Manshuk Bekbolat:
"When I get into comfort zone,
I start moving forward again"
You can also read this article in Russian (на русском языке).
August 2, 2018
Six months later I received an offer to join the Embassy of South Africa. I accepted the offer since this work seemed to be very interesting. They were looking for a person (social/political secretary) who would assist the Head of Mission and support during ministerial and business negotiations. In parallel to the work in the Embassy, I was pursuing my master's degree.
I would not be able to use my knowledge and skills gained in MBA program.
Soon I received an offer to join the Business Controls team based in our headquarters in Amsterdam. Our Kazakhstan CFO's advice was to accept the offer as it promised career progression opportunities. I went through three interviews. Frankly speaking, I expected everything to be much more complicated, but two months later I found myself in Amsterdam, where I live for more than two years now. The company culture is very diverse, the team consists of professionals from Netherlands, Russia, England, USA, France, Italy, South Africa, Germany, Turkey, and many other countries.
I never thought of working abroad. I was quite satisfied with my work in Kazakhstan. I am a patriot of my country and I am open to challenging opportunities that can utilise my skills and experience in Kazakhstan. Although initially challenging, working abroad is an amazing experience.
Life in Amsterdam is comfortable and simple. Given that it is a relatively small city, everything is located quite close. You can walk or bike to just about anywhere you need to go. The urban infrastructure is well developed. Also, Amsterdam is a transportation hub with a large expat community, cheap flights are available from Schiphol airport to any destination in the world.
In this country, women are highly respected by men. Here I have never experienced such thing as mansplaining, a phenomenon when a man comments on or explains something to a woman in a condescending, overconfident, and often inaccurate or oversimplified manner. Although it is fair to say that I have never experienced mansplaining while working in international companies in Kazakhstan as well.
There are few Dutch women in top management positions mainly due to high childcare costs I think.
I plan to move forward, grow and advance. I believe that when you are in a comfort zone, you need to look for new horizons. I also want to give back to the society. For instance, help others achieve their goals.
You can send your success stories to hello@manshuq.com
Тэги: карьера, маншук бекболат