Gå efter drømmejobbet – selv om det ligger i udkanten

Marianne Bom & Rie Jerichow, Publicér

Fra studiekammeraterne i Aalborg til Rønne på Bornholm er der 570 km plus en færge til Sverige og to broafgifter. Man kan næsten ikke komme ­længere væk inden for landets grænser, og alligevel vandt drømmejobbet.

I dag er Tobias Leth udviklingsingeniør og teknisk specialist hos JENSEN Denmark. Moderselskabet JENSEN-GROUP er en international virksomhed, der på verdensplan ­producerer stort set alle de maskiner, der er involveret i professionelle vaskerier til alt fra transport til vask, strygning, foldning og stakning. Privatfoto.

”Geografien har ikke afskrækket mig, og Bornholm er et dejligt sted. Mine overvejelser gik udelukkende på, om springet skulle være det næste skridt i min karriere,” fortæller Tobias Leth.

Han blev i 2017 færdig med sin ph.d. fra Aalborg Universitet ved Institut for Elektroniske Systemer i sektionen for automation og kontrol. Nu kan han skrive ’udviklingsingeniør og teknisk specialist hos JENSEN Denmark’ på sit visitkort. Hans hovedopgave er at deltage i udviklingen af nye produkter og forbedre eksisterende løsninger.

Og hvad var det så, der var så tiltrækkende, at han var villig til at sige farvel til hele familien og alle vennerne i det nordjyske?

”Det var en meget unik stilling i en unik virksomhed. Jeg har hele tiden haft et ønske om ikke at arbejde i den akademiske verden. Da jeg blev kontaktet af en headhunter på vegne af JENSEN Denmark, som havde set min LinkedIn-profil, gik jeg i tænkeboks – i næsten fire måneder,” fortæller han.

Mens andre ville tælle på knapper og overveje karrieren i forhold til venner og familie, gik Tobias’ overvejelser primært i en anden retning.

”Jeg mærkede efter, om det virkelig var dét job, jeg ville have. Jeg skulle jo ikke flytte, fordi jeg tilfældigvis blev kontaktet af en headhunter,” siger Tobias Leth.

Men jobbet viste sig at have alt det, han drømte om, så derfor blev det et ja.

”JENSEN-GROUP er en meget særlig virksomhed, der på verdensplan producerer stort set alle de maskiner, der er involveret i professionelle vaskerier til alt fra transport til vask, strygning, foldning og stakning. JENSEN Denmark har en af de største egenproduktioner af maskiner, jeg kender til her i landet, med fabriksanlæg, hvor der kommer pladestål ind, som skæres, bukkes, svejses og males. I min stilling er jeg ikke bare et lille tandhjul – jeg er med fra A til Z. Jeg er ikke nødvendigvis styrende for hver enkelt proces, men jeg har viden og forståelse for, hvordan hele samspillet i produktionen finder sted,” fortæller han.

Dertil kommer, at Tobias altid har haft en drøm om ’at komme ud’.

”Når man siger, at man gerne vil ud, er det måske ikke Bornholm, man tænker på først. Men det kommer jo an på, hvad man mener med ’ud’. For selvom jeg ikke er uden for Danmarks grænser, føler jeg, at jeg er ude på eventyr,” siger Tobias.

Sådan ville andre måske også have det, hvis de købte en enkeltbillet til Bornholm.

”Jeg kendte ingen, da jeg landede med flyveren om søndagen, hvor jeg skulle starte om mandagen – altså andre end de to mennesker, jeg havde mødt i forbindelse med jobsamtalerne. Men der gik kun 14 dage, så kendte jeg flere end 10,” fortæller han.

Alligevel har det været sværere at tage springet og flytte permanent – også selv om han har sociale interesser som kortspil og havkajak.

”De gange, jeg har boet i udlandet, har jeg altid vidst, hvornår jeg skulle ’hjem’. Sådan er det ikke denne gang. Der var flere ting, der skulle lukkes ned i stedet for at sige på gensyn. Men jeg har slet, slet ikke følt mig ensom, og mange bornholmere er interesserede og åbne. Og så er Danmark et lille land. Der er direkte fly fra Aalborg til ­Bornholm hele sommeren, og færgen sejler til Sverige otte gange om dagen, så man kan sagtens komme herfra, hvis det er det, man vil,” siger Tobias Leth.

Marianne Bom & Rie Jerichow, Publicér

There are 570 km from the study buddies in Aalborg to Rønne on Bornholm – plus a ferry to Sweden and two bridge tolls. You can hardly get further away within the ­country’s borders, and still the dream job won out.

Today, Tobias Leth is a developmental engineer and technical specialist at JENSEN Denmark. The mother company, JENSEN-GROUP, is an international company, which produces practically all the machines involved in professional laundry services; everything from transport to washing, ironing, folding, and stacking, on a global level. Private photo.

“The geography did not scare me, and Bornholm is a nice place. I only considered if this should be the next step in my career,” says Tobias Leth.

He finished his ph.d. in 2017 from Aalborg University at Institut for Elektroniske Systemer in the section for automation and control. Now he can write ‘developmental engineer and technical specialist at JENSEN Denmark’ on his business card. His main task is to participate in the development of new products and improve existing solutions.

And what was it that was so attractive that he was willing to say goodbye to his entire family and all his friends in Northern Jutland?

“It was a very unique position in a unique company. I always wanted to work in the academic world. When I was contacted by a headhunter, who had seen my LinkedIn-profile, on JENSEN Denmark’s behalf, I put on my thinking hat – for almost four months,” he says.

While others would have considered the career versus friends and family, Tobias’ considerations primarily went another way.

“I thought about whether this was really the job I wanted. I wasn’t going to move because I just happened to be contacted by a headhunter,” says Tobias Leth.

But the job happened to have everything he dreamed about, so it was a yes.

“JENSEN-GROUP is a very particular company, which produces basically all the machines involved in professional laundry services; everything from transport to washing, ironing, folding, and stacking, on a global level. JENSEN Denmark has one of the biggest house productions of machines that I know of, here in Denmark, with a factory plant, where they take in steel that has to be cut, bended, welded, and painted. In my position, I am not just a tiny gear – I am involved from start to finish. I am not necessarily in charge of every single process, but I have the knowledge and understanding of how everything in the production comes together,” he says.

Furthermore, Tobias has always had a dream of ‘getting out’.

“When you say you want to get out, you may not be thinking about Bornholm first. But it depends what you mean by ‘out’. Because even if I am still within the Danish borders, I feel that I am on an adventure,” says Tobias.

Others may feel the same if they bought a one-way ticket to Bornholm.

“I didn’t know anyone when I landed by plane on the Sunday. I had to start on the Monday and knew no one but the two people I had met in relation to the job interviews. But it only took 14 days, then I knew more than ten,” he says.

Still, it has been harder to take the leap and move permanently – even if he has social interests like card games and kayaking.

“Every time I have lived abroad, I have always known when I was going ‘home’. It is not like that this time. There were more things that had to be shut down, rather than saying ‘see you later’. But I have not felt lonely at all, and a lot of the people here are interested and open.

And then, Denmark is a small country. There is a direct flight from Aalborg to Bornholm all summer, and the ferry sails to Sweden eight times a day, so you can easily get away from here, if that is what you want,” says Tobias Leth.