Well here goes, the infamous 'Icebreaker' as they call it in Toastmasters. The public speaking club where you tell everyone about yourself in your very first speech in front of a room full of strangers. Probably the most 'nerv-wracking' experience many shy introverts feel during this experience. As one of these former intro's, let me tell you, it sucks!!!
So hello, I am Beau. Although most tele-marketers prefer to think im "bean", "boh", or "bob". I let them think my name is whatever they want, so long as we can get the phone call over-with as soon as possible...
Anyway, I live in Australia. One of the most amazing countries in the world. I am married to my beautiful wife Samantha and we have our first little cherub on the way! Here is a nice picture of us both on our wedding day. A very proud day for me and a reminder of just how truly lucky I am.
So we are fortunate enough to live in a beautiful town on the east coast, around 4 hours north of Sydney. A once sleepy little surf town now engulfed in people coming from god knows where to get a slice of our little paradise. Cant blame them really, you can get a brand new 4 to 5 bedroom house here for the same price as a literal tin shack in one of the major cities. Australia is unique. Its a huuuuuge continent with a very small population. Us Aussies are gritty, tough, and love some good banter. Although as a traveller, I have noticed we can be quite cocky and arrogant at times. It can be a little cringy and embarrassing actually, so just settle down fellow travelling strayans, please :).
I am a 29 year 'bloke', fairly typical I guess. Love nothing more than a beer with my mates down at the pub, and enjoy an honest hard days work. My friends have been around since I was just a pup, which has created a very strong bond between us all. Friends can come and go, but the people you grow up with always have a special place in your heart.
I am one of 6 kids, with 2 awesome brothers and 3 beautiful sisters. I am grateful everyday to have the family I do. My sisters are still quite young, with one being an aspiring and talented graphic designer, one at uni, and the other doing the art for a game shes making with some kid over the internet. So crazy. My older brother is a machine, and is doing his trade as a mechanical fitter. The other is young and is a super nerd, but I love him. We wrestle and I try out UFC moves on him. Bit unfair I guess as he is only 14...My triangle choke is so good though, an absolute pearler, gets him every time!
When I was young, I grew up riding motorbikes, surfing, skating and riding 'pushies' (aussie slang for a push bike) around the neighbourhood. I used to ride my pushy through the bush to the motorbike shop and buy stickers. I think back about that now and im kind of bewildered my mum let me do that. I was like 12 years old, riding a push bike through the bush to a random motorbike shop like 5 kilometres away to buy stickers! Quite comical/insane now I reflect back then.
So when I was quite young and in primary school, mum decided to home school me and my younger sister. We did that for a few years and then I ended up back in high school at around age 13. I pretty well hated it like most kids I guess, but was fortunate to have some good mates to help me through. Come year 11, I dropped out. I could not take it any longer, I needed to be free. Free from school and its crap. So what did I do? I worked at Mc'donalds of course......
Maccas (aussie slang again) was good for a while, until I got fired. Combine a cranky boss with a slightly stubborn me and that equals fired. Do the math its easy. This lead me to the prestigious Dominos Pizza... Cutting laps in my old Ford Laser with a fully sick sub woofer in the boot and a blue neon light on the back parcel shelf and you might have just been one of the lucky ones who got a pizza delivered by me!!
The pizza slinging and lap cutting didnt last long. At 17 years old, I got an apprenticeship as a Linesman, which is someone who works on powerlines for a living. You climb poles, some up to 17 meters high (or higher), and work on live electricity. Live meaning the power is turned on. It was hard work. Really hard work. But good work. You would go out to a remote powerline an hour or so from the depot, and it would be a 40°C day in the middle of summer. Sweat pouring in all directions, you would have to carry a 30-40kg ladder from the truck to the pole, throw it up, then get your harness on and climb up. Once up the pole, you would have a hauling line (basically a simple pulley system) and would attach it the cross arm. The guys on the ground (we would call them 'groundies') could then use this hauling line to pull tools and equipment up to you. Sometimes you would be up the pole for hours at a time, with a combination of the wind and heavy loads on the pole keeping your adrenaline just high enough to stop you from being bored, as the pole itself would be moving around all over the place. Here is a picture of me, I think, or someone in one of my old crews working.
The next phase of my life started shortly after finishing my four year linesman apprenticeship. I began to think during this time that surely, just surely, there must be an easier and safer way to earn a living. There was, and it was being a powerline designer. After a few job applications, I was successful. I got a job as a Subtransmission Line Designer. Subtransmission means the powerlines are a higher voltage, and in Australia this was from 33,000 all the way up to 132,000 volts. Pretty big stuff, and that is what I loved so much about this job. We got to use this super specialised software called 'Pls-Cadd', which was like an advanced engineering software tool where you could perform complex calculations. It was like being on the pointy end of the spear.
So like many of my colleagues during this time, I was required to go to University and complete a formal engineering qualification as part of my designer role. Fast forward 5 years and I had completed my Bachelor of Engineering Science in Mechanical Engineering. Once of the proudest moments of my life. I had gone from a high school dropout slinging pizzas to a graduate mechanical engineer, or 'technologist' as they call it in Australia. Semantics really. This picture is of me and mum at the graduation :)
So a year or two after finishing my engineering degree, I got bored and wanted to do something where I could be in more of a leadership role. I loved designing, but your kind of in a dark corner with your headphones on just crunching numbers all day. Good for a while, but I wanted more. So this lead me to my current job as a Project Manager. This has been one of my favourite and most challenging roles. The most important part of this job above all else is your ability to build report with people. Report and trust. If you can build these two things, you will be a very successful project manager. I believe I did, although it was challenging, I took great pride in building relationships and seeing projects completed on time and on budget. It sounds boring I know, but its great and very rewarding!
So we now arrive at the present. Where am I at right now. Well, I am halfway through a Masters degree in Project Management and wondering what the hell to do from here. I like many others, have stumbled across Cryptocurrencies and I am completely and utterly obsessed with it. Work is tough at the moment and I am just not sure what I want to do. I have started a Youtube channel where I do daily videos on Cryptocurrency news and the state of the market. Im really enjoying it! Its a lot of work but so rewarding, and I love talking to my subscribers.
The world has this new wave of block-chain based platforms where you can be creative and build up a community, all with just a computer. Its insane, but its the future. This technology and 'internet of things' is not going anywhere and is just going to keep increasing. Is there something in it for me? Could I make something of myself in this? Thats the scary part, but also the most exciting. I am in control, you are in control, we are all in control. Thats crazy, but again it IS the future.
Well thats about it for this blog guys. I hope you liked it. I could easily write something 'professional' about myself but im learning its way more fun just being yourself. Thanks for being part of this journey with me and I look forward to talking in the future.
Cheers,
Beau