John Care (Me 71 - 76) Journey from Dover College to Sales Engineer to Renowned Author
“What do you want to be when you grow up?” This is a question that every child (and many adults) hears multiple times throughout their lives. I certainly did, and my answer in those early years was often a resounding, “I don’t know!” This uncertainty was a common theme in my early career decisions. Over six decades, I have been fortunate to hold at least seven different career roles, and it’s interesting to reflect on how Dover College helped prepare me for each of them. There are also several valuable lessons to draw from this journey, regardless of whether you are 14, 34, or 64 years old.
Seven careers may sound like a lot, but each one has its own flow and purpose. Early in life, I realized I was blessed with a near-photographic memory, meaning I didn’t have to work too hard in school. In my teens, this allowed me to focus on my three passions: reading, sports, and girls. The memory skills made me lazy, and I realized that when two of my teachers (thanks, Mr. Hearn and Mr. JFA Beckett) sat me down on the same day and told me I was indeed lazy despite receiving A’s in their classes. “You know all the facts and figures – but don’t have the critical reasoning to turn information into wisdom and knowledge!” It was a turning point for the 16-year-old me.
A week later, another teacher asked me, “If you don’t know what you want, how about making a list of what you don’t want to do?” This prompted me to create a Red-Green list, a tool I still use today, both for myself and the people I coach. On one side of the paper, I list all the things I enjoy doing—the Green list. On the other side, I outline my dislikes, creating a Red list. For example, when I was sixteen, my Red list included foreign languages, working in an office daily, doing tedious, repetitive tasks, and large crowds. In contrast, my Green list featured pursuits that involved using my brain more than my hands, solving problems with science, experiencing something different every day, and writing. That led me into Math, Physics, and Chemistry, followed by attending Imperial College London and receiving a degree in Chemical Engineering.
So far, it’s a standard career trajectory.
My first job out of university was as a Process Engineer for Esso Petroleum at the Fawley Oil Refinery outside of Southampton. Working in the Energy Conservation unit, I rapidly gained an appreciation for the practical side of engineering. However, I also learnt that being on duty at 2 a.m. on New Year’s Day in a torrential downpour was on my Red list. After two years, I was lucky to get a one-year assignment to Exxon Research headquarters in New Jersey, US. (Lesson: If you don’t ask, you don’t get.) During that year, two amazing events occurred. First, I met my Yankee Sweetheart, Allison, and second, I discovered how computers and technology could make life easier for engineers.
Allison and I married at the end of the year, and we moved back to the UK for two years. I focused on applying technology to refinery life and gained my first management position. I rapidly realized that although I was a competent engineer, I had the skill to explain complicated technology to people so they understood the benefits and wanted to use the tech. That led, in 1984, to a job offer from a software vendor, Mathematica Products Group, and an opportunity to move back to the US.
Six weeks later, we were living in Princeton, NJ, and I had the first of many jobs as a Sales Engineer (Job description: demonstrate software to large businesses and keep the salespeople out of trouble.) In 1988, I moved on to Oracle Corporation when they were still a tiny company and progressed up the management ladder with them and a few other companies until the mid-90s. During that time, “speaking to large crowds” migrated from Red to Green, and “start a business” appeared on the Green.
After twelve years of technology sales, it was time to change. I worked as an Information Technology Director and then as Chief Information Officer. The rationale was for less travel and more time to spend with the family. The experiment lasted 18 months. I discovered that office politics and corner office life were most definitely on my Red list. I dived back into the sales engineering world for another ten years, ultimately working as a Vice President of a large multinational engineering team.
In the middle of that period, I became very frustrated trying to find a way to train my team in the skills they needed as technical engineers rather than as salespeople. At the end of a sales workshop, I was, frankly, whining about the lack of relevant training. One of my first-line managers challenged me. She said, “If you’re so smart, why don’t you write a book about it?” Challenge accepted. A year later in 2001, I published the first edition of “Mastering Technical Sales: The Sales Engineers Handbook.” Add Author to the career list.
Meanwhile, the dot-com boom went dot-crash, and I remained in the corporate world for a few more years. I planned to start my own training and consulting company, yet the time never seemed right. Finally, Allison smacked me on the back of the head and said, “Just start the company. I know it will be successful. If you don’t, you’ll die a grumpy old man, and I’ll still have to live with you.”
So, Mastering Technical Sales (MTS) was born, and over the next 15 years, it morphed from a single-person business into a multi-national training organization, adding startup entrepreneur to the career list. Life was full-Green. I had the best job in the world and the best customers, who took me and my team to fantastic parts of the world to speak and train their folks. I wrote two additional books, and the main MTS book is now in its fourth edition and used as a textbook for technical engineer intake programs and even for undergraduate and postgraduate courses.
Two years ago, I sold most of the business to my partners and convinced myself I was 98% retired. Hopefully, it will be my final career switch. Allison and I, after 42+ years of marriage, now live in Longboat Key, FL, and get to travel, spend time with our wonderful grandchildren, and enjoy the sunshine. That’s a long journey for a working-class kid from Folkestone.
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