Glass half full for young pros

Changing careers to pursue a career in brewing beer felt like 'the most logical thing in the world' to Stephen Plowman. Picture / Richard Robinson

Stephen Plowman was doing OK. He went to Otago University, had some fun, got his head down when he needed to and came out the other end with a science degree in geology and a student loan.

Then it was off to begin work - tracking down oil deposits in the South China Sea, a role that saw him earning good money right off the bat. A highly technical digital mapping job in London was next, followed by a move to geologist's paradise - Australia, where he found some lucrative contract work in Perth.

A good background of experience to return home and find meaningful, well-paid employment, some might say. Except that it was at this point, with his career nicely poised, he decided to toss it all in, turn his back on geology, follow a dream and attempt to make a livelyhood out of brewing good beer. It was back to school and, effectively, square one.

Now, back home in Auckland, he owns Hallertau Brewery in Riverhead, and couldn't be happier.

It is a story that is becoming increasingly common, with many young, talented professionals opting to dismiss the idea of a stable and secure future for something far riskier and often of their own making.

Throwing caution to the wind and changing your career would have been a rare occurance a generation ago when a poor career decision in terms of suitability would often have been tolerated for the rest of a working life. Now, it seems, the midlife crisis dosen't stand a chance. It is being pre-empted by self-confident and, some would say, reckless young people who simply will not settle for a job that they aren't enjoying. And enjoyment, rather than money, seems to be the key driver.

Colin Mathieson, managing director of Alpha Personnel in Auckland, says that more people are changing careers or going back to study now than ever.

"I think that there are more people [changing careers] now than there was ten years ago, and even possibly five years ago. If they stay in a job now more than two years the company will have done well to hold onto them."

Mathieson explains that graduates come out of university and sometimes find that they can't step into a role like they thought they may be able to.

"Some of these people have loans that are not small and they can't afford to buy a house, so they are renting and think 'I'll do what I want'. Some are still living with their parents."

This situation does not appear to be causing any undue concern among those still making up their mind on what to do for the rest of their lives.

Mathieson believes that young people are freer because they are not building the asset base that their parents were doing at their age and have no children. "After finding a job in those days the next 20 years was about raising the kids and paying the mortgage," he said.

This trend is not neccessarily a bad thing, explained Mathieson. "People will be more broadly capable because of their experience."

Nicholas Harvey might well be termed 'broadly capable'. Finishing university with an commerce degree, he promptly forged an extremely successful career in London, Paris and Milan for six years contracting in banking and finance. Then it dawned on him that it just wasn't his cup of tea: "I would look at career bankers and know with certainty that that wasn't going to be me in ten years."

Instead, he returned to New Zealand and took a risk, becoming a partner in the New Zealand Sponsorship Agency, a business that specialises in providing sponsorship services and expertise to large companies. The gamble paid off. The company's current client base is extensive and their reputation building solidly.

And is he happier for it?

"I'm adapting fine. Stress levels basically just fluctuate more. Events form a big part of sponsorship and most events involve a fair amount of stress for the organisers and those involved. On the flip side, following a busy event you'll often find the boys having a surf before work on a Monday morning, getting into the office at ten o'clock and feeling good about life."

And then there are those that never even came close to working in the field of their university study. Matthew Townsend, co-founder of web design business Federation Media, failed to make the cut after completing the medical intermediate year. Determined to become a doctor, he then studied for a BSc in Psychology (Hons) with a view to attending medical school on the strength of those marks. But by the end of four years at university, he had had enough.

"I left NZ directly after university and found myself working in a travel agency in London mainly as a means to travel cheaply and whenever I wanted, but it was never something that I wanted to do for my career."

So it was back to the drawing board. Returning to New Zealand, he completed a Grad Dip PR & Comms specialising in multimedia and web design and went about forming his own company.

Does he have any regrets?

"Being a company director definitely has higher levels of stress in that the responsibility for the work lies directly on your shoulders. The upside is that the stress is more satisfying as you know that you are building something for yourself, not others. I found losing hair on account of other people's business stresses always a little bit frustrating. Now my baldness is my own to claim."

As for his degree, does Townsend see his four years of study as a waste of time?

"I often felt it may have been wrong not to pursue my psychology or medical aspirations further but things seemed to happen easily on the road I was on so I took advantage of that and followed that course."