Messin' with Texas

I finally have a job! I will be heading to Turkey on March 22nd where I will be working for an air compressor manufacturer in Istanbul. I got the job offer from a friend I studied with – Murat – who’s family owns the company. I certainly could get a higher paying job in the US, but I think this offer is very unique, and has a lot of potential. There are several factors that led to me making my decision:

1. Location: It’s in Istanbul. While not in the prime part of the city, it is still in Istanbul. I have always felt a strong desire to work abroad and well, here was a great chance. During the week, I will stay near the office, but on weekends, we will be in the nicer parts of Istanbul which should be great. I really enjoyed the city the last two times I was there and I find it to be a fascinating city. Further more, I have many friends from Carnegie Mellon that live in Istanbul, which should help me assimilate easier.

2. Travel: According to Murat, this job will require I travel a lot, which is exactly what I want. If the companies hopes to be successful internationally, someone is going to have to visit customers and negotiate terms. Since Murat and I will be the only two fluent English speakers, it is most likely going to be us doing all that traveling.

3. Why the heck not?: I thought about it and realized: what do I have to lose? The answer to that is nothing really. I hardly own anything and I am single. I couldn’t think of a good reason not to take this job other than the ‘opportunity cost ‘associated with not taking other potential offers. But I haven’t done anything in six months, so that argument is totally invalid. The worst case scenario – the company fails or I get fired – I will still gain valuable experience that I think would be rare for most people my age to have. I do wonder if I will be able to gain as much from it as someone with more experience could. I imagine that working in a big company, the new guys get mentored by the older guys who have lots of experience. In this fashion, one can learn a lot very quickly from the wealth of wisdom and knowledge a large company has to offer. Since this company is only 30 people or so (most of whom are working in manufacturing), and most don’t speak English, I wonder if I will be missing something. However, I still feel the benefits outweigh the negatives this far.

4. People: Lastly I get to work with one of my best friends.

So there a four good reasons to take this job. If you want a fifth, imagine where I could end up if the company does very well?

In preparation for going, my mother took me shopping for a bunch of new clothes so that I can look professional. It is so nice to have long sleeve shirts that fit me well (usually the arms are too short). I got a bunch of shirts, but I think we will go back and get a few more things to complete my wardrobe.

Hopefully before I leave for Turkey, I will update my main website and include a bunch of pictures from my first visit to Istanbul so you can see what the city is like. When I have my address and all that jazz, i will post it. Keep checking here for pictures of my apartment and my office and all that jazz.

Ciao,
Conrad