Do you like games? I love them. Actually, I love them so much that some time ago I decided that I wouldn’t buy any more consoles because I could spend my whole life in front of the television playing (mainly) RPGs. (Yes, I know that the right name for that is addiction and I confess… I am addicted. No worries though, I am clean for some time).
But something important that we have in games is called checkpoint (most of the games have it). It basically means that you had enough progress on the game that you can go ahead from that point on and don’t need to pass through everything that you already did. So… I feel like reaching a checkpoint.
It was a long journey that started when I decided to leave my beloved city of Itumbiara (I didn’t like the city that much, but I had my best friends there and used to have a good life) to study in Araguari. I left my dad to live with my mom and had to change almost everything in my life.
I realized that I didn’t have enough knowledge to be in a good university if I kept myself on that city and the choice was appropriate enough to take me to FEA-RP, the college where I studied Business Administration and had also lots of work.
From the first beginning I was engaged with all kind of activities there. I worked in a Junior enterprise, as a director for 2 other students organizations, I was the student representative in the most important body of our college and some other stuff. After all of that, when I was applying for a “real” job, my “brother” Rodrigo Porto asked me to help him on founding AIESEC in Ribeirão Preto. I didn’t want to do so… but after I got to know more about the organization, that was the right thing to do.
In AIESEC I had the chance to go through some simple and other complex situations. Simple like flying! Can you imagine that I have never done it before AIESEC? My first trip was from São Paulo to Porto Alegre to attend a conference. I also had the chance to get to know other countries, participate and be manager of some international congresses and work with several people from many countries of the world. It was awesome.
I also had the chance to deal with the hardest experiences of my life: frustration, not being able to achieve a goal, not having ideal conditions of life… and above all: losing!
I applied and didn’t get the position in total for 6 times in AIESEC. In every single of them it was really hard to bear with the situation. I had to wake up in the next days with the same motivation and energy to do everything again. It was really tuff.
But on the bright side, I had the chance to have great people with me. That reminds me of games again. You know when you are playing a RPG and suddenly you have different characters to play together with you and fight together? (for further references, play Final Fantasy IX… best example! Haha).
So I am thankful to those characters such as my brothers and sisters from the GN Board, my bosses Rodrigo Porto, Mauricio Schneider and Felipe Cardenas, my colleagues from the MC and from my GN Board, people in Mexico, my friends of AI and all the people from countries I have been. It was awesome.
It was very difficult for me, especially in the end of my journey in AIESEC. But now, having some time to think I cannot be surer that I did the right choice.
In the final part of this journey before getting to the checkpoint, I came back to my country and founded http://mytrainee.com . It’s being an incredible experience and also a very positive one, considering that we are achieving almost 40.000 pageviews in the first 20 days. I am happy!
Finally, I reached the checkpoint. I got a job in a great company in Brazil – Whirlpool. It was a selection process with more than 13.500 other people. It’s so unbelievable to think that someone actually gets to a position like this and now, I am one of these 0,2%. And it seems to be an incredible place to work, with great people and in a awesome environment. I am grateful for being accepted there.
I can see that from now some things are really going to change in my life. All the experience, coins, special artifacts, weaponry, especial clothes and my friends of fight are here with me… and I am just starting a new exciting journey.
Thank you all that has been part of it in the past years. I am more than sure that: I wouldn’t be here without you all… it wouldn’t be as funny as it was and you’re going to be here with me from now on… again!Happy Marco!
Sonic was the first game that came to my mind when I thought about checkpoints :D
