#7: And as if by magic, the Shopkeeper appeared.
... And other ways to change career.
I just learned something. The Mr Benn cartoons first appeared on our screens in the UK in 1971. I was -4 years old at the time. I thought they came out when I was about 4 or 5. It turns out they re-ran twice a year for 21 years.
Mr Benn was a twee, simple cartoon that sparked the imagination of many a child growing up in the 70s and 80s.
Each 15-minute episode charted the adventures of an Englishman in a black suit and a bowler hat, who lived at 52 Festive Road.
Embodying “Britishness” (the stories were first penned in 1967), Mr Benn had a highly tuned moral compass and had a thing for helping people sort out their problems. Even if the problem was a dragon.
He was a regular visitor to the local fancy dress shop, where he was always greeted by the fez-wearing, moustachioed shopkeeper who appeared from thin air and provided him, and the young viewers, with a dose of pure escapism.
Inspired by events of his day - a child flying a kite high in the air, boats on the river, kids playing Cowboys and Indians - Mr Benn would find himself in the magic costume shop, the shop where adventures began.
Discovering the shop almost by accident (in the first ep he needed a costume for a fancy dress party he’d been invited to) Mr Benn - we don’t ever learn his first name - had the opportunity to live out his fantasies. No, not those fantasies. It wasn’t Ann Summers.
Over the 13 aired episodes, the stories explored life as a diver, a spaceman, a knight, a clown, a wizard and a balloonist.
How magical for a child’s imagination to be so richly filled with career options, made possible by simply getting changed into the right gear and going through the “other door” in the changing room?
You’ll often see a real-life Mr Benn pop up on social media. Only he didn’t visit a costume shop - he did the hard yards to succeed in three apparently different careers.
The memes would have you believe, in simple terms, that he started out as a Seal in the US Navy, then became a doctor, and then became one of Mr Benn’s characters, an astronaut.
He’s lined up to go to the moon in 2024.
His name isn't Mr Benn, it’s Mr Kim.
And he didn’t just seamlessly transition from one career to another like Frank Abagnale Jr1. Jonny Kim’s story is impressive - and not yet complete - he is still only 38 years old. But it’s not quite like the memes would have you believe.
“One of the reasons why I wanted to be a doctor was not because I was in love with medicine, I mean I do like medicine but it’s to serve a cause greater than myself that leaves a positive mark in this world. It’s the same reason why I wanted to be an astronaut”
This shy and unconfident, yet extremely bright kid from Los Angeles did indeed have all three of these jobs.
He enlisted in the Navy in 2002 at age 18, later graduating as a Seal.
Accepted for commissioning in 2009, he was involved in 100+ combat missions variously as a sniper, navigator and combat medic. His training included dive medicine and physics, and combat scuba.
After graduating with his BA in Mathematics in 2012, he entered the Medical Corps - after which he enrolled to study medicine at Harvard, receiving his doctorate in 2016.
While at Harvard, he met and was inspired by astronaut-physician Scott E. Parazynski to apply for astronaut candidacy. In June 2017, he was selected out of over 18,000 applicants to join eleven others in NASA Astronaut Group 22.
He now ranks as Lieutenant Corporal.
"I didn't have a lot of confidence growing up... but trying new things, things that I was scared of, made me realize that we are all so much stronger than we give ourselves credit for."
The kid grew up with a drunk, abusive father. He was pushed around, he was scared. He was dealt some poor cards.
The Navy gave him the structure and support he failed to receive from his father, restoring the confidence to believe in himself and the drive to follow his own moral compass.
His career has evolved through his desire to serve, and the application of skills learned previously - but in different ways. And that’s what makes his career so interesting.
The point is, he didn’t take some wildly new unrelated career path - suddenly becoming a doctor and then training to become an astronaut - he trained, he saw opportunities, and he followed the hints, cues and took action that enabled him to progress and succeed in different fields - all whilst still in the Navy.
Takeaways
Whilst the adage “dress for the job you want, not the job you have” sounds a bit outdated, there’s something in taking decisive action when opportunities to “dress up” present themselves - particularly when they align with your values.
Be open to sideways or diagonal role changes - they’ll help you develop in more ways than you can imagine.
Enjoy the journey.
Questions:
1 - What could you achieve if you separated your sector knowledge from your experience and capability? Not all skills are transferable, but experience is.
2 - Do you keep an open mind? Do you see opportunities when they present themselves, and then do you take action, or let them pass?
3 - What would you do in life if you could do anything? What would be the SMALLEST step you could take towards that thing? What’s stopping you from taking that step?
I’m heading to the loft to get out my 17-year-old Dangermouse outfit from the dressing up box - the box that caused many a chortle from the removal guys when we moved house. Nudge nudge, etc.
Go on, go and get ready for your own blast off - you never know where you may land.
Phil
PS - this post is dedicated to David McKee, Mr Benn’s creator, who passed away last week aged 87. Thank you for sparking my imagination.
In the socials…
If you missed these titbits of career change and job search joy, fill your boots.
Here’s a video from last week packed with nine and a half minutes of goodies on how long your CV should be and how to achieve it.
Here’s another from my Pro Tip Tuesday series of super-quick CV and interview tips - this one is on how you present yourself.
This one is about bringing your interview answers to life. Remember being told to “show your working” in maths lessons?
If you’ve not seen it, watch Catch Me If You Can. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Frank Abagnale, a guy who managed to con millions of dollars whilst posing as a doctor, a pilot and a lawyer.