My Journey from Chile to the UK
2020 was a year with the most change in my life.
I was working in Chile in a large mining corporation trying to set up its innovation unit — a very hard task due to quite a conservative mindset around innovation in the company (I was quite often the only woman and the youngest in the room). April came and the innovation unit was dissolved due to strategic reasons (the pandemic and poor performance during the last years in the company had had a clear influence on its finances). Fair enough, they did not want innovation — *or maybe not that way*. But you are young and you just keep going!
So I decided to move to the UK with my boyfriend in the middle of the pandemic, on among the first flights over to Europe since they had been suspended at the start of the restrictions. I went to the UK mainly to explore options for a masters degree or job. I was very lucky to find a job in an innovation consultancy within two months of moving there and was one of the two selected candidates among 500+ applicants. Obviously, at the beginning, I was scared about my English skills as well as maybe potentially struggling with different ways of working. It goes without saying that everything happened and keeps happening online.
All my fears quickly vanished when I realised that my English was up to the level and that the way of working suited me very well — things actually do happen, they don’t just get discussed. I have been very lucky to find a position where I am not scared to innovate, to propose crazy ideas, and to talk to everyone no matter their hierarchy. Besides, all the innovation expertise has been incredibly useful, and I can say that we have some great innovation education on this matter in Chile.
Besides working in this consultancy company I have been the teaching assistant of lots of innovation courses in Chile, all online. It has been great to be working from so far away, but still connected with great professionals that are hungry about learning more and making their organisation a better place to innovate. The time difference has been very helpful because I could work on this in the evenings. This really shows you that the world is one, more than ever before, and it really doesn’t matter where you are physically.
I have noted many interesting points on this journey. You are valuable no matter where you studied, where you come from, how you look, and how your accent is. You just have to put all your energy and will in what you do. Everyone will tell you that it is impossible to find a job in the middle of a pandemic, in another country and in the middle of an economic crisis. It is indeed extremely hard, but not impossible and if you do not try you will get nowhere.
I can proudly say that I am excited about 2021, it might still be a tough year, but I just hope that the world keeps moving and that I can do my bit here to contribute in the UK, to keep growing professionally and keep putting my energy in all the exciting projects that are going ahead.
Go 2021!
