At Iluka Resources, we're committed to building an engaged and diverse workforce. We congratulate Alaní Conceição on his recent milestone - he has shown the courage to do something different despite the challenges he's faced.
February 2022, after 7 years with the company, I decided to take a break from my career and move to Australia, to Perth. From the beginning of my planning, I had very clear goals, including developing English as a second language, taking a cybersecurity course in Australia, and getting a job in the same role I had in Brazil. When we are still in our comfort zone, all these seem like impossible dreams to achieve. In fact, radical changes at 40 years old are scary, but I remained focused and believed it was possible. Today, September 2024, looking at these two photos, I realised how quickly time has passed, but at the same time, how hard the process was. In September 2022, I was working at Iluka as a housekeeper while still studying. In July 2023, I received an offer to work at Iluka through the Graduate Program, and after a year, in August 2024, I received my first contract to work full-time as a Project Manager. The process can be long and difficult if you choose to think of it that way, or it can simply take the time it needs to, for you to develop as a person and professional. What may seem difficult today will prepare you for a much bigger challenge in the future, and that will be incredibly rewarding. Just believe in the process, take every moment to learn, and accept that you don’t know everything and that even a simple person in a position below yours can teach you many things. Life is too short not to be lived. People are born, live, and die in the same place without having had the opportunity to leave their space. Enjoy your journey. If you are one of the lucky ones to live a challenging journey, thank God every day for it because there is no such thing as a winner. There is life, experience, and people who will show you other ways of looking at life that may have been unknown to you.