Arif Sakanovic is a young man from the Rajnovac settlement of Velika Kladusa, who after finishing high school as the best student of the Gymnasium decided to enroll in college in distant Malaysia, more precisely in Kuala Lumpur. He is an example of how knowledge and studying pay off regardless of where you are in the world.
Today, Arif is successful in his business and works for a leading distributor of used helicopters for the world market. He revealed in an interview how his journey from a small place to the capital of Malaysia unfolded.
“All experiences through primary and secondary school were an incentive to achieve something in life and even greater results. After finishing high school, I received various offers and scholarships from Sarajevo and Turkey, as well as an offer from the Government of Malaysia. The fact is that I didn’t know much about Malaysia so that curiosity attracted me even more. No offer was as attractive as this one from Malaysia, and now it turned out that it was also the best option,” Arif said at the beginning of the interview.
Job immediately after studies
During his studies, he didn’t waste time, so he worked at the same time in a company that dealt with mapping and analyzing trees on farms, he made flight registrations, but also learned to fly a certain type of drone.
His experience, knowledge, and acquaintances helped him get a job right after his studies.
“I was lucky that my good friend was employed in the same company. At the time when I was finishing my studies, the company was expanding and on his recommendation, I got a job. Practically two days after I took the last exam, I started working. Of course, you had to prove yourself and justify the chance you got. When I started working, I only got an ordinary administrative job, but over the years, that position progressed,” he pointed out.
In addition, he works as a support to the sales team in any sense; technical, marketing, commercial, and similar.
“The company is called Rotortrade. Today, it is the leading distributor of used helicopters for the world market. Our clients are diverse, from VIPs, companies that deal with the transportation of people, oil companies, hospitals, and companies that deal with the transportation of cargo, fighting fires and rescuing people. My role is to take care of our helicopters for sale and to know the condition of each helicopter at all times and to be able to forward information to the sales team at any time. It seems simple at first, but the whole process behind it, from analyzing the helicopter, building the sales material, entering the system, and updating the data every day takes time,” he explained.
Life in Malaysia
When asked if it was difficult for him to adapt to life in Malaysia, Arif says that wherever we go and leave our home it is very challenging.
“It is only when you arrive at the location that you realize that it will not be as easy as imagined. The first days are always the most challenging. A different way of life, different accommodation than what you are used to, and the challenges of adapting to food. In the beginning, you don’t know anyone, and you don’t know the place, it’s like you’re learning to live all over again. Over time, as you get to know the people, the place, and the food, things become more tolerable and easier. It didn’t take long for me to do all that, since I was lucky enough to meet wonderful people during my studies, in my place of residence, and at work. Now I can freely say that this is my second country,” Arif concluded, Akta reports.
E.Dz.
