Where Will He End Up in His Career?
Kendrick is over the moon.
He schedules a day to take a rest. He's going to have a staycation at the SkyCity Marriott Hotel. One of the Lantau Island's premier lodging destinations. Why this hotel? It's located just five minutes from the Hong Kong International Airport. He finds it chilling to see the international airport operate in real-time. Either it's an airplane taking off from the runway or an aircraft is parking in the docking station. He always has a thing about gigantic vehicles.
In February, he will get a special type of driving license from the Transportation Department. In the logistics industry, we call it a "big license". The adjective "big" doesn't refer to the license card's size, but the vehicle the license holder is entitled to drive. It implies Kendrick can drive a bus. Be a bus driver. Not for a single-deck bus. But for a double-deck bus. Doing so he can easily double his salary from his current job.
Kendrick is a supply chain professional. He used to be an operator in the Tai Po Industrial Estate and a technical support at the Coke-Cola factory to help manage the assembly line that can produce 12,000 drink packets per hour. He works well with any type of big machine. Not only that, but he's also detailed-minded. He's capable of spotting any abnormal behavior with his small eyes. Either it's wrongdoing generated by humans or errors that occur by machines. Everything goes under his mental radar. His internal supply chain's operational bug detector. He knows the operation from A to Z. You feel safe to work with him.
Looking like a K-pop star, his hometown is Borneo though, a giant and rugged island in Southeast Asia’s Malay Archipelago. It is shared by the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak, Indonesian Kalimantan, and the tiny nation of Brunei. He visits his hometown for a few months every year. In terms of hobbies, he likes motorcycling on days off, enjoying a long ride around Hong Kong just by himself. He doesn't like the monthly installment plan. He plans to buy a Kawasaki 400 with full payment once he lands his next job.
Kendrick has a strategy in his career path. Staying open-minded to all the opportunities in different types of roles in the supply chain industry. He has been working at the Marsek warehouse for over three years. Based on his supply chain excellence, he's the rare one among the Coolies who can access more operational information than anyone else. In the Shipping division, on top of all the hard labor input, you'll always see him working with the computer checking the status of the operation. Is it on track? Is there any careless mistake made? He hates to scratch the toes, the Cantonese way of saying killing time to earn meaningless bucks. He works only because he's got work to do. He doesn't give a shit about extra money made even if the warehouse keeps him idle. While other Coolies scratching their toes to earn more wage that is counted hourly, he would go home and call it a day. You feel happy to work with him because you know you will always leave the workplace on time. Being utterly effective. No goddamn O.T.
"Have you ever thought about being a regular in the warehouse?" being asked. "The idea never enters my mind," he would tell you. The answer doesn't surprise you if you know him well enough. He used to have an official title as a Leader to onboard new Coolies, giving guidance. He took the helm for a short time, then back out even though he could make more money. He treasures happiness more than earning a few extra bucks. All the people in the warehouse like him, not only because of his full-fledged capability but also his character. He uses all the colloquial languages including all the various types of fucks you can say in Cantonese if you're a good friend of his, but he's nice and well-mannered to all people by all means.
Have you ever looked around the bus's interior? Stepping onto the bus, before paying the fare, you'll see a name tag that tells you the bus driver's name: "Bus Captain at Your Service: _______" Being asked again about Kendrick's next career move, "When will you put your name on that tag?" He answers, "I'm considering getting some experience in being a taxi driver to expand my horizons."
There's a rumor about Kendrick. He's got a wide range of different types of driving licenses. He can drive whatever vehicle he wants on the road legally. He's even thinking about acquiring a license for the tractor unit. The vehicle with ten wheels and is as big as a shipping container. The container we're talking about here is the one you can see in the container port. The container invented in 1956 after World War II. The container that enables the practice of transporting product-filled truck trailers that were lifted directly from truck to ship. The crazily large container you watch on TV when the news anchor reporting the global supply chain is disrupted by bad weather or whatever reasons. To Kendrick, working in the supply chain industry is a labor of love.