In 2008 I collected what in retrospect was a fairly modest sales commission but at the time was the most money I’d ever had in my bank account and left an awful phone sales job for the mountains of Thailand to follow the cliche of getting certified to teach English as a Second Language. I was a year out of undergrad with a degree I felt ambivalent about, completely oblivious to the impact the looming Great Recession would ultimately have on my overall career trajectory, and, as was my tendency, was searching for the next thing. The plan was to take the one month intensive, get certified, travel around for a time and then come home or continue on with something in my pocket that could keep me running.
I can't express how much this means to me reading this today. It just touches me deeply. Thank you.