Today I received notice that I was accepted into the LinkedIn Influencer Program. Perhaps I was accepted because today is my birthday, but it immediately made me reflect on my relationship with LinkedIn, how LinkedIn has changed my life and the lessons learned from those experiences.
In 2007, I achieved my childhood dream of becoming a professional athlete. But two games into my rookie season, this dream quickly ended when I dove into a wall to catch a pass during an Arena Football League game.
I quickly went from “living the dream” to broke and living on my sister’s couch for the next year while recovering from surgery. Not only was I left with a broken body, I was broken in spirit.
Last year was a HUGE year for me. I got married, finished a big project at work, and became a licensed California Architect after 5 years of grueling exams. As the New Year approached, I mourned the loss of my big goals. I realized that I suddenly had a lot more time, and wanted to do something meaningful with it.
I’m sure this is when you expect me to say “LinkedIn to the rescue!” Well, that’s exactly what happened, but not quite the way you might imagine.
I’ve always been career-oriented. Four years ago, I was diagnosed with epilepsy. While it hasn’t affected my abilities, it has meant that I need more flexible working options to accommodate it. My job at the time in Technical Customer Support didn’t offer room for growth unless I could physically be in the office every day, so I started looking for a new career opportunity last year.
Updating My Presence on LinkedIn
Since 2004, LinkedIn has been my constant companion along an adventurous career journey. At that time, I was in London looking for a new job. Nobody would have guessed then that I would move to Dubai, start my own consulting company and publish a management book about the Middle East.
Taking on the World as a Born Networker
