I used to cringe at my past career moments—things I said in meetings, how I behaved with executives. These memories haunted me, making me doubt my abilities and feel like I didn’t belong among my peers.
I started to realize I was following others’ rules, focusing on mastering the “how” instead of understanding the “why.” This led to a shift in my mindset towards adding value rather than merely following processes. I became intentional in my approach to relationships, product development, and career development. As a result, new opportunities began to open for me, and I want to share these accelerators with you!
Key Takeaways
- Finding your value. A journey from self-doubt to self-confidence.
- Essential “hacks” to progressing your career within a corporation.
- Being bold and adopting a championship mentality.
About the Speaker
Copland has been deeply involved in technology from a young age. In his early 20s, he founded two companies. One of these companies achieved modest success, but at that time, he lacked the necessary knowledge to propel them to greater heights. He later joined Derivco in Durban, one of the largest online gaming organizations in the world. Starting in Quality Assurance, he quickly transitioned to a Business Analyst role after just one year. Over the next four years, he worked on various projects and teams, eventually being promoted to Senior Business Analyst and later becoming the Product Owner for the Certification team.
In his role as Product Owner, Copland was responsible for developing software to manage all aspects of certifying casino games in various markets, working on a one-click “Certify” solution that would reduce certification time from over 30 days to less than three days. After spending ten years in the gambling sector, Copland felt a need for change. He desired to devote his time to something more meaningful and worried that if he didn’t make a change, he might never leave the company.
He then transitioned to a Product Manager role at a non-profit organization called SameSame Collective. The mission of this organization is to use mobile digital technology to support queer youth around the world. Over 44 million LGBTQI+ youth live in countries with discriminatory laws and harmful social norms, lacking access to information and support. The mental health service created by SameSame Collective is delivered via WhatsApp with minimal data requirements, making it accessible for free to anyone with a phone and internet access.
Having recently found his calling with this career change, Copland is now focused on sharing the knowledge he has gained throughout his journey and motivating others to find their own calling in life.