1992 – “Coming to America” Major Milestone for me. Year of the turning point. Leaving Germany and leaving everything behind for my American husband. I left behind my just started great business career overseas in wholesale and foreign trade, my 6 weeks vacation per year, my family and friends and a thriving German economy that year. Times were just great in Germany.
“Timing is Everything” and I definitely chose the wrong timing … Times in the USA weren’t all that great …. Lot of Americans were out of work, lot of houses on the market, times were tough…recession in progress. It was hard enough for qualified Americans to find a decent job, never mind a foreigner with absolutely no US references.
“The American Dream” Being from the “old country” I was too proud to ask for support from my family, and having a “can do” attitude I grabbed every job opportunity I came across. I worked every job from making Pizzas to filing medical records, purchasing, payroll, and any temp assignment available, I was never too good to refuse any job assignment. Those years, I worked harder than ever, up to three jobs at one time.
I also realized that in order to be successful I needed to continuously educate myself. With that in mind, I made sure to constantly take classes and improve myself, most importantly were the English classes I took to improve my English. That opened up a lot of doors for me in this English speaking world.
I also took computer classes in Microsoft Office, html language, Dreamweaver, Quark X-press, photography classes, and many more, to keep up with fast growing technology needs.
About Me
One of my favorite experiences was to work on the weekends for a wedding photographer. They gave me a huge chance and I grabbed it quickly. It was very stressful coping with my other two jobs and a house to keep up, but it was a great experience for me. I learned that if you are ambitious and hard working, you can definitely make it in USA. The USA is a great country for opportunities, but you have to be willing to grab them and work very hard.
“… And Into the Future” 1996 – present. I started my career at SCHOTT North America as an Executive Admin. Assistant; I worked for a German Company with a British Boss. I really liked the diversity and opportunities in this company. As much as we sometimes complain about our companies, SCHOTT is a great place to work, and I am fortunate to have found such a place. During my years at SCHOTT, I had some great bosses who supported me in taking a slightly different career path to the Marketing side of the business. I really love it and I have to thank one of my ex-colleague, Thea Marcoux, she is my mentor, teacher and friend with lots of experience. She was willing to teach me and help me to learn the business to become the best that I can.
2014 Finished my degree in Marketing. Bacholer Professional Marketing (CCI).
2015 Promoted to Marketing Manager at SCHOTT
Brigitte Sterf Esposito, E-Mail: info@brigittesterf.com,
Brigitte Sterf
