The cost of playing it safe

When I was studying Marketing back in Greece almost everyone’s dream in my department was to find a job at a big multinational. The dream knocked my door when I landed a job offer from L’Oreal when I graduated. I kindly declined. I wanted to do a 3-month internship in an advertising start-up in Spain instead. L’Oreal interviewer thought I was making the wrong choice. They were one of the best marketers in the world! I went to Spain for three months and I stayed there for three years. Some of the most fun years of my life.
Fast forward 3 years, I quit my job in Spain and poured all my savings and more to do an MBA in France. Most of my colleagues thought I was crazy. It felt like a safe bet to me. Most people graduated with a few job offers to choose from. It was 2009 though, and two months in, Lehman Brothers broke down. Nobody was hiring anymore. I wanted to move to the UK and the job market was frozen.