted to do. I took an opportunity in front of me, put my head down and worked hard and tried to get ahead. I committed to every role for a couple of years, and then reflected and reviewed what I was doing and if I wanted to keep doing it. If not, then I found the next opportunity. I’m now in a role that I really enjoy, in a business that I love, so I’m really happy doing what I’m doing. I never get bored in real estate, so that works for me and my personality – I need challenges and a dynamic environment or else I get bored.
What do you wish you had known (or been told) when you were about to leave school?
A few things.
• Work hard and do good work. If a job is worth doing, it’s worth doing well. Don’t just do the minimum, the people who can help you build your career will notice.
• Put your hand up for opportunities, have a go and back yourself. Build good relationships with people at work and they will help you.
• Make sure you enjoy what you do – not every part of it every day, we all have boring tasks to do, but basically make sure you enjoy what you do. You won’t be successful at it if you don’t.
• Write down your goals and work at them. We overestimate what we can achieve in a year, and underestimate what we can achieve in 10 years.
• Be clear on who you are, what your values are and why you’re doing something. You’ll waste a lot of time if you don’t know what you are trying to achieve.
• Don’t be scared to ask for help or advice, there are lots of older people who will be keen to help if you have good manners and ask with integrity. Find a mentor early.
Senior Constable Katie Hawkins is a police youth aid officer in the Waitemata North District, based at the Warkworth Police Station. She deals specifically with any crime where the offender is apprehended and is under the age of 18. In conjunction with other organisations, she engages with the kids to try and prevent further offending, while still holding them accountable for what they have done. “Sometimes it’s easy, sometimes it’s enormously challenging,” Katie says. “It requires thinking outside the box because with people, one size definitely does not fit all.”
I went to primary school in Pakuranga, attended Pakuranga College then went on to Auckland Girls Grammar.
My first job out of school was in the office at Mainfreight. The job was a clerical one, working in company administration. I guess that I applied for that job because I was young and straight out of school. My focus was to get into work, earn some money and gain some workplace experience.
From Mainfreight I went to another clerical role, working for The Yellow Pages and this was where I discovered that I was very comfortable talking to people. I did my OE and after returning to NZ, I became a sales rep for Horley’s, a sports nutrition company. I loved this job, travelling between NZ and Australia, getting to know my clients, forming new client relationships and selling. Although they were a great company and I enjoyed the work, after a while I started thinking about becoming a police officer.
I had done a ‘ride along’ with the police in South Auckland when I was 18. The work was varied, exciting and all about the people. Everything I love! At the time, the cops I was riding along with told me to go and get a bit of life experience first and come to the police later. With hindsight, this was great advice. I joined the police when I was 26 years old. I had a background in computer and office skills, and I liked talking to people. My work experience in sales meant I was pretty verbally confident and persuasive. Police work came naturally to me and has been my passion for over 20 years now.
Do you ever wish you had taken another career path?
Not really. All my choices have led to where I am now. I have a rewarding, varied and challenging job, and I still look forward to going to work every day. It doesn’t even feel like work!
What do you wish you had known (or been told) when you were about to leave school?
I wish someone had told me to try and work at something you love. It’s more than just ‘having a good job’. I’m sure everyone works harder and is more fulfilled by doing something they really want to do. If you don’t want to get out of bed and do the best in your job, you’re probably not in the right job for you.
Fifteen years ago, Sawmill Brewery owner Mike Sutherland and his partner Kirsty talked about starting a brewery. “I could see the growth potential within the industry and I’ve always loved factories and I don’t mind a beer,” Mike says. “We approached Peter and Decima Freckleton, who owned the Leigh Sawmill Brewery. Our timing was great and a month later we owned it. For the first couple of years it was just Kirsty and I. I did the brewing, we both packaged the beer and both worked on growing our sales.” Today, Sawmill Brewery is an award winning business, employing more than 50 people.
I attended Waitaki Boys High School in Oamaru and got my first paying job when I was 11. In the school holidays I worked for my grandfather, who had a barber shop and tobacconist. I mostly worked behind the counter selling cigarettes. When I was 13, I spent a few summers working for a Chinese family who had a large produce farm. That taught me about hard physical work; it was a valuable experience. I worked there because my dad was friends with them. He used to work for the same family when he was at high school.
Over the years I’ve had heaps of jobs. At high school I mainly worked in hands-on jobs – horticulture, in a meat processing factory and on a sheep farm. Following this, I went to Lincoln University and studied commerce. In my summers I would work as a builder’s labourer, or on vineyards or other horticulture farms. I had to complete 40 weeks practical assignments as part of my degree. When I finished at Lincoln I worked in the export sector, firstly with fresh produce, then aquaculture and then trading seafood and meat.
Do you ever wish you had done something different?
Looking back at my career, my only regret was not taking a few years out when I was younger and working and travelling overseas. Visiting other countries gives perspective of how good we have it in NZ. I’m also inspired when I visit other great breweries overseas. It helps me dream bigger.
What do you wish you had known (or been told) when you were about to leave school?
I was a little lost [after leaving school] and went to university not knowing what I would do when I left or why I was even going. Mostly it sounded fun, and it certainly was. Without knowing it then, I had an entrepreneurial outlook, was good with numbers and analytical. I wish I had reached out and connected with people with experience so I could understand what it actually looked like in different jobs. This would have helped me understand what my skills were and what I was passionate about. What I’ve learnt since is that if you are driven and prepared to take some risks, just back yourself and go for it.
Shane Gould is the community youth coordinator for Blue Light North Rodney, a charity that works in partnership with police to deliver an extensive range of youth programmes and activities. He says that although he has been coordinating youth and community activities, fundraising and instructing on outdoor activities for 28 years, he is still learning.
After leaving Tamworth High School, in north western New South Wales, Australia, I joined the Rural Bank as a loans manager. This was on the advice of the school careers advisor and based on a guidance test. I worked for the bank for seven years, before joining the Australian Federal Police, based in Canberra, ACT. I was in the prime minister and diplomatic protection services for many years. I took long service leave after marrying a Kiwi girl and then we moved to New Zealand. I took a few smaller jobs initially, before working at New Zealand Steel as a supply manager for six years. I was then asked to work fulltime for a new youth intervention community and Justice Department programme/initiative, and I was with them for four years. Eventually, this led to my current position with North Rodney Blue Light.
Do you ever wish you had done something different?
Not really, other than the bank which was poorly paid and transferred you every two years. The previous employments all contributed to my current role.
What do you wish you had known (or been told) when you were about to leave school?
Due to a family issue, I left school earlier than my teachers had wanted. I left with the NSW School Certificate. If I’d stayed a further two years at high school, and completed the Higher School Certificate, I would have had some further opportunities, not to mention better pay!
Rodney Local Board member Michelle Carmichael has two part-time roles – one as a teacher at Tapora School, where she has been for the last 10 years, and the other on the Local Board after being elected in October last year. “Both roles are very people orientated, which I absolutely love,” Michelle says. In a voluntary capacity, Michelle is also a driving force behind the Fight the Tip, Save the Dome campaign.
I went to Orakei Primary, Henderson Intermediate and Waitakere College. My first job, when I was 12 years old, was working part-time at the Rathgar Road Dairy. As a customer I was offered the job by the owners and I accepted so I could buy better clothes than the ones my parents were supplying. I’m not so precious about clothes now! This also eventually helped me save for my first car. I’ve had six jobs since then. I’ve nearly always worked and I stayed at my jobs for varied lengths of time, ranging from about four years to 15 years.
Do you ever wish you had done something different?
When I was at college, I wanted to be a vet. I did some work experience at a clinic, which I really enjoyed until we had to euthanise a litter of very young puppies who had distemper. I quit wanting to be a vet after that.
What do you wish you had known (or been told) when you were about to leave school?
That’s a hard question as I am very happy with the varied careers I’ve had and especially, the people I have met through them. I guess, in hindsight, if had I known that I was going to want to teach and get into local politics, and even get involved in the environmental battle we’ve had over the Dome Valley landfill, then I may have chosen to follow those paths sooner. I completed my teaching degree in my early 40’s while also working, so that was a late career change, and since then I’ve battled for the environment and now work for the community.
We can’t change history, so what I wish to say to anyone reading this is … don’t hesitate to make a change if you know what you want. It doesn’t matter what you have been doing, or for how long, if you want something bad enough, put the work in, believe in yourself, surround yourself with people who also believe in you, and just do it.
