I like this story. I kind of retrospective optimism that always seems to fare well for impending decisions!
farhanlalji
· 6 months ago
Great story. Similar story here, got rejected from countless companies in Canada, on a whim came to visit my uncle in London, England he told me to bring along my resume, ended up with a great job with a start up, did my masters in London, met my wife there, and started working for the company that introduced me to the web (Yahoo!) in the UK. Rejection was my best friend too.
Fabio Varesano
· 6 months ago
Thanks for writing this.. touching
Puleen Patel
· 6 months ago
This is a great post. And I agree with robchogo about what Steve Jobs mentioned. Great post again. Thank you for sharing.
wifeofwar
· 6 months ago
I needed this.
Gay Toronto
· 6 months ago
What a a great story, life has a strange way of working out...
howardlindzon
· 6 months ago
lucky you never got hit behind in that hatchback.
good stuff buddy. what a nerd though. really. :)
bijan
· 6 months ago
guilty as charged <g>
jeffrey
· 6 months ago
Great story, Bijan. It's always fun to look back in your life at the moments that ended up being pivotal and daydream about what would have happened had the coin landed on the other side.
Parvinder
· 6 months ago
This has happened in life so many times now. I have come to a conclusion that whatever happens, is always for good. Just that we don't understand when its happening. Sometimes we are able to connect the dots later in our life and sometimes we are not able to do it till the end of our life or even within our life span. so i am leaning towards "do your best and leave for God the rest" he knows what is good for you so trust him
dean_genlighten
· 6 months ago
Bijan:
Sounds like NYNEX did you a big favor. I wonder how your intuition for innovative products and businesses would have been delayed in a Fortran shop. [Nothing against Fortran... it got me through grad school... just tends to foster a different mindset than you probably found at MacWorld.]
Ilan Abehassera
· 6 months ago
Funny Bijan, because what you describe is written as is in the Torah, and is summed up in one small phrase (hebrew) : "Gamzou Le Tova", which means anything that happens in your life is for the Good. And that's a philosophy that everyone should follow, brings a lot of positivism.
Jared
· 6 months ago
No doubt there is power in "disasters." I always say that sometimes things have to NOT work out in order to force you in the direction you really needed to go. However it's only afterwards that we look back and say, "Oh now I know why this happened." For instance;
1 - The WORST job I worked I found my girlfriend of 3 years now. 2 - The WORST time of my life I found my mentor ("The Billionaire") 3 - The WORST time I had was in Florida and... on and on and on.
Lesson? Sometimes people have to get "sick and tired of being sick and tired" to move on.
Great stuff! *Jared
vinvinkid
· 6 months ago
Ganun din ang aking karanasan Mr. Bijan (That's also my experience Mr. Bijan) Hindi ako nakatapos pero pero kinuha ako ng TV production company. (I didn't finished school but I was hired by a TV broadcasting company.) Salamat sa post na ito. (Thanks for this post)
Skunk
· 6 months ago
Great story bro! Inspiring. I applied for some crappy job at Compaq years ago and got rejected too. Now I'm kickin ass and takin names!
Tal
· 6 months ago
Looking for my first job out of college it sure doesn't feel that way for me right now.
I'm hoping to join a tech company as a programmer or user experience designer, a small startup would be ideal.
My degrees are more research oriented but I found I don't have the patience for long term projects. I don't see myself enjoying working at companies like Raytheon or Lockeed Martin (which I could probably get a job without much difficulty).
-Tal
bijan
· 6 months ago
do you have a blog or linkedin account.
happy to send your contact info to a few of our portfolio companies. where are you located?
Tal
· 6 months ago
http://talatlas.com has all of my contact and resume info as well as a link to my tumblr.
I'm currently living in Colorado but have plans to move to NYC or DC in the next month or two.
Thanks so much for the offer. (and sorry for the delay been at work all day)
Hannah Lloyd
· 6 months ago
It's funny...I'm going to be officially "old" (LOL) at the end of the month, and I just graduated from grad school and I've been wondering why the job thing hasn't been working out since I started my search over 18 months ago. I've also wondered why, when I worked as hard as I did in careers in which I was successful, my heart felt homeless.
I've considered the fact that maybe that entrepreneurial caterpillar that I attempt to appease through business planning but never completely satisfy in practice, wants to become a butterfly, and I won't find a satisfying career or even a job for the present outside of an entrepreneurial venture.
I have the plan and the know how...I just need the faith. And it is the little nudge that I get from postings like this, Bijan, that make me think I should just risk it all and do it -- I literally have nothing to lose now! :) Thank you, Bijan!
Ed
· 6 months ago
Wonderful story. This should help the young to believe. [There is one related inverse though; sometimes the right dot comes through persistence. Some give up too soon, and some execs today don't realize that person knocking over and over makes them the right hire].
Charming history Bijan. Glad you were holding the map right side up :)
Joanne Giesbrecht
· 6 months ago
Your story is inspirational for everyone as we all face rejection at one time or another. Thanks for sharing it!
Desmond Pieri
· 6 months ago
Like you, I wanted that big company job -- in my case, I (thought I) wanted a job in accounting at the GM factory in Framingham MA. Instead I got a job selling computers and I've been in tech ever since, the last 20 years in start ups, the last 10 years doing "interim CEO / COO work. NONE of that would have been possible with out that skinny rejection letter coming to me from GM. I'm thankful for rejection like that! Des Pieri
Sue Densmore
· 6 months ago
Great post, and great perspective!
nelking
· 6 months ago
Just helped facilitate a free job hunting workshop. My number one rule: Be an actor. Don't take rejection personally and keep moving forward.
It amazing the life that comes from each decision either, or own, or someone else!
All Comments
Couldn't find a proper version of the song, but here it is in an interesting café acoustic version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=az-FNI4tXc0
good stuff buddy. what a nerd though. really. :)
Sounds like NYNEX did you a big favor. I wonder how your intuition for innovative products and businesses would have been delayed in a Fortran shop. [Nothing against Fortran... it got me through grad school... just tends to foster a different mindset than you probably found at MacWorld.]
1 - The WORST job I worked I found my girlfriend of 3 years now.
2 - The WORST time of my life I found my mentor ("The Billionaire")
3 - The WORST time I had was in Florida and... on and on and on.
Lesson? Sometimes people have to get "sick and tired of being sick and tired" to move on.
Great stuff!
*Jared
I remember that feeling.
What are you looking to do ?
-bijan
---
Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/bijan
My degrees are more research oriented but I found I don't have the patience for long term projects. I don't see myself enjoying working at companies like Raytheon or Lockeed Martin (which I could probably get a job without much difficulty).
-Tal
happy to send your contact info to a few of our portfolio companies. where
are you located?
I'm not sure if my linkedin is in there, I don't use it as much as I probably should. It's here: http://www.linkedin.com/in/talatlas
I'm currently living in Colorado but have plans to move to NYC or DC in the next month or two.
Thanks so much for the offer. (and sorry for the delay been at work all day)
I've considered the fact that maybe that entrepreneurial caterpillar that I attempt to appease through business planning but never completely satisfy in practice, wants to become a butterfly, and I won't find a satisfying career or even a job for the present outside of an entrepreneurial venture.
I have the plan and the know how...I just need the faith. And it is the little nudge that I get from postings like this, Bijan, that make me think I should just risk it all and do it -- I literally have nothing to lose now! :) Thank you, Bijan!
Charming history Bijan. Glad you were holding the map right side up :)
It amazing the life that comes from each decision either, or own, or someone else!