I was 20 years old, finished high school without aspirations for college, with the idea to get a job somewhere, to start earning money for the first time. The type of jobs I wanted to do were mostly in sales positions.
On one occasion, a friend, 3 years older than I am, with whom I would see from time to time, mentioned to me that he was going through some training. When I asked him what exactly it was about, he told me that it was a month-long training for dispatchers. He told me about some of the states in the USA that he learned and mentioned some of the terms I had never heard before. Now, for me, the whole story was too abstract in the beginning – he has some trucks to “cover”, etc., what does that mean? When I asked if it is difficult to find a job, he told me that he has seen several companies looking for workers for some time, so he does not worry about that.
After each of his answers, I had even more questions. I was visibly intrigued.
Suddenly, new horizons opened up for me. The position of the salesman that I initially wanted to go to was now forgotten, and now I only knew about the job of dispatcher. I always wanted to do something over the computer, even better if it was in English, and I realized that this could be my turning point.
Over the next 7 days, I met the guys holding the dispatcher training and headed for it. A month later, I knew more about this industry than a salesman knows about his business in a year of work. The advantage is that in this industry, 90% of the things learned do not change, so I don’t have to worry about whether there is someone who is more competent than me in business, as can be the case with developers.
A week after I have completed the training, I had my first interview, and two weeks later, my first job. The working hours were from 14:00 to 24:00, while the work was lucrative, like playing a game. Some days I would take bad paying, and some days better paying loads, no day was the same.
Dispatcher training presented me with new challenges, and after the first month of working in the company, I returned the money invested in training and earned so much more. Afterwards, it just started to pile up.
The advantage I have compared to many people who later came to me to ask where they can get dispatcher training is certainly time. I got a job in this industry at the age of 20, and in 3 years of work I had the opportunity to see those who are well over 40 working and who are also doing great. This industry does not choose based on age, race, sexuality. Show competitiveness and integrity, and the door will be open to you everywhere.
Ivan Petrovic – Markovic