Hi I’m Danny let’s change the world 🌏 Blog 23

Let me reintroduce myself. Hi, I’m Danny! I am 26 years old, originally from Germany and currently living in Jakarta Indonesia.

As I write this, I am lying on a sunbed next to a pool in a nice little rented villa in Canggu, Bali. Merry Christmas! A few nights ago, I drove from Jakarta to Bali in my car. It took me 22 hours. Let’s be fair, no distance is too far to travel to Bali.

I grew up in Leimen, a small city in the southwest of Germany. Life was great. I am still close with my best friends from kindergarten, primary school and my first sports club.

After graduating from high school, I decided to go a different route than most of my friends. I did an apprenticeship instead of going to Uni. With my high school grades, I probably would have struggled to get into a good university anyways. Haha

Working Environments

I hated my apprenticeship after the first week. There were two things that kept me going. I was earning a salary and I knew that once I was a certified electronics technician, finding a job wouldn’t be much of a problem for the rest of my life. Germany has been complaining about a shortage of skilled workers for years. It has become a trend to study business administration instead of becoming a tradesman.

I learned that if you don’t know what you want to do in life, finding out what you don’t like is a good start.

My tutors were supportive which made my three years of training easier. Working for the largest global manufacturer of offset printing presses helped me to get a good idea of different working environments. I worked together with people that were taking coffee breaks every 30 minutes while complaining about their management – waiting for the end of shift.

Complaining without suggesting change or taking action is just talk.

People in senior positions were under constant stress trying to make things better but were badmouthed in the break rooms.

I don’t know which is more ignorant. A person who takes luck in his hands and tries to fulfil his idea of success regardless of the consequences or a person that complains but doesn’t contribute to change.

No Sleep Gang

In the second year of my apprenticeship, I started an additional evening school. Business administration. Because, why not get both perspectives.

Working from 7am until 4pm, going to uni from 6pm to 9pm and then heading over to the library from 10pm until midnight did not make things easier. But I loved doing more. I loved hearing other people telling me “Danny, how do you do it?”

You can get a lot done in 24 hours. As long as you keep going.

Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.

Albert Einstein

A Year of Party

In my year, there were two guys that completed their apprenticeship in three years instead of three and a half. One of them was a genius, the other one just couldn’t be arsed anymore.

Obviously, I was the latter. But, I was an electronics technician and had saved about 8000 Euro!

There are a few things that you can do with 8000 Euro and job qualifications. You could continue work as a tradie and meanwhile, finish your evening school to get a university degree. Or, you could book a flight to Bangkok and a return flight five months later.

I decided on Bangkok.

Thailand – Lao – Cambodia – Singapore – Indonesia. Five months weren’t enough. I extended flights to 12 months.

Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Australia, Myanmar, Indonesia.

What a fucking buzz! Easily the best year of my life.

I loved meeting new people and being in complete control of my life. It wasn’t all easy. I ran out of money after 6 months and got to Australia on my last 500 Euro to find a job that enabled me to keep going. Things work out if you genuinely want them to.

New Life

I was struggling when I got back to Germany. I had stories from 12 months of adventure but was back in an environment where not much had changed.

My plan was to finish university but I couldn’t get it organised. In retrospect, I know that this wasn’t what I wanted. Society and extended family had me thinking that a university degree and then a safe job was what I needed.

My father was in Indonesia for a business trip with plans to move to Jakarta and try to establish my parent’s company. I jumped on a flight to visit him and then hit Bali for a vacation. But one thing leads to another and suddenly I was part of the team.

After not even five months back in Germany, I left but this time for good.

Life in Asia

Life in Asia was hard and it still is. Having different mindsets and ways of working can make it hard to get things done. I have learned lessons in the past four years that no university could teach me. Trying to build a company from scratch, running into all sorts of trouble, worrying about money, employing people, small successes, fallbacks – it was a journey.

Next to my on-the-job challenges, I try to create challenges in other parts of my life. If it is running the Tokyo Marathon or becoming a rescue diver.

Listen to your sister Morty. To live is to risk it all, otherwise, you’re just an inert chunk of randomly assembled molecules drifting wherever the universe blows you.

Rick Sanchez (Rick and Morty)

I love the fact that Indonesia is sunny all year. I haven’t had winter depression in years. It really makes a difference.

There are so many places in the world that I want to live in. There are so many adventures left that I want to experience. This is just the start.

Hi, I’m Danny, let’s change the world 🌏

D