Goodbye, Good Luck and Good Night

Well as the Sun goes down in the sky this evening, so comes to a close my 8 week internship with Sun. I really can’t believe that it’s all over. I’ve been so busy both with work and entertaining that I really hadn’t  had the chance to rationally assess how I would feel right now. I can tell you that whilst I’m really extremely excited about heading to NYC for a 12 day vacation on Sunday, I feel completely deflated; like one would after finding out that the person that you love has just left you for your best friend (this, of course, hasn’t actually ever happened to me though!).

For the first time in my life I had a proper daily routine that didn’t cause me to want to hide my head under the pillow when the alarm struck at 6.30am. Indeed, most mornings I was up before the alarm had the chance to go off – eager and keen to start the day with a positive mind-set and willingness to succeed. If there is something that I’ve learned here in the US, it’s that success is in the eye of the beholder. You can rely on others to pull you along and prop you up, but if you want to make it big and realize all those dreams you have – the only way to achieve that is by pulling your socks up, beating a retreat to the front of the line and rising to every challenge in a way that serves to exceed even the most magnificent expectations of those around you who wield power; their power and your efforts are the key to success. I realized this early on and spent every minute of my time with Sun leveraging my natural enthusiasm, talents and skills in a way that has both served to benefit the company (in the work that I produced) and my long-term future.

Before we all headed out to our respective placements(oh how those pre placement endeavours of form filling, interviews and flights seem a million miles away) I was quite worried about how I would be received here in the States and whether or not I would be a good fit in a technology company. Thankfully though, the fit was tight and the relationships I’ve built up with the Global Communities family even tighter. I’m not exaggerating when I say that I count many of these people as friends now and not just colleagues. To Linda Rogers, Stephanie Hess and Lowell Sachs, who I worked under whilst carrying out my two projects here, I owe a debt of gratitude. For trusting in me and allowing me a free reign over my work, for being fantastic and approachable mentors who were always willing to take the time to sit down and work with me, not above me, for asking for and valuing my opinion on a range of subjects out with my project’s remit, and most importantly - for just being for just being them. I’ll miss them all so much and the regular contact time we all had. I’ll also really miss our fraught political chats, especially the ones that Steph and I have been having recently as the Democrat and Republican conventions have progressed.

As well as my closest mentors, I also have to give a big shout out to some of the other key members with whom I had the pleasure of spending time with – Crawford Beveridge, VP and Chairman Europe ME and Africa, a truly exceptional man and more highly respected by people in the company than anyone else I met. A true inspiration and positive role model for all of us young Scottish interns. Lin Lee, Vice President Global Communities, for her welcoming sprit, positive feedback and most of all for making the time in her busy schedule to sit down with me and chat about work and life; Michelle Dennedy, Chief Privacy Officer, for her at times incomprehensible intellectual comment and stunning wit; Charlotte Thronby-Nielsen and Kirsty Macdonald, Senior Director and Manager Europe, Middle East and Africa, for their invaluable insights and comment and for helping me to realise a further stint with Sun this winter in Europe; Chris Hankin, Senior Director North America, for helping to fill up my otherwise lonesome schedule in DC by taking me to the baseball and introducing me to his sons; Luiz Maluf, Senior Director Americas, for his passion, enthusiasm and willingness to take my calls whenever I needed questions answered and to Mark Terranova and his fantastic team (Charmaine, Chris, Tom, Geordie, Marty and Ron) for making me feel an equal at the all hands meeting by constantly asking for and praising my opinion. Had I not been so fortunate enough to have been placed into, and accepted as a true member of the Global Communities family, I dare say that my experience here in the USA would have been a damn sight less enjoyable and beneficial to my long-term career prospects. Thank you all so much.

So back to my time at Sun and I don’t really feel the need to give you all a rundown of the projects that I’ve been involved with along the way, as I reckon I’ve been pretty comprehensive in my previous blog entries. What I will say is that it has been a real pleasure having been fortunate enough to have been placed with in such an open, progressive, modern and ethically minded organization. So many of the values that are intrinsic to my very being are reflected straight back at me from Sun and for that reason I felt very - maybe a little too – comfortable; hence my finding it so difficult to let go. That said, the cord is still well and truly intact and the relationship very much open, now, and will be into my future. Had external circumstances been different, I actually had the opportunity to stay on for a further month to work some more here in San Francisco, though as the dates with vacation and university worked out, logistically it just wasn’t going to happen. I have to admit that I’m not too downtrodden as I have a sneaking suspicion that me and Sun aren’t quite over yet. In fact I can guarantee it. Call me Glen Close, bunny boiler extraordinaire if you wish – though I’d prefer to think of it as a keenness to retain a connection that has the ability to allow me to flourish in the coming years. I’m actually most likely going to be back working for Sun over the Christmas and New Year holiday period in Brussels and possibly over the year on some side projects that they have me in mind for, so in reality, I’m only leaving San Francisco and not Sun per se.

A last wee mention to the good old Saltire Foundation. Without the staff there having managed to see my potential through the hyper mania that I suffered during the interview process, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to have just told you about all of the above (and the exhaustive blogs below) and I really think that would have been a shame not only for me, but for you guys too!! So to Melissa, Irene, Innes, Jen, Julie and the rest of the team at Scottish Enterprise thank you for having provided me with this most fantastic of opportunities. I hope that your faith in me has, in your eyes, been worth the risk and proved to have been the right decision. For me, I think you can tell that I’m very happy with the way that things turned out and so I’m optimistic that you guys feel the same way too. See you all in Glasgow on September 22^nd for our reunion and networking event.

This is just the beginning of something great, something special and something so inspirational that it will serve to change a whole  swathe of young Scotsmen and women. We are the future, you are the future, let’s change Scotland for the better. Now.

“The future depends on what we do in the present” - Mahatma Gandhi

And now all that remains to be said from here in San Francisco is:

Goodbye, good luck and good night...

Comments

[Keil MacLachlan]

Dear Rory

Thank you for keeping us abreast of all your interesting work, life and experiences! Your hard work and sense of humour have made your blog a pleasant diversion for the banalities of life back home. I hope your effort is noticed by Saltire, and ideally some other young Scots full of ambition. All the best for the future. Keep blazing a trail.

Keil