OD11 digital HR - Flipbook - Page 37
YOUNG ODs
Glen behind
the scenes with
Tali star Julia
Anastasopoulos.
“Don’t be afraid
of failure – that’s
where you learn
the most.”
start by making your own content
for social media. If people like
it, keep going and try to get into
commercials, then narrative work.
And if people don’t like it… Well,
Business Science is calling your
name, boyyyy!”
RICHARD FREUND
Economist, age 28
After school, Richard Freund (2014B)
completed his undergraduate degree
in economics and finance at UCT,
followed by a master’s degree in
development economics at Oxford.
He then spent two years working
for Young Lives, a programme
tracking 3,000 individuals in Peru,
Ethiopia, India and Vietnam to study
how lives in developing countries
have changed. He realised that to
lead policy-related development
economics projects, whether with
governments, large multinational
organisations or NGOs, a PhD is
a prerequisite. So, for the past two
years, while completing his PhD in
economics, he’s been consulting for
a boutique development economics
firm, MIDE Development, which is
expanding its projects into Africa
and Asia.
“T
here are several
requisites to get to
the next career level,
and the first is patience. Nearly
11 years out of school, I’m still
studying. I’ve worked along the
way, but getting here has required
working through the process
without feeling rushed. Finishing
my PhD this year will only be
possible because of patience.
“The second requirement is
discipline. A PhD doesn’t have
a set schedule, and my consulting
work is done remotely. Managing
my time effectively and staying
disciplined has been key.
“Third is belief. I believe that I can
finish my PhD, operate at this level,
and lead projects in Africa. But it’s
also important to have the belief
of others. My supervisors and my
boss have all trusted me to step up,
and that support has been crucial.
“It feels good – validating – to
work at this level. Every decision
I’ve made feels justified. I took the
time to reflect on what I wanted,
what was required to get there,
and what steps I needed to take.
“Having a clear reason for doing
what I was doing has been most
important thing. I understood
the steps involved. Everyone’s
path looks different, and there’s
no fast track to success. Seeing
my peers excel in their careers
was incredible, but it wasn’t my
journey. If money had been my
primary driver, I could have stayed
in finance and likely earned more
in the short term – but that wasn’t
what motivated me.
THE OLD DIOCESAN | 35
