If you talk to any of my family members or close friends, you will learn that a lot has changed about me since I was just a lad. With the exception of my height, of course. I actually stopped growing in 5th grade while everyone on the planet continued getting taller and taller, as normal people tend to do. This, my friends, is a topic for a completely different discussion which I will inevitably title "Living with Short Man Syndrome (SMS)."
Okay, so I don't actually have SMS. In fact, I'm sure I just made that up. The truth is that although my height hasn't changed since I was a toddler, many more things have. From the ages of 9 to 16, I was heavily involved in acting. I performed in over 20 community theater productions and appeared in local TV advertisements and magazines. When I was 12, I appeared in a nationally-televised Capn' Crunch commercial where I was paid to act like an idiot for 30 seconds. Take THAT tall people!
After graduating from high school (with a whopping 2.2 GPA), I was accepted into the Western Michigan University theater department to further my ambition of becoming a professional actor. However, I changed my mind after hearing the program director say to us, "The majority of you will not make it as a professional actor. Instead, you will wait on tables most your life as you do small gigs here and there in an attempt to make it big." I thought, "Hmmmm...not for me." When I called the program director to inform him of my decision, he insisted he wasn't talking about me, since I was their first pick into the program. His comment was flattering. But I had made my decision already.
This is when my life changed dramatically. Shortly after refusing the WMU offer, I came home with enlistment papers. I signed up to be a United States Marine. Yes, the Cap'n Crunch kid was going to be a hardened, military machine! My family cried, my friends were confused, and I was scared. After all, it was October 2001 when I was shipped off to California for boot camp - less than one month after 9/11.
My military career was a great one. I was stationed in Southern California for most of my enlistment, and was deployed to Iraq twice in two years. I was an infantry scout responsible for driving ahead of the tanks to clear their paths and report enemy movement to commanders in the rear. In March 2003, I found myself crossing the Iraq border as one of the first vehicles in the war. In 2004, I was living in Fallujah - one of the most volatile places in Iraq and the world at the time. I witnessed a lot of carnage, destruction, and loss of life during my time in the military, and although I struggle to deal with these issues at times, they are what make me who I am today. I'm very open about my experiences and try to use them as positive influences in my life as best as I can.
I married my middle school sweetheart in 2003, between my two deployments. Following my enlistment, we moved back to Michigan where we both started going to school. We had a girl, Rylee, who is now 2 years old. She is the absolute joy of our lives and we cherish every moment with her. Her mom doesn't know this yet, but Rylee looks exactly like me. ;-)
Finding work was tough. I possessed a significant amount of real life experience and maturity for my age. But all of the places I applied to required a college degree, period. I remember walking into a local security company and having them offer me $7.00 an hour as a security guard. They claimed that, based on my resume', I only qualified for their lowest ranking position. This was a humbling experience. Especially after I spent the last year as a Marine infantry Sergeant, commanding my unit in one of the most hostile and dangerous places in the world. But, I digress.
I continued with school, and eventually began my internship here at Amway in April 2008. Unlike the other companies I encountered, Amway took a chance on me and offered me a position on the Business Intelligence team - despite my lack of IT experience or education. In September, I moved to the Web Technology team for a second internship. Again, with little IT experience, the management at Amway took a chance on me.
Just recently, I was offered a full-time position on the Web Technology team as an Associate Systems Support Specialist. I am very excited and grateful for this opportunity. Amway is a great place to work, and the company values are contagious among its employees, IBOs, and customers. For me, Amway was able to do something that not many companies are able to do. They were able to look beyond my lack of IT experience on paper, and instead value my progressive thinking, leadership experience, and dedication to learning.
I wanted to introduce myself by providing a short life story. Additionally, I hope that I was able to give a real-life example of how Amway provides opportunities for individuals from all walks of life. Amway recognized traits of mine that are not easily conveyable on a resume but are reflected in my personality and experiences. I encourage those of you who may not know exactly what you want in life to try new things, expand your comfort zone, and take a chance once in a while. You never know what might happen.
If it can happen for me, it can happen for anyone. After all, I'm living with SMS!
Editor’s Note: Michael recently has made the tranisition to a full-time position with the Web Technology team as an Associate Systems Support Specialist! We look forward to hearing more from Michael about his experiences and would like to say congratulations on your full-time job!