Updated May 10th 2023, from my home in Auckland, New Zealand.
Helping secondary school students be great with money
After a 3 month getting-to-know you, last week I signed a 6 month contract to carry on working remotely for the Christchurch-based EdTech startup Banqer. Instead of the 30hrs a week I was doing, I’m now full time, which is fantastic. It’s taken 6 months since being made redundant to find my next full time role. So far, it’s felt like a role that’s been worth waiting for.
I got to fly down from Auckland and meet the team in person a couple of weeks ago. The thrill of getting to travel for work is something I always try to savour. If you imagine how a younger version of yourself would feel, it’s so exciting to board an aeroplane and get to stay at a hotel.
Banqer is only the second “proper” (ie. not entertainment) company I’ve worked for full time. So far, my days have been full of calling and emailing secondary teachers to see if we can support them with delivering financial literacy to students. I’m grateful my first sales role has been getting to sell something I care deeply about. There are a gazillion sales roles out there, but the last three months have proven a hypothesis I had, which is that you can only be happy and effective at the same time when you are selling something you care about. I’m not willing to compromise being happy or being effective, so it means I sometimes need to wait a little longer than most to find the right thing. The wait can be lonely and infuriating at times. But when you’re on the other side, it’s the best.
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